Anybody know anything about diabetes?

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LoveMy3Boys
LoveMy3Boys Posts: 562 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I do not have diabetes. However, with my last pregnancy I had Gestational Diabetes that was controlled with diet. I want to avoid this from happening again, because I am currently, unexpectedly pregnant. OK.

I figured it might be good to do because it will help keep my weight under control as well as avoid the blood monitoring.

Anybody know how many carbs a diabetic should eat in a day? Max.

Also, the sugars part of the calorie counter. I have never paid attention to it, but is there a certain number to stay under? I am sure I exceed it often.

Are fruits ok to eat? I have read oranges are good to control blood sugar levels, but I am not sure about other fruits.

I was also thinking of doing the GI diet (glycemic index diet) because it focuses on carb control and keeping carbs and sugars low.

Any advice would be awesome.

Replies

  • HealthiHannah
    HealthiHannah Posts: 182 Member
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    To be on the safe side, because diabetes isn't something to play around with, talk to a diabetes dietician or your doctor. They should be able to tell you what to eat and how much of it.
  • LoveMy3Boys
    LoveMy3Boys Posts: 562 Member
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    Well I don't have it yet. So I want to avoid it by following a healthy well balanced diet.
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
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    I had gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy and my last. I was an unusual case because I did not have it with my 3 pregnancies in between. Usually if you have it with one pregnancy you will have it with each pregnancy after that. Mine was controled with diet. When I was pregnant the second time my doctor told me to follow the diabetic diet from my previous pregnancy, until we knew for sure whether I had it or not. I don't know if that helped me avoid it, but it didnt' hurt either. I gained a normal amount of weight and everything was good.

    Congrats and best wishes.
  • sneezles
    sneezles Posts: 165 Member
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    I had gestational diabetes with my third. I had gained 30 pounds by the 22nd week. I saw a registered dietician and was given a diet od 1800 calories, I believe it had 8 carb exchanges per day. Two with brkfst, lunch and supper and one with each snack. I also walked 5 miles at least 5 days a week. I lost 16 pounds by delivery and 10 days after I was lighter than when I got pregnant.

    You should meet with a professional though.
  • TNAJackson
    TNAJackson Posts: 686 Member
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    Max carbs per meal should be 20, if I remember correctly. Fruits, especially bananas, and milk are bad for diabetics because of the natural sugar. You can still eat them, but do it in moderation and during the middle of the day only. In the morning our levels are higher and at night, eating fruit will jack up your morning sugar level.

    Another tip, always eat protein with every meal. It helps the body deal with the sugar from the carbs better. I would eat a piece of toast, but put peanut butter on it (the natural kind... the regular kind has more sugars). Or eat a leftover piece of chicken for breakfast. Cereal is also a bad breakfast for diabetics.

    I took two diabetes nutrition classes over the past 3 years... I would ask your doc about taking one. I took mine through Kaiser and it was particularly for gestational diabetics. Tons of great info to help me manage mine. Some things may have changed, but this is what I was told. If I think of anything else, I'll reply again. :-)
  • HealthiHannah
    HealthiHannah Posts: 182 Member
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    Well you can research on the diabetes association website, but you can still talk to a diabetes diatician or doctor without HAVING diabetes.... in fact, they probably wish more people would. You're at risk for it, so take the steps to prevent it :)
  • harley0269
    harley0269 Posts: 384 Member
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    all the info you want is here www.Diabetes.org
    good luck
  • Live4HerSmile
    Live4HerSmile Posts: 18
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    There's not a one-size-fits-all answer. Especially in the case of gestational diabetes. Protein, fruits and veggies are usually good choices, and avoiding processed sugars and pre-packaged foods, as well as "bad carbs" (like white breads, doughnuts, etc) is sound advice for everyone.
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
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    You said the first time it was controled by diet. Didn't you see a nutrionist then? That is what they did for me and put me on a diabetic diet. You should revert back to that type of eating.
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
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    I do not have diabetes. However, with my last pregnancy I had Gestational Diabetes that was controlled with diet. I want to avoid this from happening again, because I am currently, unexpectedly pregnant. OK.

    I figured it might be good to do because it will help keep my weight under control as well as avoid the blood monitoring.

    Anybody know how many carbs a diabetic should eat in a day? Max.

    Also, the sugars part of the calorie counter. I have never paid attention to it, but is there a certain number to stay under? I am sure I exceed it often.

    Are fruits ok to eat? I have read oranges are good to control blood sugar levels, but I am not sure about other fruits.

    I was also thinking of doing the GI diet (glycemic index diet) because it focuses on carb control and keeping carbs and sugars low.

    Any advice would be awesome.

    Eat plenty of protein and fats and loads of vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables. Fat, protein and vegetables will keep the blood sugar stable and a healthy environment for a baby to grown and thrive in without throwing your blood sugar into a wild roller coaster ride.

    THE GI index is a great place to look. Berries are better than most fruits because of the low GI index.

    You are going to want to be extremely careful where breads, pasta, crackers, cereal, etc - all grain products. High GI and little nutritional value.

    Stick to the basics of fat, protein, vegetables, nuts and some fruit and you will deliver a happy, healthy baby without a lot of extra pregnancy weight.

    Be sure to walk and do yoga to have an easy delivery too.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    I do not have diabetes. However, with my last pregnancy I had Gestational Diabetes that was controlled with diet. I want to avoid this from happening again, because I am currently, unexpectedly pregnant. OK.

    I figured it might be good to do because it will help keep my weight under control as well as avoid the blood monitoring.

    Anybody know how many carbs a diabetic should eat in a day? Max.

    Also, the sugars part of the calorie counter. I have never paid attention to it, but is there a certain number to stay under? I am sure I exceed it often.

