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
Archive for October, 2009
Gestational Diabetes Diet Plan
October 30th, 2009Diabetes in Pregnancy – Gestational Diabetes
October 28th, 2009
Diabetes is a problem when human body is either not producing or using insulin. Insulin is a hormone that converts starch, sugar or other food items into energy. The problem starts when there is increase in the level of sugar in blood. Insulin controls the blood sugar level in the body. It affects the entire world but most cases related to diabetes seen in U.S.A. About 16 million of people is caught by disease and nearly 5 million of people are those who unaware of this disease.
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that affects pregnant women. A general survey says this type of diabetes caught almost 4% of all pregnant women. It also says about 1, 30,000 cases of gestational diabetes are come to light every year. Hormones produced in women’s body during pregnancy reduced insulin in her body, which leads to problem of high blood sugar in the body. During pregnancy a mother needs three times of insulin to convert starch into energy for more energy. When her body becomes unable to use insulin the problem goes to gestational diabetes.
Reasons
Diabetes is a problem that causes to anyone who has less receptivity to insulin but main reasons for the cause of this in pregnant woman if she has late pregnancy. Obesity is one of reasons for diabetes. Another one is previous pregnancy resulting a baby having weight 9 pounds and more.
Symptoms
Symptoms of gestational diabetes are increased thirst, increased urination, feeling tired all the time, nausea and vomiting. Sometimes victim also have blurred vision, yeast infection and bladder infection.
Treatment
To solve this problem pregnant woman should follow the treatment plans for their health care. She should take a healthy diet. Mother should keep her blood sugar in a target level. She should get regular physical activity. Also, she should keep healthy weight.
By: Dr John Anne
Accucheck Aviva Glucose Meter To Monitor Diabetes
October 24th, 2009
Monitoring diabetes is very important, whether you’re a type 1 or type 2 diabetic.
Though typically, type 1 diabetes requires more intense monitoring due to the use of insulin in treatment that can be affected by diet, exercise, and can cause excessively high or low glucose levels.
To help monitor diabetes, you’ll need a glucometer, or glucose monitor, lancets, and other diabetic supplies.
Let’s have a look at a popular glucose meter the Accu-check Aviva to learn about what features are available in glucose meters generally, and also how this one compares.
The Accucheck Diabetes glucose monitor helps make testing fast and virtually pain free.
1. Small amount of blood required.
Diabetic have been testing themselves for quite sometime. However, the equipment can cause some pain especially of the test has to be repeated several time per week.
The Accucheck Monitor requires much less blood than previous models of tests. This means less poking and less pain. For those that need to do several tests per week this is a welcome change. The Accucheck Monitor needs only a tiny drop of blood – 0.6 microliters to be precise.
This lessens the stress on the fingers as well as reduces the margin for error. Diabetic have fewer tests to repeat due to mistakes.
2. Preloaded drum of 6 lancets.
This means that you don’t have to load a lancet with every single test, saving time and makin git more convenient.
By the way, their Accu-check Compact Plus model has 17 preloaded test lancets, making it even more convenient in this manner.
3. Fast results
It takes 5 seconds for the results to appear. This is good as it saves time waiting.
4. Compact size and design.
The Accucheck Aviva glucose diabetic meter is 3.7 by 2 by 0.9 inches, and has rubber grips that make it easier to hold.
5. You can store information in the glucose meter, including 7, 14, 30 day blood glucose level averages, and download the information to your home computer.
An accucheck glucometer kit comes with everything that you need to perform your blood tests at home. You’ll get complete instructions and warranty information.
Diabetics can face a tough road at times. With the costs involved with medications and testing, their lifestyle may have to suffer. The pain levels involved in previous methods of testing were also one of the many unpleasant things involved in the life of the diabetic.
But getting a quality meter can help to make monitoring diabetes more convenient and more pleasant.
By: Matt Hamburg
