If you have had gestational diabetes before, if you are carrying more body fat than ideal,
if you have a family history of diabetes, if you have polycystic ovarian syndrome or you are over
30 years of age, you are classified as being at 'high risk' of developing gestational diabetes
during your pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is when you get high levels of sugars in your blood
stream as a result of a hormone called insulin not working effectively enough during your pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes can result in a whole host of problems for both you and your bubba,
so it goes without saying that prevention is the best option! So, in this video I'm going to share
five of my favourite, evidence-based dietary tips for you to get started with. Stay tuned!
Hello! If this is our first time connecting, welcome! My name is Melanie McGrice and I'm
a dietitian who specialises in the first thousand days of life - from preconception,
through to toddlerhood when nutrition impacts genetic programming that will
impact the rest of your baby's life. Make sure you subscribe and connect with me on
my socials... you'll find all the details in the description box below this video.
In this video, I'm going to discuss five of my favourite dietary tips
for reducing the risk of gestational diabetes. So, let's dive straight in!
Tip number one: Optimise your vitamin D status - now if you live somewhere gloriously warm, this
may not be a problem for you, because as you know, we get most of our vitamin D from the sun. Unless
of course it's too warm, so you avoid the sun! Personally, I live in Melbourne, Australia, and
although we have fabulous summers, the winter's are freezing, so vitamin D deficiency is rife.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of gestational diabetes,
so although I believe that every pregnant mumma should have her vitamin D levels checked,
this is ESPECIALLY important for you if you have a high risk of GD. If your levels are low, even
if you're already taking vitamin D supplements, I'd highly recommend that you ask your dietitian
to review your supplement regime to ensure that your vitamin D levels are rising quickly enough.
I can't tell you how often I see clients taking vitamin D supplements,
but there blood tests are still showing that there levels are going down instead of up,
yet their supplement regime hasn't been reviewed in years.
So make sure you get it sorted.
Tip number two: Speak to your dietitian about inositol supplements - there's
building evidence to suggest that these nutritional supplements can help to reduce
the risk of gestational diabetes in certain women. There are a few types of inositols,
so it's important that you take the right type and right dose for your needs,
so make sure you get personalised advice from your prenatal dietitian before taking this.
Tip number three: Monitor your pregnancy weight gain - I always worry talking about
weight management during pregnancy because it's a lot more complicated than it sounds. Some women
gain tonnes of fluid weight during pregnancy as a result of pregnancy hormone changes,
and they can end up overly restricting their food intakes which is not good for them or their bubba.
But, as a general rule, gaining too much weight, too quickly during pregnancy, increases the risk
of gestational diabetes. So, if you're in the high risk category for GD, I recommend that you
organise some regular weigh in's during pregnancy so you can track your progress. If the scales
distress you, you can always ask your health care professional not to share the numbers with you.
Then, use these results as motivation to get some additional support if you need it.
Which brings me to tip number four: Book in for an appointment with a prenatal dietitian - I know
I'm biased, but if you're in a high risk category for gestational diabetes, I think you're crazy if
you're not getting personalised advice from a prenatal dietitian. I've personally been able
to assist tonnes of clients to avoid this condition, and those who ended up with it,
had MUCH better results than they would have if they had have left it until the second half
of their pregnancy before seeking assistance. In fact, one interesting study found that just three
consultations with a dietitian significantly reduced the number of mumma's ending up on
medication for gestational diabetes, and who wouldn't prefer to eat more healthily,
and nourish your growing baby better, than waste money on taking drugs?! There's loads of fantastic
prenatal dietitians around, and in my opinion, minimising your risk of GD, and/or managing it
well, is one of the best investments that you can make in the future health of your baby.
Finally, tip five, is my favourite! It is to download my free pregnancy meal plan. It has
been designed to help optimise your diet to help reduce your risk of gestational diabetes. The
meals have a low glycemic index, are nutrient-rich and it has a fantastic glycemic distribution to
help optimise your insulin hormones. All you need to do is go to www.melaniemcgrice.com/pregnancy.
I'll look forward to seeing you soon to provide more prenatal nutrition tips!
Bye for now!