Gestational diabetes is not scary, exercise and diet are very effective!

What is gestational diabetes?

For patients with normal sugar metabolism before pregnancy but symptoms of diabetes only appear during pregnancy, it is clinically called gestational diabetes. For the vast majority of patients with gestational diabetes, their abnormal sugar metabolism can return to normal after delivery, but the probability of developing type 2 diabetes will increase in the future. If a pregnant woman has diabetes or has high blood sugar during pregnancy, she should be more proactive in controlling her blood sugar level. If blood sugar control is not ideal, it will have a greater impact on the fetus, such as intrauterine growth retardation, fetal respiratory distress, macrosomia, polyhydramnios, fetal abruption, fetal malformations, etc. It will also increase the probability of miscarriage and cesarean section for pregnant women, and the probability of the fetus developing obesity and diabetes symptoms in adulthood will also increase.

Why does gestational diabetes occur?

This is because after pregnancy, the pregnant woman's demand for glucose increases significantly, which leads to insufficient insulin secretion and increased insulin resistance, thus causing hyperglycemia or hyperinsulinemia.

1. Increased demand for glucose: As the fetal weeks increase, the nutrition required by the fetus and the amount of glucose excreted in the urine of pregnant women increase significantly. At the same time, the pregnant woman's own utilization of glucose increases. These conditions lead to a decrease in the pregnant woman's plasma glucose level, thus causing gestational diabetes.

2. Insufficient insulin secretion and increased insulin resistance: In the late stages of pregnancy, the insulin secretion in pregnant women decreases to a certain extent, and the level of insulin-resistant substances in the body increases. The pregnant woman is unable to adapt to this physiological change, so the increase in blood sugar leads to gestational diabetes.

How to control the progression of gestational diabetes

Nutritional control and exercise therapy are currently very important parts of the treatment process for diabetic patients. Reasonable dietary control and appropriate exercise therapy can keep the blood sugar level within a normal range. This is also a major treatment method for patients with gestational diabetes. This is because the implementation of dietary control and exercise therapy can not only reduce the harm of gestational diabetes to pregnant women, fetuses and newborns, but also reduce the probability of a series of complications in the fetus, allowing pregnant women to have better nutritional intake and physical health.

1. Diet adjustment

Compared with other types of diabetes, gestational diabetes is similar in that the disease can be controlled through dietary adjustments. However, because pregnant women have relatively higher nutritional needs during pregnancy and also need to meet the nutritional supply for fetal growth and development, the requirements for dietary adjustments are different from those for other diabetes.

1.1 Dietary principles

① Avoid deep-frying, pan-frying, smoking, etc. in food cooking. Eat a light diet, not too salty or too oily.

② Mainly eat vegetarian soup, and eat less pork ribs and bone soup.

③Avoid animal fat oils (cream, lard, butter, etc.).

④ Eat small meals frequently and control the intake of sweets, fruits and foods high in fat. Strawberries, apples and kiwis should be given priority, and bananas, sugar cane, longan and grapes are high in sugar content so they should not be eaten too much.

⑤ Fruits should be consumed according to the condition of the disease, within the total amount of carbohydrates for the day, and as a snack between two main meals. If the condition is not satisfactorily controlled, it should be temporarily not consumed.

⑥ Develop good eating habits, eat at regular times, in fixed quantities and according to the nature of the meal, and don’t be too hungry or too full.

⑦ Plan meals reasonably, do not be picky eaters, and eat a variety of food.

⑧ Expand your diet according to the food exchange table. Under the premise of limiting the total calorie intake, choose more foods with a low glycemic index and high dietary fiber content to reduce fluctuations in blood sugar concentrations in the body.

⑨ Eat a light diet, control the amount of vegetable oil and animal fat used, use less frying, and choose more cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, and stewing.

1.2 Main dietary intake

1.2.1 Carbohydrates

The main sources are still grains, tubers and legumes, especially oatmeal, brown rice and whole wheat bread containing high fiber.

Among fruits, strawberries, pineapples and kiwis are all high in soluble fiber, vitamins and minerals, so pregnant women can eat more of these foods. However, fruits with high sugar content, such as bananas, sugar cane and longans, should not be eaten too much.

Green vegetables can provide a large amount of vitamins, minerals and crude fiber, which can not only adjust the taste of pregnant women, but also adapt to the eating habits of pregnant women. Because this type of food has a low sugar content, there is no need to limit the intake.

However, disaccharide and monosaccharide foods such as sugar, honey, chocolate and desserts should be avoided as much as possible.

1.2.2 Protein

During pregnancy, pregnant women should have enough protein, because protein is not only a nutrient that maintains the normal development of the uterus and placenta, but also an important source of fetal growth and development. The main sources of protein in food are milk, dairy products, eggs, fish and soy products.

1.2.3 Minerals

Iron, calcium and folic acid are all minerals that pregnant women should focus on consuming during pregnancy.

1.3 Movement Regulation

The amount of exercise should not be too much, you can take a walk or other forms, generally keep the heart rate within 120 beats per minute, the time is generally 20 to 30 minutes. At the same time, pregnant women can appropriately carry out low-intensity yoga, which can effectively avoid the harm caused by diabetes.

The occurrence of gestational diabetes can have a great impact on pregnant women and fetuses, but through reasonable diet control and exercise intervention, and completing various treatments in accordance with the doctor's orders, the various symptoms experienced by pregnant women can be well relieved and controlled, and there is no need to have excessive anxiety about the disease.