When you are diagnosed with diabetes during pregnancy the treatment is healthy food and exercise. This brochure will help you monitoring your blood sugar level.

General advices

• Avoid sugar intake – especially from soda, juice, candy, desserts and cakes.
• The recommended daily intake of dairy products is ½ liter, which should be divided in 2-3 portions during the day. Do not drink dairy products in the morning and late night (cheese is okay).
• Divide your daily intake of fruit throughout the day, maximum 3 portions (see the carbohydrate list at the end of this brochure).
• Eat no more than 2,5 dl cooked rice/pasta or 300g patatoes/mashed patatoes at lunch and dinner (see the carbohydrate list at the end of this brochure)
• Choose wholegrain bread, rice and pasta, and be aware of the portion in each meal according to the prescribed meal plan.

• If you feel hungry during the day you can eat more vegetables, meat and fats.

Where do you find the carbohydrates?

Carbohydrate is the nutrient that increases the blood sugar levels after a meal. The other nutrients in your diet such as fat and protein will not cause high blood sugar.
You can find carbohydrates in:

• Cereals
• All types of bread
• Rice, pasta, lasagna, potatoes, mashed potatoes, bulgur and couscous
• Fruit (fresh and dried), juice, smoothie, marmalade
• Sugar, honey, syrup, candy, cakes, chips and popcorn
• Soft drinks and sodas
• Legumes (beans, lentils and chickpeas)
• Ketchup and dressing
• Dairy products (milk, yoghurt and skier)
• Fast food (e.g. burger, pizza, durum)
• Root crops

Where do you not find carbohydrates:

There are none or only small amounts of carbohydrates in: All types of meat, poultry and fish inclusive cold cuts of meat or fish, eggs, cheese, butter, margarine, oil and mayonnaise.

You can choose to eat more of the products from above if you feel hungry. It will not increase your blood sugar.

The amount of carbohydrates in different meals

The amount of carbohydrates in one meal have an impact on how high the blood sugar will increase afterwards. There is a big difference in eating 25 grams or 50 grams carbohydrates in a meal. 

Both wholegrain pasta and white pasta will have an effect on the blood sugar level, but the wholegrain pasta will make the blood sugar increase more slowly and will most likely satiate you more for a longer time causing a smaller intake of food.

By adjusting the amount of carbohydrates in each meal, you can control your fluctuating blood sugar levels

How does the carbohydrates affect my blood sugar?

A blood sugar test before and 1 ½-2 hours after the meal can help you asses whether you need to adjust the amount of carbohydrates in your meals.

Recommended blood sugar levels:

Before a meal: Max. 5,5 mmol/L.
1 ½-2 hours after a meal: Max. 7 mmol/L.
If your blood sugar is higher than 7 mmol/L after a meal, you can try to reduce the portion of carbohydrates in your meals.

Exercise

Physical activity will cause a lower blood sugar value and is therefore a way to reduce the high blood sugar. Furthermore, physical activity and fit muscles will improve your ability to absorb the sugar in your blood throughout the entire day. If possible, go for a walk or do some other exercises in a minimum of 30 minutes every day.

Proposal for daily meals

The suggested meal plan below can be used as inspiration and a help for measuring the portions of carbohydrates in each meal.

If you wish variation, the portions of carbohydrates can be replaced with others from the lists in the end of this brochure. Next to each meal there is a recommendation of carbohydrates (g).

Morning (20g carbohydrate): 1 slice of rye bread (50g) with an unlimited amount of cheese/cold cuts/eggs, 2 tbsp. marmelade without added sugar(15g) and 15 nuts

or

oatmeal porridge made from 1 dl of oats (30g) boiled with water. Can be sweetened with marmelade without sugar or sweetener and 15 nuts

or

200g skier, 1 portion of fruit and 15 nuts.

Midmorning (10g carbohydrate): 1 piece of crispbread (15g) or ½ slice of rye bread/wholegrain bread (25g) with an unlimited amount of cold cuts/fish/eggs or 1 portion of fruit.

Lunch (50g carbohydrate): 2 whole slices of rye bread (100g) with an unlimited amount of cold cuts/fish/eggs, mayonnaise/remoulade, vegetables as a supplement and 1 glass of milk (2dl) 
or:
Salad of vegetables and: meat/fisk/chicken, cottage cheese or egg and 2 slices of wholegrain bread (100g) or 60g of raw whole wheat pasta, -rice, -couscous, -bulgur, -noodles (about 2,5 dl cooked).  Optionally dressing and 1 glass of milk (2dl).

Afternoon (10 carbohydrate): 1 piece of crispbread (15g) or ½ slice of rye bread/ wholegrain bread (25g) with an unlimited amount of cold cuts/fish/eggs or 1 portion of fruit.

Dinner (50g carbohydrate): Unlimited amount of meat/chicken/fish (NB: no predatory fish). 4 patatoes (240g) or 60g raw wholegrain rice, -pasta, -bulgur, -couscous (2,5 dl cooked). Vegetables everyday. Oil or liquid margarine for cooking.

Optionally gravy and 1 glass of milk (2dl).

Late evening (10g carbohydrate): 1 piece of crispbread (15g) or ½ slice of rye bread/ wholegrain bread (25g) with an unlimited amount of cold cuts/fish/eggs or 1 portion of fruit.

Drinks
Maximum ½ liter of dairy products a day. Maximum about 2-3 cups of coffe or tea Water, sparkling water, diet sodas and light squash e.g. Fun One/ Fun One Stevia can be drunk freely.

If you are hungry still
Choose more cold cuts of meat on the bread, salat/vegetables, more meat or fish together with your hot meal.

Snacks
You can look after other alternatives for healthy snacks between meals, for instance sugar free products, just be aware of the amount of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrate list

List of 10 g carbohydrates in each portion

Submit diary

Please submit your completed diet- and blood sugar monitoring diary the day before your follow-up consultation with the dietician.

This is done on the MinSP app via "Meddelelser", then press "Skriv til os" followed by "Ny meddelelse". You must now choose what the inquiry is about, you can simply choose "Råd og vejledning". You must then select "Ernæringsenheden" as recipient. The diet- and blood sugar monitoring diary can now be attached and sent to your practitioner.