Gestational Diabetes Diet Plan

Here is a sample diet for gestational diabetes. This Gestational Diabetes Diet Plan is designed to work as an outline for further daily meal plans. This should be kept in mind that gestational diabetes is only a temporary phase and can be effectively controlled by diet alone. It is recommended that it should not be treated by other oral hypoglycemic drugs.

The goal of this diet plan is to provide a woman with proper energy, to ensure a steady nutritional supply along with the required increase in the weight of the body of the mother. This diet plan aims at healthy growth of the baby while controlling the sugar levels of the mother’s blood.

The key idea of this meal planning is that it should center on eating small foods throughout the day. These small meals keep the blood sugar levels in a healthy range as compared to the large meals. The sample diet for gestational diabetes is given below.

Breakfast

2 slices Whole grain bread
6 tsp Peanut butter
4 ounces Pure juice

Mid-morning Snack

1 apple
8 ounces cottage cheese

Lunch

8 ounces Bean soup
1 slice Whole Grain Crackers
2 ounces Low Fat Cheese
8 ounces Carrots

Mid-afternoon Snack

8 ounces Almonds
8 ounces Grapes

Dinner

6 ounces Fish
8 ounces boiled/steamed broccoli
8 ounces brown rice
8 ounces low fat milk

Evening Snack

5 cups air-popped popcorn (plain)

The goal of the above meal plan is to provide the pregnant woman with a steady supply of energy. The caloric need vary a lot from person to person. Still an average woman may require an extra 300 calories during the second and third trimester. But these calories should be loaded up with all the required minerals and vitamins. This diet plan should be accompanied by a plenty of fluid intake evenly distributed throughout the day. A snack just before bed time is recommended to avoid hypoglycemia during the night.

By: Tehmina Mazher

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