Diabetic Diet

jnikkidavis
jnikkidavis Posts: 1
in Food and Nutrition
I am currently 7 months pregnant, but had lost 75lbs. before this baby. Of course all of that weight is back and more. My goal at the moment is to maintain my current weight the rest of this pregnancy while still providing enough nutrients to the baby. I don't have diabetes, but crave sugar all the time. My doctor suggested I start following a diabetic diet. Change it up now and it will be easier to maintain after the baby is born. I just have no idea where to start, what to eat, etc. Any ideas on how to come up with a meal plan that won't get boring and what kind of foods should be included in my daily intake? As well as ideas on how to calm my cravings for sweets without all the sugar?

Replies

  • DiabetesCooking
    DiabetesCooking Posts: 5 Member
    Nikki,
    get yourself a good diabetic cookbook that gives you options to look at.
    based on that information you will be able to realize what to use and what to stay away from.
    For more info:
    http://www.diabeticdietadvisor.com

    regards
  • missbliss25
    missbliss25 Posts: 7
    I have a similar problem of craving sugar all the time, so I know where you're coming from.

    My go to "sugary" foods are squash, greek yogurt with a little honey, sweet potatoes, things like that. I'd also recommend hot cocoa (specifically the k-cups if you have a keurig, because there are only 6 grams of sugar per cup). Hot liquids stretch your stomach and intestine muscles so they make you feel full more quickly. One cup of hot cocoa usually sets my sugar craving right. In general, natural sugar will be better for your glucose levels than refined sugar... so applesauce (no sugar added of course) with breakfast instead of jam on toast, the natural sugar in PLAIN yogurt instead of yoplait, things like that. I recently went to jewel and found that Mott's actually has applesauce with no sugar added that's flavored... so they have blueberry, peach, strawberry, and a couple of other flavors I'm pretty sure. That's always my go-to with breakfast because it's not technically the same thing every day :)

    As for meals in general, my rule tends to be, the less refined, the better. I have a protein with every meal so that it keeps me from wanting sugar later. So in the morning I'll mix a half cup of eggs whites with a whole egg and some cheddar cheese to cook up, and today I just had a turkey burger with avocado for lunch, I'll probably end up having pasta with chicken sausage for dinner. Healthy fats in avocados keep you full longer, and so do lean proteins, so they'll hopefully make you feel less like having a dessert after the meal.

    Hopefully this is a good start, good luck! :)
  • MamaPirate
    MamaPirate Posts: 5
    See if your OB will set you up an apt with a nutritionist or diabetes educator. There is a great deal of great information online but meeting one on one is so beneficial. They are able to look at your lifestyle, diet, etc and suggest what will work best for you.
  • jayrudq
    jayrudq Posts: 475 Member
    Easy, increase your protein intake and decrease your refined carbohydrates. How do you know? Go the the Glycemic Index and you can look up any food item and see its effect on blood sugar. The higher the index, the greater the effect. You are looking for complex carbohydrates (low index foods) to eat in smaller proportions that protein and fat. All of this, of course, within your calories. Wow, easy, peasy huh?

    Actually, there is a ton of information out there - Google is your friend.

    Good luck.

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