Drinking or smoking during pregnancy is frowned upon, but it is socially accepted for a pregnant woman to eat sugar. Pregnancy is also a time in a woman’s life when she is told to eat whatever she feels like eating and to satisfy her food cravings. Many pregnant women crave for certain types of foods and these usually include sweets or other sugar-filled treats. However, sugar is one important foods to avoid during pregnancy. The craving for sugar can be avoided by eating regularly and getting enough healthy snacks between meals.
Why does sugar belong to foods to avoid when pregnant? Women feel fluctuations in their blood glucose levels during pregnancy much more than they do when they are not pregnant. This happens because during pregnancy the amount of various hormones in the body changes and the body’s blood supply is also greater. Even when you are not pregnant, skipping a meal is not a good idea because it will increase the chance of sugar-cravings a couple of hours later. When you are pregnant, it is even more important to eat regular meals to keep the cravings under control. When your body craves for sugar, it is actually just asking for food. Instead of eating a sweet treat to satisfy the craving, try eating small but regular meals throughout the day.
Main foods to avoid during pregnancy are artificial sweeteners and refined sugar.
Foods that are filled with artificial sweeteners or refined sugar are not good for anyone’s health, whether you are pregnant or not. Eating too much sugar leads to problems with your teeth and your gums, changes in blood sugar levels, increase in weight, immune system problems, an increased risk of heart problems and early aging.
When you are pregnant, the consequences of eating sugar are even more serious. Your pregnant body absorbs sugar fast into the bloodstream, which puts increasing demands on your pancreas that has to cope with the sugar in the blood. If the pancreas does not cope with its task, the sugar level in the body stays too high. In the worst cases you are at a risk of developing gestational diabetes.
Many women like to eat for two when they are pregnant, but this is a wrong way of social thinking. You do not need extra calories at all during the first trimester. During the second trimester you only need approximately 300 more calories a day. These should come from foods that contain vitamins and mineral, and especially good quality proteins that help the development of the baby. If your diet does not contain enough of the vitamins and minerals that are needed for the development of the baby’s blood, bones, hair and fingernails, your body will take the necessary nutrients from its own storage. This process can cause problems including post-natal depression and osteoporosis. An easy way to avoid these issues is to eat healthy meals throughout the pregnancy.
Hint: The words “syrup”, “sweetener” and anything ending in “ose” can usually be assumed to be “sugar”. If the label says “no added sugars”, it should not contain any corn sweetener, corn syrup, glucose, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, honey, xylose…etc.
When you eliminate any of the above ingredients or foods, you will most likely suffer from detox symptoms like headaches, nausea, some dizziness and possible breakouts. These are simply symptoms of a sugar detox. They are easy to avoid if you reduce the amount of sugar in your diet gradually. You can also substitute your daily coffee with herbal coffee at first before moving to black, green or white tea and eventually replacing them with herbal teas. Some good alternatives to sugar include raw honey, the herb Stevia, agave syrup and xylitol.
Ginger tea can be helpful for morning sickness. It is also important to drink a lot of water, which helps to avoid headaches especially during a sugar detox or a caffeine detox. Herb teas can included in your daily intake of fluids.
To prevent gestational and diabetes, any artificial and processed foods like soda and sausages should be included in the foods to avoid during pregnancy.




