Overindulging in carbs while pregnant raises the risk of obesity in children by age 7. This finding was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It showed that children born to women with gestational diabetes who ate a larger amount of refined grains and sugar were more likely to become overweight early in life.

Gestational diabetes is a temporary form of diabetes that occurs in 3 to 8 percent of pregnant women who did not previously have diabetes. The disease usually disappears after the baby is born, but women with the condition are at much greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in their life. Gestational diabetes does pose risks to infants; they are more likely to develop obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes themselves later in life. Weight problems tend to occur early in life for children born to mothers who had gestational diabetes.

The incidence of gestational diabetes has been rising sharply in recent years. This is largely because many women are having children at an older age and are getting pregnant while overweight. Mild gestational diabetes can be resolved with diet changes, while more severe cases require insulin injections.

We all know a high intake of sugar and refined grains such as white rice and flour products aren’t healthy. Unfortunately many pregnant women experience significant cravings and fatigue, which drive them to consume more of these foods. Nausea can also make it more difficult to stomach meals based on protein and vegetables, therefore a lot of women subsist on crackers and toast.

Keeping your carbohydrate intake low is the most effective way to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes. It can even reverse these types of diabetes if you have already been diagnosed. There is an easy to follow eating plan in my book Diabetes Type 2: You Can Reverse It Naturally, as well as delicious recipes.

Reference

Purchase Products Related to this Article