Pregnant women with diabetes need to consume less sugar and starchy foods; they should eat nourishing foods that help clear heat such as white fungus and lily bulbs… Drinking plenty of broth and eating fruits to reduce thirst, such as tangerines, fresh pears, and green vegetables…
Diabetes is already a serious health concern, but when a woman is pregnant and has diabetes, the level of risk increases significantly. Diabetes may also develop during pregnancy, but it is all referred to as “gestational diabetes.”
Gestational diabetes predominantly arises in the early stages of pregnancy, primarily related to the fetus’s absorption of glucose and amino acids. Additionally, the placenta has an insulin resistance effect, leading to insufficient insulin secretion. This condition severely impacts the mother’s health and the pregnancy process, potentially causing miscarriage, high blood pressure, and congenital disabilities in the fetus.
Traditional medicine posits that diabetes is a form of thirst disease, mainly due to the body’s inherent yin deficiency, exacerbated by an irregular diet, mental stress, or excessive sexual activity.
Gestational diabetes is classified into two types. One type has typical symptoms such as increased appetite, excessive thirst, frequent urination, weight loss, decreased vision, and high blood sugar levels. The other type is asymptomatic, referred to as latent diabetes, where there is a family history of diabetes or a history of delivering large or malformed babies.
Dietary Principles
– Pregnant women with diabetes need to eat less sugar and starchy foods; during pregnancy, most of the body’s condition is yin deficient, so they should consume nourishing and heat-clearing foods such as white fungus and lily bulbs… Additionally, due to frequent urination leading to fluid loss, it is essential to replenish fluids and electrolytes by drinking plenty of broth and eating fruits that alleviate thirst, such as tangerines, fresh pears, and green vegetables…
– Here are some dishes and remedies for pregnant women with diabetes for your reference:
Recipe 1: 120g of raw rhizome, boiled with 1 liter of water, drink warm instead of tea, and eat the rhizome afterward.
Recipe 2: 80g of powdered raw rhizome, 20g of lotus seeds (cored), 15g of mashed red beans, and 500g of glutinous rice flour, mixed to form small round balls, cooked in broth to eat. The above two recipes are for pregnant women with diabetes who have an irregular diet.
Recipe 3: 50g of corn silk with 1.5 liters of water, decoct until 700ml remains, divided into two doses to drink within the day, used to treat gestational diabetes with excessive thirst.
Recipe 4: Wheat bran, cooked as porridge, consumed twice daily, one bowl each time, used to treat gestational diabetes with yin deficiency and irritability.
Recipe 5: 30g of fresh bulrush roots, 50g of plain rice, add 1.5 liters of water, decoct the bulrush roots to obtain 1 liter of decoction, add rice, and cook as porridge. Used to treat gestational diabetes with yin deficiency and thirst.
Recipe 6: 30-60g of corn silk and 50-200g of clam meat, cooked together, seasoned, and taken every other day, used to treat diabetes and excessive thirst.
Recipe 7: 150g of bitter melon, seeds and insides removed, washed and sliced thinly, sautéed in peanut oil until 70% cooked, then add 100g of tofu and a pinch of salt, continue to sauté until cooked, consumed once daily, beneficial for gestational diabetes with hunger and increased appetite.
Recipe 8: 50g of sweet potato leaves and 100g of zucchini, chopped, boiled with sufficient water until cooked, consumed once daily. Used to treat gestational diabetes with excessive eating and drinking.
Recipe 9: 100g of fresh scallions, washed, steeped in boiling water, add soy sauce to taste, used as a vegetable with rice, consumed twice daily, beneficial for gestational diabetes with increased appetite.
Gestational diabetes is very dangerous and requires early diagnosis and treatment. Especially in cases where symptoms are unclear, it is crucial to inquire thoroughly about medical history to aid in diagnosis. The key to treatment is controlling diet to manage blood sugar levels, preventing it from rising excessively, which can lead to miscarriage and hyperglycemic coma. In mild cases, dietary management may suffice, while severe cases may require medication in addition to dietary treatment. Relying solely on food remedies is supplementary; otherwise, it could endanger the lives of both mother and child.
