Carbohydrates During Pregnancy – Benefits, Intake, and Dietary Sources

Your diet is of upmost importance to your health. It is even more important during pregnancy, as your diet now determines the health of two lives, the mother and developing child. One of the most important but often misunderstood elements of a healthy diet are carbohydrates. Carbs are a necessity for our bodies to operate as they are our primary source of energy. However, in today’s world where many diets and eating programs are designed with an explicit focus on eating low carbs, people are beginning to be wary of carbs and even attempting to exclude them from their diets entirely. Read on to learn about carbohydrates, how you should intake them, benefit from them, and the best sources.

What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are the primary sources of energy in your diet. When carbs are digested, they are broken down into simple sugars such as glucose. These sugars are easily able to travel through the placenta to provide your developing child with energy and support.

Not all carbs are mad equally though. There are actually different types of carbohydrates like, starches, fiber, and sugars. Starchy carbs are the greatest source of quick energy and should make up about 1/3 of the food you consume. The best sources for starchy foods are bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, and cereals. They are not only good sources of energy but also of vitamins and minerals, like calcium vitamin B, and iron.

Eating carbs healthily

Different carbs are broken down at different rates. When you eat carbs that break down fast – known as high glycemic index (GI) – like sugars or refined foods, you will raise your blood sugar levels. This can be a problem during pregnancy and bears monitoring.

You can regulate your blood sugar level by eating low GI foods. These foods are generally healthier and should be eaten instead of high GI foods.

Some good sources of low GI foods include:

• Bananas
• Sweet potatoes
• Rolled oat porridge
• Chickpeas and other pulses
• Wholegrain pastas, breads, and cereals