So I have gestational diabetes.
Last night, after dinner, after I checked my post-dinner blood sugar (I have to poke myself 4 times a day to do this), I cried. It was 147, & according to my guidelines, it needs to be under 140 post-meals. I miscalculated the carbohydrates in “refried” beans & had nearly a cup, rather than 2/3 cups I should have had, which is just a slight difference, but enough to put me over the edge.
It’s an overwhelming feeling to feel like your health is in your control, yet at the same time you feel a little out of control. It’s also a depressing thought to think about having a long term health issue that affects every aspect of your life.
Believe me, I realize gestational diabetes (which is temporary), is nothing like a lifelong type-1 diabetic, or some other much more all-encompassing long-term disease or health issue. But, it’s giving me a glimpse of that life, & I have a greater empathy, though still limited understanding, of what those individuals might be going through.
Fortunately, as I mentioned in Tuesday’s post (which thank you, by the way, for so many great comments!), I’m feeling so much better since I’ve made some tweeks in my diet.
Here are some truths I’ve always known about myself, some even from a young age:
1) Sugar, especially too much sugar, makes me wacky. I love sweet things, as you well know, but I absolutely have to keep my sugar consumption (even unrefined sugars) in check.
2) My body is sensitive to foods. And like the princess & the pea, I’m overly-aware of any & all feelings/discomforts/issues going on with my body. At times it’s annoying, but overall, I’m glad my body speaks to me, & I try to listen & act accordingly, as best I can.
Here are some things I’ve realized recently:
1) The importance of exercise for controlling blood sugar.
I spent most of my 20’s (& all previous pregnancies) exercising a minimum of 1 hour a day, 4-6 days a week. During my last pregnancy, I continued to teach 12-15 fitness classes nearly up to the birth of Salem, which I’m convinced, enabled me to pass the glucose tolerance test for that particular pregnancy. Exercise helps regulate blood sugar (primarily by burning off excess sugars, helping to keep levels under control), among having many other positive benefits for diabetics.
I’m absolutely seeing exercise with new eyes, & resolve, after I have this baby, to recommit to structured exercise (particularly yoga & cross-training). My 30-45 minute walks a few times a week haven’t been without value, but it’s not the same as what I had been doing prior to this pregnancy.
2) How it’s not normal to feel sleepy or lethargic after eating.
I remember eating breakfast one day about a month ago & then getting sooo sleepy I had to lay down & take a nap while Salem sat next to me watching Cailou on the Nook. When I went to the gestational diabetes class, I learned that due to pregnancy hormone levels in the morning, the body is especially senstive to sugars, which is why for gestational diabetics, breakfast has half the carbohydrates of all other meals.
I was eating oatmeal & toast with fruit or a smoothie with lots of fruit & not enough fat & protein–no wonder I was so sleepy! I imagine had I tested my blood sugar then, it would have been through the roof. Now that I’ve changed my diet I feel awesome after eating–not only am I not tired, but I have more energy!
3) How I’ve always had blood sugar issues.
Though didn’t always put two & two together, & that, whether I like it or not, even after this pregnancy, I need to treat myself like a pre-diabetic & continue to control my blood sugar through diet & exercise.
How was it determined that I do, in fact, have gestational diabetes?
I took several tests. They included two, one-hour glucose tolerance tests (& I failed both), & one, three-hour glucose tolerance test (also failed).
Here are the results of my 3-hour test:
Fasting: 70 (should be under 90, so this was good, but I had been fasting for over 15 hours when they drew my blood)
Then I drank the glucose.
1 hour post drink: 209 (should be under 180)
2 hour post drink: 212, even higher than my one hour, clear proof my body couldn’t handle all the sugars properly (should have been under 155)
3 hour post drink: 144 (should have been under 140)
So, you may be wondering, what changes have I made to feel better & control my blood sugar?
Really, just two changes, which have made ALL the difference!
1) I eat smaller, frequent meals–3 smaller meals (by smaller, I mean fewer calories, fewer carbs than I was used to) + 2-3 small snacks (which I never did before)
This has been the hardest part for me! For several years now I’ve only eaten 2 or 3 times a day. Though I don’t think meal timing or meal frequency is necessarily a cut & dried thing for everyone, I think it’s clear if you have blood sugar issues (especially if you’re diabetic), frequent smaller meals is the way to go for most folks.
2) I eat more protein, fewer carbohydrates, & more healthy fat than I’m used to.
Also hard for me. I’m still trying to overcome my fat phobia, since eating a very low fat vegan diet for years.
I really do find a small handful of raw almonds or adding pumpkin seeds or nut butters to my smoothies help me feel more satiated. And I feel that eating a bit more deliberate protein & fat is helping me to feel better, feel more grounded & keep my blood sugar in check.
Here are a few higher plant-based proteins:
whole soy foods, including organic tofu, tempeh, & plain unsweetened soy milk
legumes (but they also count as a carbohydrate too–1/2 c. beans= 1 protein & 1 carbohydrate)
seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, hemp & chia
Some examples of healthy fats:
avocado, unsweetened coconut (milk or shredded/dried/flakes), nuts & nut butter, organic cold-pressed flax seed or olive oils, coconut oil
Here are my parameters as a gestational diabetic:
First, a note on this. This is far fewer carbs than most people should get in a day (which is in the 175-300 g range, depending on height/weight/gender/activity levels). I am in no way recommending that everyone eat in this prescribed way, only to show what the parameters are for someone with gestational diabetes & what I’m doing to eat within those guidelines, as a vegan. Though, I think everyone would benefit from eating a good balance of protein, carbs, & fat with each meal & snack. Also, I’m pregnant, & not trying to lose weight, so my overall diet is higher in calories than someone who isn’t pregnant & may or may not be needing to lose weight.
