Can gestational diabetes eat avocado?

Avocado is known as a "superfood" good for the digestive system and heart. But can pregnant women with gestational diabetes eat avocado?

A healthy diet is especially important for pregnant women with diabetes. Avocado is a nutritious fruit, good for digestion, good for the heart. This is always the "golden" food that is preferred by pregnant women. But can gestational diabetes eat avocado? The useful information below will definitely help pregnant women find the correct answer for themselves. 

What is diabetes?

Diabetes, also known as diabetes, is caused by a disorder of blood sugar metabolism. The characteristic manifestation of the disease is that blood sugar is always higher than normal because it is not converted efficiently into energy. Diabetes is caused by a lack of or resistance to insulin.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that plays a major role in converting sugar that is consumed in the body from food into energy. Through its job of metabolizing sugar, this hormone also keeps blood sugar levels balanced and stable. When muscles lack insulin or are resistant to insulin, blood sugar builds up, often at high levels, causing diabetes.

Symptoms of gestational diabetes are often unclear and easy to confuse

What is gestational diabetes?

Gestational diabetes is diabetes that develops in a woman's body during pregnancy. About 5% - 10% of women have gestational diabetes. The cause could be: 

• During pregnancy, the nutritional needs of pregnant women increase and they consume more food. To stabilize blood sugar, the pregnant mother's body is forced to produce a higher amount of insulin than usual (maybe 2-3 times). But in many cases, a woman's body can't respond to that, causing them to develop gestational diabetes. 
• In addition, the placenta in the process of nourishing and providing oxygen to the fetus also secretes many different hormones. Among them are hormones that can make it harder for a mother's body to produce insulin or use insulin. 
• In addition, there are a number of other causes leading to gestational diabetes in pregnant women such as: overweight and obese pregnant women, family history of type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, pregnant mothers. old…

But whatever the cause, pregnant women also need to know how to properly treat gestational diabetes . One of them is to build a scientific diet with foods that are low in carbohydrates and sugar. So can gestational diabetes eat avocado?

Benefits of avocado for pregnant women's health

Avocado is a fruit that is always present in healthy diets and is loved by many pregnant women. This fruit is extremely beneficial for the digestive system, the cardiovascular system of the pregnant mother and the development of the fetus. 

On average, every 100 grams of avocado flesh can satisfy:

• 26% of the body's vitamin K needs/day.
• 20% of Folate needs/day.
• 17% of vitamin C needs/day.
• 14% of potassium needs / day (avocados contain more potassium than bananas).
• 14% of Vitamin B5/day requirement.
• 13% of Vitamin B6 needs/day.
• 10% of Vitamin E needs/day.

Avocado is good for health but can gestational diabetes eat avocado?

Abundant unsaturated fat content in avocado helps pregnant women reduce bad cholesterol by 22%, increase good cholesterol by 11%, prevent gestational hypertension and cardiovascular disease. 

It is also an ideal source of fiber. The fiber in avocados slows down the metabolism of carbohydrates. As a result, the mother's blood sugar level is effectively stabilized. 100g of avocado contains about 7g of fiber, of which 25% is soluble fiber. This type of fiber is the favorite food of the good bacteria in the gut. When the intestinal microflora is healthy, the resistance of the pregnant mother's body also increases. 

Many studies show that eating avocados can increase the absorption of antioxidants by 2.6 to 15 times. Avocados also contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which are important for the development of the baby's vision.

The oleic acid found in avocados has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer . The avocatin B compound in avocados also kills leukemia cells. Avocados also contain folate - very important in reducing stress for pregnant women and preventing birth defects in the fetus.

Can gestational diabetes eat avocado?

So can gestational diabetes eat avocado? This is a food that brings a lot of health and low risk of high blood sugar for pregnant women with gestational diabetes, so it can be completely added to their menu.

In 150g of avocado, there are about 12.79g of Carbohydrate and 1g of sugar. This is a relatively low level, so it has little impact on the glycemic index of pregnant women. Even many scientific studies show that consuming avocado in moderation can improve blood sugar in people with gestational diabetes. The monounsaturated fats in avocados help control blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity. 

Gestational diabetes, if not effectively controlled, can cause diabetes-related complications (heart attack, stroke, etc.). When increasing good cholesterol and reducing bad cholesterol, avocados contribute to reducing the risk of cardiovascular complications for pregnant women with diabetes. 

According to research results, people who eat half an avocado at lunch can reduce their need for more food by 40% and increase their sense of meal satisfaction by 26%. That means avocado can completely help reduce cravings for effective weight control. This is very important for pregnant women with diabetes. 

If you have gestational diabetes, you can safely eat avocado!

Note for diabetics when eating avocado

There are a few notes for diabetics when eating avocados pregnant women can refer to such as: 

• Pregnant women can eat avocado every day, but need to calculate the amount of calories loaded into the body to eat in the right amount. Each avocado provides about 250 calories. If you eat avocado daily, people with diabetes should eat only about 1/5 of an avocado (50 calories). This helps the patient to eat a variety of healthy foods. 
• Diabetics should not eat butter with milk or sugar. It is also not good to eat butter with cheese, mayonnaise or high-fat foods. Best suited for them are avocado salads with little dressing. Combining avocado with unsweetened yogurt or yang nuts is also extremely reasonable. 

Above is the answer from nutrition experts to the question of gestational diabetes can eat avocado ? Pregnant mothers can rest assured to enjoy this fruit properly for good health until the baby is born!