LC and Pregnancy;

[momuvfour]

:confused: I'm way past ever having any more children, but my daughter asked me how to LC during pregnancy. :eek: I didn't have an answer for her. Is there anything I can recommend for her to read?:confused: Any help would be appreciated. Judy:idea: :nod: :idea:

[momuvfour]

It appears I'll have to get my answers elsewhere. I know that is a hard one. There has to be a way though, without hurting the fetus. Thankyou for at least reading my question, Judy

[Mitra]

Judy, why don't you look in the Women's Wellness section? I think there are a couple of threads in there that discussed pregnancy.

[momuvfour]

Good idea, Thanks

[annaandguy]

It appears I'll have to get my answers elsewhere. I know that is a hard one. There has to be a way though, without hurting the fetus. Thankyou for at least reading my question, Judy

Hi,
I had gestational diabetes wehn I was pregnant with my son in 1998. I had to eat a *very* low carb diet in order to keep my blood sugar levels stable and in range (my range was much more strict than for "regular" diabetics!). I used a glucose meter several times a day before and after meals and learned what spiked levels and what didn't (orange juice was one of the worst offenders!).

Once I got over the depressing idea that I was restricted on my favorite carbs, it was great! I ate *better* than during the first half of my pregnancy (B4 diagnosis)! More protein, more vegetables, more fat (good ones like butter, cream, coconut oil, olive oil, not trans fats) and practically no sugar or starch. If I did eat anything marginally carby (rarely, though), I ate ample fat with it to slow the blood sugar (like full fat ice cream instead of low fat frozen yogurt or bread with lots of PB, butter, or cheese). I packed snacks and prepared ahead so that I wasn't stuck with nothing but carb options to eat when I went out. Nuts and cheese were handy.

The diabetic exchange system was useless for me because it was too high in carbs (especiallly refined carbs). I had to start from scratch and learn by experimentation.

I only gained 28 pounds total (I was diagnosed just as the pounds started to pile on!), had excellent blood glucose control, a great delivery and had a very healthy baby who was 7 lbs., 10 oz. When I left the hospital, I only had 14 excess pounds to lose, which was easily shed in 6 mos with breast feeding.

So I would encourage your daughter to go low carb while pregnant. She may actually eat *much better* for her child if she sticks to whole, real foods and stays away from sugar and starchy foods (often highly processed). Lower carb foods like meat, eggs, whole fat dairy, non-starchy vegetables, and nuts, are often more nutritionally dense, too. When I was pregnant, the mantra was still low fat, so I didn't have to worry about all the processed low carb food traps that are out there now (but I also didn't have all the great low carb cookbooks we have now). Stick to foods as unprocessed and natural as possible.

Best wishes for a great pregnancy for her (& a wonderful grandchild for you!).
Anna