    Are fruits ok to eat? I have read oranges are good to control blood sugar levels, but I am not sure about other fruits.

    I was also thinking of doing the GI diet (glycemic index diet) because it focuses on carb control and keeping carbs and sugars low.

    Any advice would be awesome.

    There's not a whole lot you can do to avoid it with a future pregnancy. All women experience some amount of insulin resistance during pregnancy, the degree to which it happens is caused by a hormone which is produced by the placenta. While some researchers think there is a link between obesity and GD, there is no clear information regarding the cause. Any woman can get it with any pregnancy.

    As far as your diet is concerned, I wouldn't do anything special. Avoid processed foods and refined sugars, but eat normally. Fruits are just fine. Make sure your eating whole grains instead of "white" carbs. But know that your chances of developing GD with this pregnancy are 2 in 3 (about 66%) because you had it last time. Since yours was easily diet controlled I wouldn't worry too much.

    I'm in the same boat you are. I go in for my second glucose tolerance test next week. I passed one already at the beginning of this pregnancy so I'm hoping I pass this one as well. I've definitely made sure to keep my diet healthy, but I haven't ignored my ice cream and chocolate cravings. I lost 25 pounds between pregnancies so I'm hoping that helps.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Also, it's interesting to not that you had GD while pregnant with a boy. I did too, but not with my daughter, and my friends who have had it also had it with boys. I've been wondering, since it's a hormonally caused problem, if it's more likely to happen with boys. But, there hasn't been any kind of study done on that yet. It would be interesting to know whether the gender of the baby has any influence on GD.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Well you can research on the diabetes association website, but you can still talk to a diabetes diatician or doctor without HAVING diabetes.... in fact, they probably wish more people would. You're at risk for it, so take the steps to prevent it :)

    For the record, gestational diabetes is not the same as type 2 diabetes. In most cases it gives no predisposition for developing type 2 diabetes. All pregnant women experience some degree of insulin resistance that is caused by a hormone given off by the placenta. Diet is the biggest factor in determining whether or not a woman will have trouble with insulin resistance during pregnancy, but there is no way to determine or affect how much of the hormone the placenta produces. While women are about 66% more likely to have GD with successive pregnancies, each pregnancy is different. Only a glucose tolerance test can definitively tell whether or not a woman has high insulin resistance, which is why it's important to avoid sugar on the day of the test. But other than that day, a normal healthy diet that avoids refined sugar and white carbs is all that is necessary.
  • HealthiHannah
    HealthiHannah Posts: 182 Member
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    Well you can research on the diabetes association website, but you can still talk to a diabetes diatician or doctor without HAVING diabetes.... in fact, they probably wish more people would. You're at risk for it, so take the steps to prevent it :)

    For the record, gestational diabetes is not the same as type 2 diabetes. In most cases it gives no predisposition for developing type 2 diabetes. All pregnant women experience some degree of insulin resistance that is caused by a hormone given off by the placenta. Diet is the biggest factor in determining whether or not a woman will have trouble with insulin resistance during pregnancy, but there is no way to determine or affect how much of the hormone the placenta produces. While women are about 66% more likely to have GD with successive pregnancies, each pregnancy is different. Only a glucose tolerance test can definitively tell whether or not a woman has high insulin resistance, which is why it's important to avoid sugar on the day of the test. But other than that day, a normal healthy diet that avoids refined sugar and white carbs is all that is necessary.

    I am aware of the differences. All I was saying is that after having it once, it puts you at risk for having it again. And it is preventable, by following a strict diet --- as you said. But it is still a good reason to see a dietician to see what is right for her, because no two people are alike.
  • LoveMy3Boys
    LoveMy3Boys Posts: 562 Member
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    Thanks for your replies!

    Its still early so I haven't been referred anywhere. I did not see a nutritionist with my last pregnancy because my insurance wouldn't cover it and they were a lot of money. So I did research, which is similar to what is being said here, there are no definites. I really hoped I wasn't doomed to have it. It was caught late in my last pregnancy, he was measuring 6 weeks ahead by the time we caught it and on my own I got him to only 2 weeks ahead by the end. I also lost weight which was awesome but I was super restrictive. I couldn't eat fruit, refined sugars, bagels, donuts... I had to walk after every meal to lower my sugars in my blood. I had to eat small portions. Its looking like I will have to go that route again. Which is good. Hopefully I can avoid the finger pricking. I am not as heavy at the beginning as I was with my youngest, but not as thin as I was with my oldest.

    I so appreciate the advice! It will obviously be trial and error, but I need to start somewhere.
  • LoveMy3Boys
    LoveMy3Boys Posts: 562 Member
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    Also, it's interesting to not that you had GD while pregnant with a boy. I did too, but not with my daughter, and my friends who have had it also had it with boys. I've been wondering, since it's a hormonally caused problem, if it's more likely to happen with boys. But, there hasn't been any kind of study done on that yet. It would be interesting to know whether the gender of the baby has any influence on GD.

    That is interesting! I have two boys. My last doctor thinks I had undiagnosed GD with my oldest because he was 9 pounds 8 ounces at 39 weeks... and I had tons of amniotic fluid. With my last son I definitely had it. I was heartbroken and cried and cried... I thought I had ruined him. So, I just really want to avoid it from happening again... or at the very least, not try to catch up to where he is at growth wise... when it was caught he was measuring 6 weeks ahead of where I was in my pregnancy!
  • Caperfae
    Caperfae Posts: 433
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    Carbs are tricky.
    I have GD and have to pee on Ketone strips every morning to make sure I'm not spilling any.
    I was cutting out carbs because they raised my sugar and started spilling moderate to large ketones so the nurse and nutritionist told me to add more carbs into my diet and they would adjust my insulin accordingly. Easier and safer for the baby to do it that way than go into ketosis and risk the baby not getting proper nutrition.

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