What fruits can pregnant women with high blood sugar eat?

Update Date: Source: Network
Gestational Hyperglycemia and Dietary Guidelines for Pregnant Women

Gestational hyperglycemia refers to diabetes mellitus that occurs during pregnancy in women. In most cases, there are no obvious symptoms or the symptoms are mild and difficult to identify. Once diagnosed with gestational hyperglycemia, it is necessary to actively control the diet and avoid consuming foods with high sugar content. However, some fruits with low sugar content, such as pomegranates, melons, oranges, and apples, can still be consumed. Since the condition of each pregnant woman may vary, specific dietary advice should be consulted with a doctor.

1. What Fruits Can Pregnant Women with High Blood Sugar Consume?

The choice of fruits for pregnant women with high blood sugar is primarily based on the sugar and starch content of the fruits, as well as their glycemic index. It is recommended to choose fruits that contain less than 10 grams of sugar per 100 grams, including cucumber, watermelon, oranges, grapefruit, lemon, peaches, plums, apricots, loquats, pineapples, strawberries, and cherries. These fruits provide 20-40 kcal of energy per 100 grams. Fruits with a sugar content of 11-20 grams per 100 grams, such as bananas, pomegranates, melons, oranges, apples, pears, lychees, and mangoes, should be consumed with caution. These fruits provide 50-90 kcal of energy per 100 grams. Fruits with a sugar content exceeding 20 grams per 100 grams, including jujubes, hawthorns, especially dried jujubes, candied dates, preserved persimmons, raisins, dried apricots, longans, and other dried fruits, as well as preserved fruits, should be avoided. Fresh fruits with particularly high sugar content, such as Red Fuji apples, persimmons, Laiyang pears, Feicheng peaches, Hami melons, Muscat grapes, winter jujubes, and yellow peaches, should also be avoided. These fruits provide more than 100 kcal of energy per 100 grams.

2. How to Manage High Blood Sugar in Pregnant Women?

1. After the first detection of elevated blood sugar levels, it is recommended to control the diet under the advice of a doctor. Many expectant mothers experience excessive weight gain in the later stages of pregnancy, which can lead to gestational obesity and subsequently elevated blood sugar levels. Consulting a doctor to develop a reasonable dietary plan for pregnancy and strictly adhering to it is essential.

2. The principle of eating smaller meals more frequently should be adopted. The principles of dietary treatment include: not losing weight during pregnancy; adjusting the proportion of food structure and calories based on body type; dividing meals into three large meals and three small meals; reducing the intake of high-sugar fruits; limiting fruit intake to no more than 200 grams per day and consuming them between meals; avoiding fruits with high sugar content such as apples, strawberries, bananas, watermelons, cherries, Hami melons, and muskmelons; and generally avoiding all sweet fruits until blood sugar levels stabilize. It is also recommended to consume 400-500 grams of vegetables daily, with at least 50% being colored vegetables.

3. In addition to fruits, other sweet foods should also be temporarily avoided. Many women enjoy sweet snacks such as chocolates, wafers, and cookies, which are also popular among pregnant women. However, for the sake of their own health and the health of their baby, it is important to exercise restraint. If a pregnant woman feels hungry and wants to eat something, she can choose sugar-free biscuits or sugar-free soy milk.

4. Regular follow-up exams are also necessary until blood sugar levels decrease and a smooth delivery can be achieved.