5 foods pregnant women with diabetes should limit during Tet

Dr. Le Quang Hung, Fetal Medicine Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said Tet foods are diverse and rich, but often have high calories. Pregnant women with gestational diabetes need to control their diet to ensure safety for themselves and their fetus. Below are foods that can increase blood sugar levels in pregnant women.

Banh chung, banh tet

This is a traditional dish during the Lunar New Year, made from sticky rice, green beans, and pork. Sticky rice is a carbohydrate with a high glycemic index, which can cause blood glucose to increase quickly. Specifically, 1/8 piece of banh chung provides the same amount of calories as a bowl of white rice. Pregnant women with gestational diabetes who eat a lot of banh chung and banh tet can easily increase blood sugar, risking complications such as birth defects, large fetus, difficulty giving birth, and premature birth.

Sticky rice and cakes made from sticky rice

Sticky rice and cakes made from sticky rice contain many simple, easily digestible carbohydrates, causing the body to absorb sugar faster. Other ingredients such as sugar, coconut, green beans… added to sticky rice and cakes also increase blood glucose levels. Sudden increases in blood sugar put pressure on the pancreas’s ability to produce insulin, affecting pregnancy.

Jam, candy

Jams, dried fruits, and candies contain a lot of sugar and saturated fat, which suddenly increase the amount of sugar and bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. Pregnant women who eat a lot of sweets make it difficult to control their weight, increase blood pressure, risk pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, cardiovascular disease, affecting the health of themselves and the fetus.

Soft drinks, carbonated drinks, caffeine

Sugar in these drinks is absorbed very quickly into the body, causing pregnant women’s blood sugar to rise, increasing insulin resistance. Some soft drinks and carbonated drinks also contain phosphoric acid, which can reduce calcium absorption and affect the bone development of the fetus. Drinks containing caffeine often increase heart rate, easily cause insomnia, stress, and are harmful to fetal development.

Processed, greasy foods

Fried and processed dishes such as fried chicken, sausages, sausages, ham, spring rolls… are high in saturated fat, which stimulates the production of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood, increasing the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Sweeteners that enhance flavor and high salt content in processed foods can negatively impact the blood pressure, kidneys, and heart of pregnant women with diabetes. These factors combined often lead to complications of preeclampsia, premature birth, and are dangerous for pregnant women and fetuses.

Dr. Hung advises pregnant women with gestational diabetes to apply the food plate method recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). A plate of food with a diameter of 23-25 ​​cm, half of the plate is fiber-rich vegetables including broccoli, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, okra… Take the next 1/4 of the plate Follow with foods rich in lean protein such as lean meat, fish, eggs, tofu, mushrooms… The rest is for starchy carbohydrate dishes including brown rice or sweet potatoes, and whole grains.

Pregnant women should eat many small meals a day to ensure they provide enough energy for the whole day. Eat well, drink boiled water, sleep 7-8 hours, and exercise gently to help control blood sugar and improve health for both mother and baby.