Blood Sugar, Carbohydrates and Whole Grains Before Pregnancy
Carbohydrates get treated as the villain of fertility nutrition, and that framing costs people more than it helps. Your cells run on glucose. The useful question was never whether to eat carbohydrates but which ones, and what you eat them with.
No food on this page is bad, and nothing here needs counting.
Why do carbs matter at all?
Because they are where blood sugar comes from, and blood sugar is what your cells actually burn.
Carbohydrates are the body's primary source of energy and necessary for a balanced pre-pregnancy diet.
Multiple health authorities agree
Clinical review pending
More than one independent health authority states this.
Carbohydrates provide the body with glucose, which is converted to energy used to support bodily functions and physical activity... an important part of a healthy diet.
Blood sugar (glucose) is the primary fuel for cells, and levels that are too high or too low impair cell function.
Stated in a health authority's guidance
Clinical review pending
A health authority states this in its published guidance.
It is your body's primary source of energy... Too much glucose stays in your blood and doesn't reach your cells. Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause serious health problems... Hypoglycemia... can be dangerous and should be treated as soon as possible.
Company. The same carbohydrate eaten alone and eaten alongside fiber, protein and fat does not reach your bloodstream at the same speed, and that is a far easier thing to act on than a list of forbidden foods.
Adding fiber, protein and healthy fat to carbohydrates slows digestion and blunts blood sugar rise; eating them alongside any high-carb food slows sugar absorption and helps avoid insulin resistance.
Supported by a systematic review
Clinical review pending
A systematic review of the research supports this.
the presence or combination of foods rich in fiber, fat and/or protein...delays the so-called gastric emptying... attenuates GR (glycemic response).
Eating whole grains, whole fruits and vegetables, and unprocessed foods helps the body maintain blood sugar levels and normal insulin production and absorption.
Supported by a systematic review
Clinical review pending
A systematic review of the research supports this.
foods that preserve their original structure, without being subjected to any processing technique...require more energy to break down...with post-prandial glycemia being reduced. Consume foods in its original form, as little processed as possible.
Eating slowly digested carbs such as whole grains reduces insulin resistance.
Supported by a systematic review
Clinical review pending
A systematic review of the research supports this.
Many studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of consuming complex, low-glycemic-index carbohydrates that are rich in dietary fiber. An insulin-resistant patient's diet should be rich in whole grains
What is the difference between whole and refined grains?
Two parts of the grain, removed. That is the entire distinction, and it explains why the same grain behaves differently depending on what was done to it before it reached you.
Processing a grain removes the bran and germ; unprocessed grains are 'whole grains' and 'refined' means the same as processed.
Stated in a health authority's guidance
Clinical review pending
A health authority states this in its published guidance.
White flour and white rice are refined grains, for instance, because both have had their bran and germ removed, leaving only the endosperm... A grain is considered to be a whole grain as long as all three original parts — the bran, germ, and endosperm — are still present in the same proportions as when the grain was gr…
Whole grain or brown rice is a better fertility choice than white rice because white rice's processing removed the components that slow conversion into blood sugar.
Supported by a systematic review
Clinical review pending
A systematic review of the research supports this.
intact (whole-grain) rice, compared with white rice, was associated with a significant reduction in blood glucose AUC
Stated in a health authority's guidance
Clinical review pending
A health authority states this in its published guidance.
Popcorn (Corn entry: 'Fresh corn on the cob. Popcorn. Corn cakes. Polenta.'); Oats section: 'When you see oats or oatmeal or oat groats on an ingredient list, they are almost invariably whole oats.'
Yes, and for everyone rather than only for people who were already struggling. Some insulin resistance in late pregnancy is normal physiology, not a personal failure.
All pregnant people develop some insulin resistance late in pregnancy, and pre-existing or early-developing insulin resistance increases the likelihood of gestational diabetes.
Supported by a systematic review
Clinical review pending
A systematic review of the research supports this.
In a normal pregnancy, maternal tissues become increasingly insensitive to insulin. A 50-60% decrease in insulin sensitivity is seen with advancing gestation.