Are sugar replacements ok on a gestational diabetic diet?

[frangipani13]

I've been told I have gestational diabetes and am attending the diabetes clinic on wed so will know more after that. I was wondering if anyone knew from their own experiences if stevia, agave nectar, xylitol are OK to use as alternatives to sugar or if they have the same effect on your glucose levels as sugar? Hoping to make some sugar free treats for myself but have been advised by the midwife to avoid dried fruit (using dates as a potential sweetener was one idea). Thanks in advance

[quesadillas]

I've been told I can have diet drinks, so I'm assuming all artificial sweeteners are fine. I've not tried baking with them though.

[changingagain]

Yes artificial sweeteners are fine, sugar free jelly with cream is a nice sweet treat.

[changingagain]

If you're planning on baking though, just remember it's the overall carbs that's the main one to watch not just the sugar.

[ovumahead]

Stevia, xylitol and definitely agave nectar are all types of sugar so will raise your blood sugar levels. You'll need to do some experimenting to see what your body can cope with. As your pregnancy progresses your insulin resistance also increases so what is OK one week may not be the next!!

[lagirafe]

I echo the point about the carbs.... I find treats are best enjoyed in the morning so you have time to burn off the carbs.

Diet drinks are ok, I even manage (slightly diluted) OJ at breakfast to help my iron absorption.

This is my 4th GD pregnancy and I've noticed such an improvement with my tolerance with just walking lots - my insulin units are very low (3/4) and I manage to keep my readings stable by knowing what I can eat and when.

It's so different from person to person though.

[frangipani13]

lagirafe- have you had to be induced or have a c section as a result of GD?

[lagirafe]

Yes every time - at 38 weeks.
First 3 times I didn't have such good control though and was on pretty high insulin units.
My blood pressure also goes up towards the end.
Currently 37+5 and being induced on Tue.
Induction has never been a big issue for me though - can usually just break waters and get on with it.
Currently 2-3cm already but then this is my 4th.....

[lagirafe]

Sorry - induced every time, never CS.

[frangipani13]

Oh crap... well I will discuss with the midwife at my next appt. Thank you!

[mummyneedinganswers]

I have gestational diabetes and my partner is a type 1 diabetic and we use canderel the powder is like candy floss and the sweeteners aren't bad like

[frangipani13]

mummy what affect do they have on your blood sugars? Do you bake with them?

[Purpleball]

I find anything with refined flour is as bad as sugary food for raising blood sugars. White bread is the worst offender!
So if you're baking bear that in mind. I do eat cake occasionally but only a small slice. I also make low GI bars with a recipe I found on BBC good food that I've modded. It's oats, nuts, seeds, a bit of dried fruit, butter and a bit of golden syrup to hold it together. I left out the sugar as it didn't need it and there's no flour in there

[frangipani13]

Thanks purple we don't eat white bread and was thinking of wholemeal flour but your low GI bars sound good. I'm a pescatarian too so finding satisfying low carb meals ideas and snacks a bit of a struggle. Anyway I'm sure with a bit of research I'll be fine. ..tummy is grumbling again :(

[Purpleball]

You'd be best going for granary/seeded bread products as the body takes longer to process them so they are better for blood sugar.
I'm type 2 and have been advised to follow a low GI diet. Pregnancy has further complicated this as I can't stomach some of the foods I used to eat. So I'm on a permanent quest to find food I like that doesn't raise my sugar levels

[ovumahead]

Also artificial sweeteners are SO BAD FOR YOU. Many of them have been shown to be very carcinogenic. You'll feel best if you just eat really healthy food and don't get your knickers in a twist trying to replace things you miss. After a week or two of eating properly you'll feel so much better and won't be craving processed crap. Since I was diagnosed with gd I've actually felt a million times better and feel my baby is being fed much healthier food too.

[frangipani13]

That's the difficult thing my diet is pretty healthy anyway! Don't drink fizzy, tons of organic veg and fruit, wholemeal everything hardly ever eat takeaways or processed food litres of water, no caffeine so there are few adjustments to make...

[scarednoob]

Sorry to hijack but answers should be useful for all! Does anyone know how much exercise we should be doing after eating? I'm not talking about a full yoga class or 30 min walk, but something you could do in a desk bound job, eg walking up and down stairs - any ideas?

Thank you!

[lagirafe]

I found that frangipangi - there was nothing obvious to change (though I do drink diet coke!).
It's more about combinations of things IME and quantities - so take scrambled egg on toast - more egg, less toast.
Fruit is hard - again best in the morning. Even natural sugar is still sugar!
It's mainly trial and error in the early days and you'll learn what you can handle! Like a PP said though you'll usually become more resistant to insulin as you progress so it's a constant balancing act!

Try not to worry too much though, my inductions were all fine, the babies were 8lb, 8.9lbs and 9.2lbs - never the 12lbs predicted . They're all slim now but tall x

[frangipani13]

Goodness their predictions were quite far off lagirafe! Yeah trying not to worry and I will know more after Wednesday.
scared I think a walk is fine 30 mins if you can manage post eating helps with the absorption of sugar from what I've read but everyone is different just depends on how your body is coping I guess