Sugar and Pregnancy

Sometimes I just really need to be reminded of the seriousness of the affect sugar has on my health and the health of my baby. Yes, I love love loooove sweets and treats. Ice cream, candy, pastries, doughnuts- you name it... if it's sweet, I LOVE IT! At times I have felt that my sweet tooth is hopelessly insatiable. Ridiculous!

But I have to remind myself of what it does in my body, to my body, and to the health of our precious little baby.

I've been eating pretty fair amounts of sugar ever since that dratted morning sickness kicked in and have had a very difficult time cutting it off once I got re-accustomed to having it semi-regularly. (We had been off sugar for months prior to pregnancy.)

Then today, just to remind myself of WHY this is important, I looked up a few articles about it: http://pregnancy.amuchbetterway.com/sugar-and-pregnancy/

Just a few quotes: (emphasis mine)
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"The sugar story gets worse for pregnant women. During pregnancy, sugar is rapidly absorbed into your blood and in order to regulate this sugar, your body requires larger amounts of insulin which is released by your pancreas. If you are eating excessive or even moderate amounts of sugar, your pancreas is going to have a difficult time keeping up. If your pancreas falls short of its job, then your blood sugar levels stay elevated. This is a problem even if you do not develop full blown gestational diabetes."

" In addition, large babies of mothers with elevated blood sugar levels also have a higher risk of childhood obesity."

"Your body only needs an extra 300 calories during the second and third trimester, which should consist of high quality protein, vitamins and minerals because your body is literally building another human being. If you are not eating the proper nutrients to build a little human being’s bones, blood, fingernails and hair, then the necessary nutrients will be sucked out of your nutritional stores, putting you at risk for lifelong health problems, osteoporosis, postpartum depression and a number of other health conditions that are entirely avoidable by eating well before, during and after pregnancy."

"In addition, it makes sense to get the sugar out of your house before your child is born. Children who regularly eat sugar experience raised adrenal levels, hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, low immunity, crankiness, sleep troubles, tooth decay, obesity and weight problems and lifelong health problems and disease. Do you think it is easier to get the sugar out of your home before they are born or when they are 10 and addicted to Fruit Loops or other such nonsense?"

"Sugar is more than that white stuff you put in your coffee. Sugar is everywhere and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and it is imperative that you know the sneaky forms that sugar comes in if you plan on avoiding it. First and foremost, virtually anything in a bag, box, or can has added sugar."

"If you insist on buying packaged foods, read the labels. Anything with a label is bound to have sugar anyway, but read for yourself. Look for any ingredient ending in ‘ose’. Fructose, dextrose and glucose are all sugars. Bread has sugar. Pizza has sugar. Almost everything has some form of sugar in it."

"White sugar is processed with chemicals and all the good nutrients are stripped from it. It is nothing short of poison and you should not touch it. Whatever you do, do not under any circumstances, substitute chemical sweeteners. They are even worse than sugar. Nutrasweet, Aspartame, Sucralose and Splenda. Poison, poison, poison. They are man made, chemical toxins. Do not dream of touching them while you are pregnant if you value your health and the health of your unborn child. They are linked to a myriad of long term, health conditions. If the package says, “low sugar” or “sugar free”, run don’t walk the other way."

"If you would like to still have a little bit of sweetness in your life go ahead, in moderation, by choosing sweeteners made by mother nature. Enjoy these options in their raw, natural forms and keep in mind that they are still high on the glycemic index and can also contribute to tooth decay. Blackstrap molasses is exceptionally healthy. Raw, organic honey with propolis is also considered an amazing health food. Stevia is another natural sugar alternative but has not been tested on pregnant women. Even sugar itself is loaded with nutrients if it is raw, organic and untouched. If is is just a sugar fix you crave, get some high quality organic, fair trade chocolate. It will load you up with antioxidants and potentially keep your stress level down if you are a real sugar addict."

"Women quit smoking when they find out they are pregnant. Women stop drinking when they find out they are pregnant and women should also stop eating sugar when they find out they are pregnant if they value their health and the health of their beautiful, unborn child."
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All I had to do was read that am I an renewed in my determination to fight my cravings and eat real food full of naturally-occurring nutrients and CUT the sugar out completely! I am hoping I will be able to look back on this throughout my pregnancy and continue to stay strong!

I’m going to try to limit all intake of sugar to very rare and exceptional occasions.

I actually do allow myself Stevia even though it hasn't been tested. My midwives have never had an issue with that. I also have Xylitol and in smaller amounts, honey and molasses.

I'm also trying to greatly reduce grains (wheat, rice, oats, etc). I still have a fair amount of fruits and carbier vegetables (peas/carrots/some corn), but I am hoping that those things will not be as damaging. I like to have a little fruit most days. :)

If I'm able to stay strong in this I'm really curious to see if I'll have a smaller baby this time. All of my full-term babies have been over 9 pounds which has never been a problem for me at all, but I wouldn't mind seeing what it's like to push out an 8 pounder. ;) (Or a 7 pounder! Not likely. lol)