Gestational diabetes often occurs suddenly during pregnancy. If he should alert you, he should not worry you: a few dietary measures will allow you to better manage your diet as a result of your blood results. Find here the best tips for expecting a baby with peace of mind.

What is gestational diabetes?

According to the definition of the WHO (World Health Organization), gestational diabetes, also “pregnancy diabetes”, is a disorder of carbohydrate tolerance leading to hyperglycemia of varying severity, beginning or diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy. pregnancy.

Thus, as with other diabetes, gestational diabetes is a disorder in the regulation of blood sugar (blood sugar level) causing excess glucose in the blood (chronic hyperglycemia).

Gestational diabetes occurs in pregnant women towards the end of the 2nd trimester. It can be quite asymptomatic and thus go unnoticed or present symptoms similar to those of other types of diabetes: intense thirst, frequent and abundant urination, severe fatigue, minor discomfort, etc.

Gestational diabetes can last only for the duration of pregnancy and then disappear or be indicative of an unrecognized previous diabetes. In all cases, gestational diabetes should be closely monitored and treated because it poses a risk to both mother and child.

Risky situations

Pregnancy is a risk in itself of diabetes because the hormonal changes that the pregnant woman undergoes induce a physiological state of insulin resistance which can worsen during pregnancy.

Screening is done by simple blood test, in a medical laboratory, generally between the 24th and 28th week of amenorrhea in all pregnant women at risk. A first blood sugar test is performed on an empty stomach, then an OGTT test (Oral Hyperglycemia) which corresponds to the ingestion of 75 g of glucose in one take. A single value above the normal thresholds (0,92g / L on an empty stomach; or 1,80g / L 1 hour after the oral glucose load; or 1,53g / L 2 hours after) is sufficient to detect gestational diabetes.

Since 2010, in France, diabetologists and gynecologists have agreed on the criteria for people at risk of gestational diabetes:

• late pregnancy: in women over 35, the prevalence reaches 14,2%
• body mass index (BMI> 25kg / m²): in overweight or obese women, the prevalence reaches 11,1% and 19,1% respectively
• a personal history of gestational diabetes: for women who have already developed gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy, the prevalence rises to 50%
• a family history of type 2 diabetes (parents, brother, sister)
• a history of fetal macrosomia: birth weight of a baby over 4 kg

A balanced diet controlled in carbohydrates (sugars) is the basis for the good management of gestational diabetes. Thus, if you have gestational diabetes, your goals are to keep blood sugar levels within acceptable limits and to avoid excessive increases (hyperglycemia).

To manage the impact of one’s diet on blood sugar levels, a notion that is relatively unknown to the general public but for which information is beginning to circulate more, is very useful: the Glycemic Indexes (GI).

The Glycemic Index of a food is its ability to increase glycemia (blood sugar level) compared to a reference value, glucose.

The higher the Glycemic Index (GI) of a food, the more it increases blood sugar significantly. The reverse is of course valid. The goal, if you have gestational diabetes, is to eat low or medium GI foods, or at least avoid high GI foods that raise your blood sugar too severely.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of foods with a high GI and tips for replacing them in order to maintain the pleasure of eating at the table throughout your pregnancy:

Sweet drinks

Sugary drinks, whether natural (fruit juice) or not (soda or syrup) raise blood sugar. The same is strangely the case for light drinks which would increase blood sugar as much as the classic versions. The brain would indeed recognize sweeteners as real sugar.

Tip: Prefer still or sparkling water, plain or for a more festive touch with ice cubes and a slice of lemon or mint leaves. Tomato or vegetable juices are also a good alternative for aperitifs, for example. If you fancy a glass of fruit juice, help yourself to a small glass (150 ml) which you can take in place of a piece of fruit. Just be sure to always drink it after you start your meal to limit its effect on raising your blood sugar. In short: do not drink fruit juice on an empty stomach!

Spread, honey, jam and sugar

Spreads, whether organic or not, devoid of palm oil or not, with cane sugar or not, increase blood sugar significantly. The same goes for white sugar, brown sugar and brown sugar, but also, all the more so for classic jams and honey.

