From cheat meals to false positives in gestational diabetes testing, Lily and I cover a ton in this episode.
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Have you heard?
Episode 2 - Outdated guidelines in prenatal care
"Lily Nichols" is almost synonymous with "evidence-based research" and "gestational diabetes" because Lily has trail-blazed a movement of questioning the information we're given, and countering that information with updated research.
Lily is the first dietitian to step out and boldly speak against national nutrition guidelines in gestational diabetic care. She wrote her first book, Real Food for Gestational Diabetes, because of this and it's gained widespread attention and approval.
We had a fabulous talk about a ton of things concerning gestational diabetes.
What We Talked About
- 2:45 - Lily's book, career and prenatal nutrition guidelines need to be updated with a new approach
- 9:40 - Is testing for gestational diabetes necessary?
- 12:25 - False positives: there's no perfect testing method for gestational diabetes
- 14:37 - Better & alternative testing methods & understanding how food affects blood sugar
- 18:19 - Different testing standards across the world and within the United States
- 22:40 - How my gestational diabetes test went & the extreme emotions that accompany diagnosis
- 26:00 - Shifting the approach of prenatal care from fear-based
- 27:55 - Is gestational diabetes more common in pregnancies with multiples?
- 28:54 - Lowering the risk of gestational diabetes; managing blood sugar with micro-nutrients
- 33:30 - How exercise can reduce the risk of gestational diabetes
- 34:35 - Can eating for pregnancy be simplified: unlearning and relearning how to eat
- 40:57 - The importance of blood sugar management in health, not just pregnancy
- 46:58 - Talking to your healthcare team & speaking up for yourself
- 52:40 - Carbs aren't your only source of energy
- 56:52 - Are cheat meals okay?
- 1:03:56 - Lily's current work & how we can help affect change in prenatal care
- 1:13:10 - How a gestational diabetes diagnosis affects decisions & outcomes in your pregnancy & delivery
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Resources
Food!
-- Lily's pulled pork recipe
-- Free gestational diabetes meal plan
-- Free pregnancy meal plan (not GD) & prep guide
More Information
-- Guide to Get Started with Gestational Diabetes
-- Lily's free video e-course
-- 9 Gestational Diabetes Myths
-- Lily's post on why she drank the glucola drink
-- Lily failed her glucola gestational diabetes test
Lily's sites & books
-- Gestational diabetes book site - https://realfoodforgd.com/
-- Lily's blog - https://lilynicholsrdn.com/
-- Lily's Instagram
-- Real Food for Pregnancy
-- Real Food for Gestational Diabetes
Have a question or something to add to the conversation? Leave a comment below!
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Megan
Hello! Thank you for your podcast. I just found it tonight, and have been in a flurry trying to navigate a new GD diagnosis. My issue seems to be with fasting blood sugar and I was so excited to hear that Lily covers this in her online course, but I was devastated to see the course cost nearly $400! What happened? Can you provide any other resources on issues with fasting blood sugar that don't cost so much?
The Gestational Diabetic Chef
Hi Megan! I'm so glad the podcast is helpful! What I'm about to say is not professional advice. Fasting sugars are tricky because you need to know how your sugars act while you sleep, which you can do only with a continuous glucose monitor, or by waking up a few times to check it. (The latter plays its own role in higher levels.) Take a look at your bedtime snack. What time are you eating it? Maybe your fast is too long. What is your normal bedtime snack? Is it macro balanced? Are the carbs "good," complex carbs? Magnesium supplementation is proven to lower fasting levels in pregnancy. Of course you'll want to talk to your doctor before taking a supplement. You can also eat more magnesium rich foods (a chart is in that link), and eat them for dinner/bedtime snack. Research has shown apple cider vinegar at night effectively lowers fasting glucose. Liquid ACV is more effective than ACV in tablets. DO NOT drink it on its own! The linked research shows the trials used a minimum of 1 tablespoon mixed with water. You'll have to experiment to see what ratio of ACV to water you can tolerate.