Gestational Diabetes - Indian Food Diet. Diabetes During Pregnancy And The Calorie Count
This is based on observations with my wife who had Gestational Diabetes (controlled by diet only - no medication). Gestational Diabetes is a diabetic condition that affects women during their late stages of pregnancy, usually 24-28 weeks. The human body takes food we intake and digests it. The digested food is absorbed into our blood stream as glucose.
As the glucose increases, the pancreas releases the insulin. Diabetes - What happens? The insulin is like a key that opens the cells so that they consume the glucose in the blood. In a diabetic condition the insulin is produced less or it does not open the cells to accept the glucose.
Pregnant women due to increased hormonal activity, require higher levels of insulin to keep their blood glucose level normal. Some pregnant women can’t produce these higher levels and hence their blood glucose levels start rising. The baby will grow bigger and might lead to difficulties during delivery. The baby for a short time after delivery will make more insulin than needed and blood glucose levels may drop too low.
Baby might have breathing difficulties. This condition goes away after pregnancy since the requirement for higher insulin levels are gone. Did you know India is considered the diabetic capital of the world? It is estimated that up to three million people die from the disease every year, and over a quarter of a billion people are affected by diabetes. Is it their food habits? How about Indians abroad?
In a research conducted by Dr. P.V. The reason attributed to this is the changes in Indian diet. The traditional Indian diet was a well balanced combination of carbohydrates, proteins, fibers and other nutrients. But due the urbanization and life style changes in India the diet had been completely replaced by a much more easier to cook or eat out attitude.
Indians eat less, weigh less hence this is very puzzling condition. Indians are supposedly genetically prone to get diabetes than any other ethnic group in the world. Further research is being done to find out the exact cause for this condition. In a test done in 2008, 14% of Urban Indians had diabetes and that is the largest anywhere in the world.
ACCU-CHEK Compact Plus Meter KitYou can monitor your blood glucose level after 2 hours of every meal you have. During initial days, it helps you find out what foods elevate your blood glucose levels. Women with diabetes during pregnancy are required to follow a carefully regulated meal plan. The idea is to have small, frequent meals and lot of water.
The diet should have 3 meals and 3 snacks. The food that they eat must be high fiber, less sugar foods like whole grain bread, beans, fresh fruits and vegetable. Chocolates, Candies and Cakes are a strict no no! These items deliver a large amount of glucose from a very small volume and very quickly shoot up your blood sugar levels.
Also avoid fruit juices with a lot of added sugar and watch out for saturated fats in your diet such as butter, whole milk, dairy and other animal fats. Remember the idea is to have a balanced meal with fewer carbohydrates but not to completely stop you sugar intake. In fact that would be very dangerous to do so since carbohydrates are absolutely necessary for energy to you and your baby! Break fast Meal - 30 grams of Carbohydrates, Any amount of protein, moderated fat. Brunch Snack - 30 grams of Carbohydrates, Any amount of protein, moderated fat.
Lunch Meal - 45 grams of Carbohydrates, Any amount of protein, moderated fat. Evening Snack - 30 grams of Carbohydrates, Any amount of protein, moderated fat. Dinner - 45 grams of Carbohydrates, Any amount of protein, moderated fat. Late Night Snack - 30 grams of Carbohydrates, Any amount of protein, moderated fat. Allow at least 2 hour gaps between meals (you would be usually testing your sugars after 2 hours from time of starting a meal). The idea is to balance out your carbohydrates with protein. Protein takes longer to digest and hence gives a feeling of satisfaction.
Tip: We observed that eating egg (scrambled or even omlette) with 2 slices of bread and a glass of milk gave better results than without. Likewise for lunch with chapati's, one could get away eating an additional chapati when adding eggs to the lunch menu. Egg here serves as a source of exclusive protein, unlike chick peas or lentils which have to be counted not only as a source of protein but as also having carbohydrates.
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