Tip: For the morning, on your toast, opt for butter. From time to time, on weekends for example, allow yourself the equivalent of a tablespoon of jam without added sugars that you will find in the organic or dietetic section. To sweeten your drinks, prefer agave syrup or fructose, which you will also find in supermarkets in the organic section. Their GI is respectively 15 and 30 against 100 for sugar.As for the spread, the whole almond puree without added sugars to which you can add a little agave syrup, is an excellent alternative for occasional consumption.

Sweet desserts and pastries

Desserts such as pastries, cream desserts and ice creams are to be consumed in a very exceptional way given their effects on blood sugar. The same goes for candies, sweets and chocolate bars made almost exclusively of low-quality sugars.

Tip: do not deprive yourself of a good dessert if it makes you want, but only if your blood sugar results allow it and especially on an occasional basis. Once a week seems to be a reasonable frequency. Again, if you fall for a sweet dessert, be sure to consume it at the end of the meal, after consuming a good amount of vegetables that will reduce the glycemic load of the meal.

Refined grain products and white bread

Cereals are naturally rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and trace elements. But these nutritional virtues diminish as the cereal is processed and refined. This is how white bread (and wholemeal bread) has an effect almost similar to white sugar on blood sugar. Classic pasta is also a grain product that has been extensively processed and refined to the point where it spikes blood sugar levels.

Tip: of course, continue to eat grain products such as pasta and rice regularly, but opt ​​for the whole pasta and brown rice version. Also prefer basmati rice which is the variety that increases blood sugar the least. Also think of bulgour, quinoa, lentils, split peas, chickpeas and dried beans to vary the pleasures. These foods have little effect on raising your blood sugar. For bread, prefer bran bread and black bread for example. And if you make your own bread, do it with whole grain flour that you will find in the organic section of your supermarket.

Potatoes

Potatoes, whatever their cooking and preparation method, are a real glycemic bomb: their GI ranges from 65 to 95.

Tip: you can replace potatoes in all your dishes that contain them with sweet potato (GI = 50): gratin, soup, raclette, etc. If you fancy a potato, in a salad or hash brown for example or even a few fries, always accompany them with a nice green salad to balance the glycemic load of the meal. The ideal is to always eat at least as much salad as potato.

Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are health foods par excellence which, in addition to being rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants, induce a quite moderate increase in blood sugar.

Moreover, if some fruits are known to be sweet, only very ripe papaya, guava and banana (with spots on the skin) should be consumed in moderation to avoid spikes in blood sugar. For other fruits, their quantity will be limited to one serving per meal. The best is to consume the fruit at the end of the meal to limit the rise in blood sugar.

Vegetables are to be eaten at will, without any exception.

Legumes

Legumes, also called “pulses”, include: lentils (oranges, green, black), lentils, dried beans (pink, red, white, black, coconut, azuki, tarbais, mung, flageolet, cornilla), broad beans, peas (split, chick, whole).

Legumes also have undeniable nutritional benefits during pregnancy: rich in proteins and essential amino acids, fibers and minerals, vitamin B9, they have a negligible effect on blood sugar. To make them more digestible, two tips: soak them overnight in cold water with a squeeze of lemon or add a teaspoon of baking soda to the cooking water.

Dairy products

Dairy products, rich in calcium and proteins, whether from cow, sheep or goat, are to be preferred during pregnancy. These are yogurts, fromage blanc, faisselle and small Swiss. Be careful, however, not to confuse them with the dessert creams and other sweet desserts that abound on supermarket shelves. For dairy products, it is best to choose them plain and add your touch of delicacy: cinnamon, lemon juice, vanilla seeds, etc. You can even add your fresh cut fruit or eat it with your compote. And why not mix a dairy product with fresh fruit and a few ice cubes to make a delicious refreshing drink.

Meat, fish and eggs 

Rich in proteins but also in fatty acids and vitamins, meat, fish and eggs are a whole food group that should not be neglected during pregnancy. Especially since none of these foods contain carbohydrates: they will therefore not increase your blood sugar.

Opt for a serving of meat, fish or 2 eggs, both for lunch and dinner. And be sure to eat fish at least twice a week (including fatty fish once) for its richness in Omega-3.