How to maintain blood sugar readings over the festive period
Words Jadesola Oginni
The festive season traditionally is a time of fun, treats and most importantly a time to indulge in your favourite dishes. Having diabetes in pregnancy means that you have to be mindful of how well you manage your blood glucose levels over the festive season.
Keeping your blood glucose levels under control during pregnancy is vital to achieving better birth outcomes. During the festive period it’s easy to indulge in various types of foods so it’s important to keep a close eye out on bad eating habits that can develop over the festive period. These healthy tips will help you manage your blood sugar levels and keep them within target range.
Eating healthy, shutterstock.comFood
It’s important for you to stick to your normal meal schedule. Skipping meals can negatively impact your blood glucose levels so try and plan your meals ahead of time. It is recommended you eat three square meals a day with healthy snacks at least two hours after a meal. It’s not always easy getting portion sizes correct but using smaller plates and weighing foods can help manage this. Throughout the day try and manage your carbohydrates effectively, choose healthier carbohydrates such as granary bread, brown pasta and brown rice. Include semi or semi skimmed milk, low-fat cream and low-fat yoghurt into your meals alongside foods high in protein. A small portion of fresh fruit, for example strawberries, kiwi and plums, throughout the day can also help reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer in the future. All fruits contain natural sugar and are generally better to have over processed sugary foods. Please note that fruits such as banana’s, grapes and watermelons contain an increased amount of natural sugar so should be avoided or eaten in moderation. Christmas desserts often have loads of carbohydrates as they include ingredients like sugar, flour, dried fruits, juice and other delicacies. Over the festive period it’ll be good to look at purchasing a no added sugar dessert choice or eating smaller portions.
Keep Active
Make physical activity a family affair and plan outdoor activities such as walking or jogging throughout the festive period. It’s advised to choose activities that reflect your exercise levels before pregnancy and should be performed for at least 20mins a day. If you find that it’s difficult to be active during the day then you can choose specific times in the day like the early hours of the morning when there’s a cool breeze and less activity going on.
Hydration
It is important that throughout this festive period your water intake does not reduce and other sugary drinks increase. Water intake lowers the concentration of glucose in the bloodstream, which in turn helps maintain blood sugar levels. Throughout the festive period there are so many drink choices to choose from but staying committed to healthy drink choices is a wise decision. Choices to choose from are things like water, sparkling water, decaf tea or coffee, no added sugar cordials or squashes.
Snacks
Low carbohydrate snacks are much healthier than sweets, chocolates and biscuits. To help keep blood sugar levels stable it’s advisable to incorporate snacks between meals. Regular snacks help to reduce the need to have large portions of carbohydrates during main meals. The best time to snack is at least two hours from your main meal and if it’s a carbohydrate snack it should be less than 10g. You’d be surprised at how much of a difference a healthy snack can make to your diet. During your pregnancy your maternity team should have provided blood sugar targets for your fasting and post meals, so don’t forgot to check and document your results daily. If at any point you feel you require medical or obstetric advice, please don’t delay to contact your maternity service. Don’t beat yourself up if you eat more than expected!
Festive Rules
Eat three main meals a day.
Always remember portion control
Keep active throughout the day.
Hydrate often.
Snack on healthy foods throughout the day.