Preventing Gestational Diabetes Through Diet and Exercise

Jan 31, 2011
Brenda Lane

Preventing Gestational Diabetes with Diet and Exercise - Jonny.Hunter

Research shows that tryptophan in the mother's diet can prevent gestational diabetes. Learn what experts say about other ways to avoid gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes occurs to about 4% of all women during pregnancy and is known to increase the risks for the newborn including respiratory problems, hypoglycemia and macrosomia (having a large baby). While there are many ways to treat this pregnancy complication, including individualized diets for the mother with gestational diabetes, experts are still trying to discover if there are effective ways to prevent gestational diabetes from occurring.

Diet to Prevent Gestational Diabetes

There is some research that suggests that diet may play an important role not just in the treatment of gestational diabetes but also in its prevention. One study looked at the role of tryptophan during pregnancy. When scientists restricted the amount of tryptophan in the pregnant female mice's diet, they developed gestational diabetes. So researchers advise that one potential way to prevent gestational diabetes is to eat a good amount of food sources of tryptophan early in pregnancy.

Beef and Poultry High in Tryptophan to Prevent Gestational Diabetes

According to SelfNutritionData, here are some of the best beef and poultry sources listed with the amount of tryptophan per serving in milligrams.

Turkey (roasted) – 507mg
Chicken Breast – 474mg
Chicken (cornish game hens) – 406mg
Beef (top round) – 400mg
Beef Liver – 385mg

If you eat beef and poultry products, be sure you look for organic meats since they provide good nutrition without the use of chemicals or hormones for both pregnant and non-pregnant consumers.

Dairy Products High in Tryptophan

Tryptophan can also be found in a variety of dairy foods. In fact, one of the highest levels of tryptophan can be found in egg whites with over 600mg per serving. Other dairy products that are high in tryptophan to add to your pregnancy diet include:

Mozzarella cheese (part skim) – 399mg
Cottage cheese (lowfat) – 383mg
Cream Cheese (fat free) – 347mg
Milk (nonfat, dry) – 283mg

Fish and Shellfish Containing Tryptophan to Include in Your Pregnancy Diet

Some of the very best sources of tryptophan come from our "meats from the sea". In fact, many of these fish and shellfish contain levels that are even higher than in most beef and poultry. Here is a list of some of the fish and shellfish with the highest levels of tryptophan so that you can plan to add these to your pregnancy diet.

Shrimp (cooked) – 588mg
Lobster (cooked) – 582mg
Crab (canned, blue) – 578mg
Tuna fish (light, canned in water) – 493mg
Tilapia (cooked) – 414mg
Salmon (pink, cooked) – 384mg

One word of caution is that some fishes contain high levels of mercury and therefore should be consumed in limited quantities during pregnancy.

Legumes, Seeds and Grains High in Tryptophan That Can Prevent Gestational Diabetes

You might not expect to find tryptophan in grains or seeds; however, these food groups can contain some of the highest levels of this important amino acid, especially for expectant mothers on a vegan diet.

Sesame seed flour – 659mg
Soy protein isolate – 660mg
Tofu (silken, light firm) – 513mg
Sunflower seed flour – 451mg
Soy sauce – 340mg
Oat bran (cooked) – 285mg

Vegetables, Plants That are Highest in Tryptophan to Add to Your Pregnancy Diet

Believe it or not, some of the best sources of tryptophan come from non-protein foods such as spinach. This category is also an excellent food group for mothers who have a vegan or vegetarian diet to get the tryptophan they need during pregnancy. Here is a list of some of the vegetable and plant sources of tryptophan.

Seaweed (dried) – 641mg
Spinach (cooked, chopped) – 594mg
Watercress (raw) – 545mg
Soybean sprouts (cooked) – 480mg
Mushrooms (raw) – 415mg
Turnip greens (frozen, cooked) – 400mg
Asparagus (frozen, cooked) – 322mg

Weight Loss and Exercise to Prevent Gestational Diabetes

In addition to changes in your pregnancy diet, are there other things you can do to prevent gestational diabetes? Many experts believe that if a woman is over her ideal weight (according to her BMI), losing extra pounds prior to becoming pregnant can help to prevent gestational diabetes. Experts also suggest that preventing gestational diabetes may be possible by avoiding gaining too much weight early in pregnancy.

Another important strategy for the prevention of gestational diabetes is getting regular physical exercise. Research shows that regular exercise combined with weight loss can lower a person's risk of getting type 2 diabetes by nearly 60%. In fact, research is now underway to see if the combination of diet and physical activity indeed is effective in preventing gestational diabetes.

So far what we know about the prevention of this complex disease is that there is not one quick fix. However, if expectant mothers take the initiative to watch their pregnancy weight gain, exercise and eat plenty of foods rich in tryptophan, not only is it possible to prevent gestational diabetes, but perhaps they can even make it less likely to develop type-2 diabetes later in life.