Many women, pregnant, or considering becoming pregnant visit me in the clinic to seek out nutritional advice and quality pregnancy supplements that meet the recommended guidelines for folate, iodine and therapeutic doses of other supportive vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids to sustain a healthy pregnancy. While this is very important, we need to acknowledge why. It is important due to the lack of these nutrients in the average diet. Apart from taking a pregnancy supplement every day, it is also vital to consider what you choose to nourish your body with, to avoid heading down the gestational diabetes pathway.

The following are statements that I encounter from time to time, from pregnant women are:

“I can eat that, now that I’m eating for two”

“I’m going to eat this because I can. I’m going to get fat anyway”

Pregnancy is an important time for women to consider the nutritional quality of the foods they choose to consume, even before pregnancy. Processed foods like biscuits, cakes, sauces, soft drinks, juices, most things in packaging to be honest, are often laden with sugars, preservatives, hydrogenated fats and are lacking in essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals and quality essential fatty acids. Eating this way pre-conception and during pregnancy leads people on the path to obesity, insulin resistance, pre- diabetes and the chances of gestational diabetes.

Did you know, a pre- pregnancy waist measurement of 80cm or above puts you at risk of insulin resistance and diabetes related conditions?  Another reason to ensure you eat well!  According to NDSS (Diabetes Australia March 2017), 103 women with gestational diabetes were registered every day. In the last 12 months, 37 424 women under the age of 40 years, were registered with gestational diabetes, compared with 20 000 women in 2013. As you can see, now more than ever we need to consider food and nutrition as one of the keys to a healthy, low risk pregnancy.

Why you are NOT eating for two?

I certainly don’t advocate calorie counting, pregnant or not, however I am using the concept of calories here to get a message across.

Most pregnancy guides will suggest that a pregnant women needs to increase her caloric intake by about 300 calories in the second trimester to about 500 calories in the third trimester. That is on top of the 1800-2000 calories just for themselves. Now to be honest this isn’t that much. Certainly not doubling your food intake, now you’re ‘eating for two’!! I’m going to give you some example of some nutrient dense unprocessed foods and the ‘calories’ they contain to give you some ideas.

So if you have a healthy balanced diet, filled with quality protein sources, green leafy vegetables, vegetables, a piece or 2 of fruit, nuts, seeds, full- fat dairy and grains, you are on the right track. From the table, a homemade chicken, avocado and salad wrap is the equivalent to your extra caloric needs for the day. The bonus is that a meal like this keeps your blood sugar levels stable and doesn’t cause huge insulin spikes that happen when you consume processed foods often containing lots of sugars and other things you just don’t need.

Why do we need stable blood sugar levels?

It is important to note that insulin surges (the hormone secreted from the pancreas to lower blood sugars) don’t just affect the pregnant mother. The sugar also crosses the placenta, and the baby’s pancreas works overtime too, producing its own increased supply of insulin with the rise in blood sugars. There are studies currently being conducted, looking at the long term outcomes and risk of diabetes for both mother and offspring as a result of a gestational diabetes pregnancy. This alone should be enough of a reason to consider the importance of nutrient dense, healthy foods that assist in the growth and development of the baby and the health of the mother.

I can’t end this post without adding a list of commonly consumed processed foods, so you can compare the idea of caloric intake. Remember only 300-500 calories/ day extra throughout the 2^nd and 3^rd trimester.

Perhaps that regular catch up at Macca’s for a cuppa and cake may not be the best idea after all!!

Depending on your source of information, the recommend consumption of added sugar per day should be between 3-6 teaspoons, which is only 12-18g (on top of that found naturally in our fruit and vegetables). Processed foods, like white bread, takeaway burger buns, biscuits, chocolate bars and so on are rapidly digested and cause a rapid fluctuation in glucose, therefore a rapid surge in insulin.  The pancreas is working overtime with a diet based on processed food and this is where  insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, gestational diabetes begin.

Nutrition is so very important, before conception and during pregnancy. Make every meal count, not in calories but in quality, nutrient rich foods along with plenty of water.