Too much sugar

kenfw89

I had a sweet tooth before pregnancy, and now it’s gotten even worse! I know I’m eating way too much sugar (cookies, ice cream, cake, candy, you name it). But I do eat a lot of healthy/nutritious foods as well, and walk daily.  

I’m 23 weeks pregnant. Healthy weight prior to pregnancy and have gained 15 lbs so far. 

Am I harming my baby by indulging too much on sugar? There so much mixed information online. 

I’ve been told several times that eating too much sugar doesn’t cause gestational diabetes. 

Anyone else eat too much sugar while pregnant and have a healthy baby?

linh18

Like most things moderation is the best (coming from someone who also has a sweet tooth). Try not to obsess about it, but if you can manage to cut down on 1-2 sugary snacks a day it would help overall. Try and eat sugary things that have added nutritional value to keep you full and satisfied longer. Rule of thumb is make sure you get fiber or protein. (Ex homemade chocolate chip banana bread or carrot cake with whole wheat flour, you don't have to go cold turkey and cut out all sugar but finding a reduced sugar recipe helps)

Personally I find making thick peanut butter banana smoothies with added cocoa powder/chocolate chips can taste delicious and satisfy my sweet tooth without being too much refined sugar. (1-2 frozen bananas, 1 Tbsp peanut butter, and 1/4-1/2 cup milk plus 1 Tbsp cocoa or chocolate chips). 

You don't have to deprive yourself unless your doctor sees major issues, but changing a snack or two during the day into something more substantial/less sweet will probably help both you and baby 😀

kjarcher87

As a diabetic pre-pregnancy, I've had to be careful anyway and was used to watching my sugar intake. That did not stop or help with the cravings though! The countless oranges and all other kinds of fruit (at least healthy sugars) aythe chocolate and Oreos. Mainly just carbs in any form... which turn to sugar in your blood. Sigh... While eating too much sugar won't cause gestational diabetes, it may not help should you develop it because sugar makes you crave even more sugar. I know that's not here but trust me... You don't want to end up on insulin injections 4x a day like me. Eat what your body is craving... chances are you need something in whatever the food is... just be mindful of the quantities and try to space out the amount of sugar/ carbs at once. Give yourself a couple hours at least so that your blood sugar will be more balanced and not severely spike. Hope this helps... Don't worry too much, none of us is perfect.