South
Dakota
Gestational Diabetes Care Guidelines
Gestational Nutrition Guidelines
Gestational diabetes appears for the first time during pregnancy. It occurs in 1 to 14% of all pregnancies. Gestational diabetes is usually found in the 5th to 6th month of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes may occur because hormones produced by the placenta in all pregnant women make insulin less effective. These hormones increase as pregnancy progresses.
All women with Gestational Diabetes should be testing fasting blood sugar (FBS) and 2-hour postprandial (pp) blood sugars. Target blood sugars for pregnancy: Fasting < 95 and 2-hour postprandial blood sugars < 120 mg/dl.
Breakfast
Due to hormones made by the placenta that are released during the night,
blood glucose levels may be especially elevated following breakfast. Try
the following suggestions to keep blood sugar levels within a normal
range after breakfast:
- Avoid fruits and fruit juice at breakfast.
- Carbohydrate foods such as cereals, large bagels, and sweet rolls should usually be avoided.
- Limit carbohydrate at breakfast to 2 choices or 30 grams total.
Meal Plan
It is important to include all of the basic food types, including
starches in your meal plan. The meal plan that you get from your
dietitian will help you balance your meals, especially the amount of
starches that you need, throughout the day.
Exercise
If you have difficulty achieving the blood sugar goal after meals,
exercise - a walk can often help lower blood sugars. You will need to
meet with your dietitian diabetes educator to help develop a meal plan
to be certain that adequate weight is gained during pregnancy and to
keep your blood sugars within the target range.
Goals of the Meal Plan
Adequate calories for both you and your baby
Blood sugar levels within target zone (< 95 fasting and < 120 two hours
after meals)
Slow and gradual weight gain of 24-30 pounds during pregnancy (If you
were overweight before, you may need to gain less but this is NOT
a time for weight loss!)
Bring in a food record to discuss with the dietitian. Limit caffeine to
< 300 mg/day
Frequent phone contact will help your diabetes educator evaluate your blood sugars.
Call your Diabetes Educator on: __________________________________
Carbohydrate Choices
AMOUNT |
FOOD ITEM |
STARCH |
FRUIT |
MILK |
CHOICE |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 oz |
Bagel |
2 |
2 |
||
½ cup |
Orange Juice |
1 |
1 |
||
1 cup |
Milk |
1 |
1 |
||
1 cup |
Mashed Potatoes |
2 |
2 |
||
8 oz |
Artificially-sweetened yogurt |
1 |
1 |
||
1 large |
Banana |
2 |
2 |
Combination Foods – Exchange Value Available |
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 cup |
Potato Salad |
2 |
2 |
||
1 each |
Ice Cream Bar |
1 |
1 |
||
2 cups |
Spaghetti and Meatballs |
4 |
4 |
||
8 oz |
Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt |
1 |
1 |
Combination Foods – Exchange Value Not Available | ||
---|---|---|
16 |
Cheese tidbits = 8 gm CHO |
½ |
1 each |
Oreo Big Stuff® cookie = 33 gm CHO |
2 |
8 oz |
Stouffers Vegetable Lasagna® = 28 gm CHO |
2 |
1 each |
Big Mac® = 43 gm CH |
3 |
Carbohydrate Containing Foods | |
---|---|
Food Group |
Food |
Starch |
Bread: Bagels, English muffins, rolls, pancakes, tortillas, Naan, bread sticks, crackers, popcorn, and pita bread Pasta: noodles, spaghetti, and macaroni Cereal: dry or cooked Legumes: lentils, dried beans, (garbanzo, pinto, kidney, black-eyed, white, split), lima beans, and miso |
Fruit |
Apples, oranges, bananas, and all fruit – fresh, frozen, canned, or juiced (sweetened or unsweetened) |
Milk |
All milk (fat-free, low- or reduced-fat, and whole, Goat’s, and soy) Yogurt (plain or artificially sweetened) |
Vegetable |
Carrots, green beans, broccoli, greens, and all other crunchy vegetables (only if 1 ½ cups or more) |
Other |
Foods that include any of the above items, such as:
|
*Exchange Lists for Meal Planning, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly the American Dietetic Association, 2003
Caffeine Content of Beverages
-According to the National Soft Drink Association
Milligrams per 12 oz of soda |
|
---|---|
Jolt - 71.2 |
Mello Yellow - 52.8 |
Mountain Dew - 54.0 |
Coca-Cola - 45.6 |
Diet Cola - 45.6 |
Shasta Cola - 44.4 |
Shasta Cherry Cola……44.4 |
Shasta Diet Cola - 44.4 |
Mr. Pibb - 40.8 |
Dr. Pepper - 39.6 |
Pepsi Cola - 38.4 |
Diet Rite - 36.0 |
Diet Pepsi - 36.0 |
RC Cola - 36.0 |
7-Up - 0 |
Diet 7-Up - 0 |
Milligrams per 7 oz cup of coffee |
|
---|---|
Drip - 115-175 |
Espresso (1.5-2 oz) - 100 |
Brewed - 80-135 |
Instant - 65-100 |
Decaf/brewed - 3 - 4 |
Decaf, instant - trace |
Tea, iced (12 oz) - 70 |
Tea, brewed imported - 60 |
Tea, brewed - 40 |
Tea, instant - 30 |
©American Diabetes Association
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