Get 175 g carbohydrate a day (or 12 carb “exchanges”)–the minimum for pregnancy
(for non-pregnant individuals, the minimum is 135 g)
Breakfast: 15-30 g carbs
am snack: 15-30 g carbs
Lunch: 45-60 g carbs
pm snack: 15-30 g carbs
Dinner: 45-60 g carbs
post-dinner snack: 15-30 g carbs
To give you an idea of what this might look like, this is what I eaten the past two days. Again, this is no prescription for anyone else, only to show you, for informational purposes, how I’ve been eating, which has absolutely, 100% helped me feel soo much better.
A few notes:
Though things like peanut butter, nuts, seeds, & non-starchy vegetables have a small amount of carbohydrates, I don’t have to count them, they are considered “free foods” unless I eat more than 3 servings in one sitting (which I often do with non-starchy veggies), at which point 3 servings of these free foods = 1 carb exchange (or 15 g carbs).
Also, you may notice I use soy milk. Plain, unsweetened soy milk only has 4 carbs per cup & 8 grams of protein. I use unsweetened almond milk in many cases too, as it has only 2 carbs per cup, but has no protein. So, it’s a balance–I use either one depending on what I’ve eaten (or will eat that day).
Day 1
Breakfast: (2 carb exchanges)
1 small avocado spread over two plain rice cakes
smoothie–
1 c. plain unsweetened soy milk
1 c. water + 1 c. ice
3 c. chopped kale
1/3 frozen banana
1 TBS. unsweetened dark cocoa powder*
2 packets stevia
am snack: (2 carb exchanges)
2/3 c. chia seed pudding**–I love this stuff! So filling & similar texture to tapioca pudding (which incidentally, I don’t actually like!) & very easy to make
1/2 banana (15 g carbs) spread w/ 1 TBS. natural peanut butter
lunch: (3 carb exchanges)
1 1/2 c. collard greens & diced tomato soup
chickpeas & salad–
2 c. shredded kale + 4 c. chopped spring mix greens
1 c. chickpeas
2 TBS. raw pumpkin seeds
basalmic vinegrette
pm snack: (1 carb exchange)
peanut butter smoothie–
2 TBS. natural peanut butter
1/2 c. plain unsweetened soy milk
1/2 c. water + 1 c. ice
2 TBS. raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 banana
dinner: (3 carb exchanges)
2/3 c. Asian rice
1 1/2 c. cooked collard greens
lettuce wraps–1/2 c. diced tofu w/ lettuce
1 orange
post-dinner snack: (0 carbs)
hot cocoa–
1/2 c. plain unsweetened almond milk
1/2 c. hot water
1 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 packets stevia
* I use a brand from Costco that is higher in iron than typical brands (15% of your DV per tablespoon)
**I modified Gena’s recipe a bit–I only use 2/3 c. chia seeds, 2 1/2 c. unsweetened plain almond milk (almond breeze–only 30 calories & 2 g carbs per cup)
Overall look at the day:
I had 4 servings fruit, 10 servings of vegetables, & somewhere around 90 grams of protein, all while managing my blood sugar levels & staying within prescribed carb intake.
Day 2
breakfast: (1 1/2 carb exchange)
2 TBS. natural peanut butter
1 scoop PlantFusion vanilla bean protein powder (vegan, soy-free, & gluten-free)
1 c. plain, unsweetened almond milk
1 c. water + 1 1/2 c. ice
3 c. raw kale
1/2 c. wild blueberries
1 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 packets stevia
am snack: (2 carb exchanges)
1/3 c. hummus
1 cucumber, sliced into spears
1 fresh pineapple spear
lunch: (3 carb exchanges)
1/2 c. chickpeas
1/3 c. Asian rice
Asian salad–
4 c. shredded kale & spring mix greens
1/2 cucumber, diced
1 c. chopped purple cabbage
2 tsp. sesame seeds
dash of seasoned rice vinegar + 1 tsp. sesame oil
2/3 c. chia seed pudding
pm snack: (2 carb exchanges)
apple, cut into slices
dinner: (4 carb exchanges)
nachos–
9 tortilla chips
nearly 1 c. non-fat refried beans (should have been 2/3 c., which is why my blood sugar was higher than it should have been)
1/2 c. diced green bell pepper
diced tomatoes
shredded lettuce
salsa
post dinner snack: (0 carbs)
1/4 c. raw almonds
hot cocoa (see previous day’s post dinner snack for ingredients)
Overall look at the day:
I had 4 servings of fruit, 10 servings of vegetables, plus, somewhere around 90 grams of protein–again, definitely met my requirements! Though, as I said in the beginning of the post, I should have eaten less beans for dinner, which the added 1/3 c. did cause me to have higher blood sugar than I should have had.
Further Reading:
American Diabetics Association: Gestational Diabetes
♥
I’m sure I’ll have more to share in the coming weeks & months, as I have time to experiment with foods & recipes. The foods I’m eating now are not entirely unlike how I ate before, it’s just more spread out, deliberate, & there’s certainly no eating 5 corn tortillas or cookies in one sitting!
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