When pregnant, a body that is easily sore and tired is likely to make you often want to spoil yourself with sweet foods and drinks. But be careful, it turns out that too much sugar consumption during pregnancy can cause side effects that are risky to health. One condition to watch out for is gestational diabetes. This type of diabetes is only experienced by pregnant women. The mother may be the first time and has no history of diabetes before becoming pregnant, or she may already have mild symptoms of diabetes that have not been diagnosed before.
Risk of Gestational Diabetes Causes Pregnancy Disorders
If consumed in non-excessive levels, actually both sugar and artificial sweeteners usually do not carry risks to pregnant women. However, consumption of sweeteners or uncontrolled sweets can be dangerous, especially if previously pregnant women already have a history of diabetes mellitus or insulin resistance.
Insulin is a hormone that processes food into glucose (sugar) for energy. During pregnancy, the way your body manages insulin changes. Some pregnant women do not produce enough insulin or do not even respond to insulin enough. This is what triggers gestational diabetes.
Pregnant women who have gestational diabetes can make their babies more at risk of experiencing the following conditions.
- Being overweight in the womb Infants in the womb are developing too large. This condition called macrosomia is caused by excess glucose in the blood vessels that enter the placenta. This large baby will eventually make the delivery process more difficult so a Caesarean section may be needed.
- Premature labor and respiratory distress syndrome Babies can be born early due to their mother's high blood sugar levels. The size of the baby can also make the doctor recommend early labor. As a result, this premature baby may experience respiratory distress syndrome because of his immature lungs.
- Hypoglycemia in infants after birth This condition occurs when blood sugar levels are low due to high insulin production after birth. Severe hypoglycemia can trigger seizures in infants.
- Increases the risk of type 2 diabetes After birth, babies are also more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
- Infant mortality As a result of the worst, if gestational diabetes is not handled properly, the baby can die before or shortly after birth.
Gestational diabetes that is not treated can also bring complications during pregnancy. Including pregnant women experience hypertension and preeclampsia, as well as diabetes in later pregnancies and later type 2 diabetes. The good news is that this risk can be reduced by a healthy lifestyle.
Tips to Limit the Sweetness of Sugar for Pregnant Women
In order for more sugar levels in the body to be controlled, pregnant women should reduce or limit certain types of food, such as fried foods, fast food, baked cakes (donuts, muffins), sweets, sweet drinks (soda, juice, soft drinks ), white rice, potatoes, and foods that are high in saturated fat.
In addition, be careful of artificial sweeteners which are usually found in sweets, soft drinks, cakes, ice cream, and many packaged foods. Examples of artificial sweeteners that should not be consumed during pregnancy, namely:
- Saccharin The research found that saccharine can actually enter the placenta and can stay in fetal tissue.
- Cyclamate Mothers should avoid products that contain these ingredients because there is not enough evidence about their safety in pregnant women.
The ideal diet for pregnant women on one plate includes 50% vegetables, 25% protein, and 25% complex carbohydrates rich in fiber, such as brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread. Pregnant women need to meet the needs of fresh vegetables and fruit every day. Some foods that can be snacks include eggs, fresh vegetables and fruit, boiled vegetables, grilled fish, skinless chicken breast, oatmeal with berries, and unsweetened yogurt.
Applying a healthy and balanced diet as above will be very useful for maintaining maternal health during pregnancy while helping to treat gestational diabetes. Do not forget also to routinely move actively and get enough rest, ma'am.
