Although I do not claim to be an expert in this topic, I can certainly speak with confidence from my own research and experience what I have found to be true regarding carb intake during pregnancy.

First of all, I think women are often very mislead with the guidelines that have been published regarding ideal carbohydrate intake during pregnancy. Currently, it is recommended pregnant women get 50-60% of their calories from carbohydrates. For an 1800 calorie diet, that is 225-270 g per day or 6 servings PER MEAL! Recommendations for woman diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, meaning she is having a hard time controlling her blood sugar without the assistance of exogenous insulin, is recommended to consume about 180 g of carbohydrate which is or 4 servings per meal. This may look like 1 apple, 1 piece of bread, 1/2 potato, and 1/2 cup of beans.....all in a single meal, before protein, fat, and vegetables are added. Both of these recommendations are alarmingly high, especially for someone like me who pre-pregnancy was eating a low-carbohydrate diet.

So then if not 60 g per meal, what IS the right amount of carbohydrate for a pregnant woman? The answer unfortunately is not entirely straight forward. First of all, like with all nutritional recommendations, its going to be different for every single person. Everyone has a different tolerance to how much carbohydrate they can consume. The other factor which is not well know is that insulin levels naturally vary from trimester to trimester. In the first trimester, insulin production goes up exponentially in most women, allowing for an easier time processing through higher amounts of carbohydrate than normal. I find this fascinating considering this is the time most women are most often nauseous and have a hard time eating anything other than bread and potato chips, (I know I did), and the body knows to compensate! The first trimester is also the time of highest cell replication, turning the zygote into an embryo, which requires very high levels of glucose and therefore more carbohydrates in the diet.

What is also not well known, is that in the third trimester, many women become insulin resistant as the production of insulin plummets, leading to 20% of women getting Gestational Diabetes (GD). This is also about the time during the pregnancy that the Glucose Tolerance Test (GGT) is often administered. The GGT is the diagnostic test to determine whether a momma has GD or not. A staggering number of women fail the first hour long GGT, which is not surprising considering they are drinking 50 g of straight sugar (along with food dyes and other scary ingredients) at a time when their insulin is lowest!

The most important thing to take away from all of this information about insulin fluctuations and carbohydrate needs, is that intuitive eating is crucial during pregnancy and that you must listen to your body and give it what it needs. An integrative dietitian can help you navigate the waters so you can be confident in your diet that will ultimately help grow your sweet baby!

I can say that from my experience keeping carbs low (about 60-75 grams/day) later in the pregnancy has been advantageous. As someone who pre-pregnancy was eating a Ketogenic diet, I had trained my body to use much less insulin. This lead to an even higher sensativity to carbohydrates in my third trimester as seen by slightly elevated fasting blood glucose levels. Increasing workouts (to burn excess blood sugar) and bringing my carbs a bit lower has made me more energetic and lead to fasting blood sugars in the 70s and 80s.

Please be sure to consult with a dietitian or physician before making any drastic changes to your diet! This information is meant to inform, not to treat or act as medical advice.

Top 5 Tips to Balance Blood Sugar, Naturally!

Always eat carbohydrate foods paired with a fat and or protein
Focus on carbs from whole food sources, ditch the processed foods and added sugars
Eat small meals every 3-4 hours to prevent the liver from dumping additional sugar into the blood stream
Get moving! Walking after meals and resistance training will lower fasting blood sugars
Get more sleep! Lack of sleep can lead to higher blood sugar, more stress, and more cortisol which are not good for the babe!

If you want to know what a balanced day of food looks like to keep blood sugar stable while pregnant, just fill out the info below and I will send you a guide!

Carli created WELLNESS BY CARLI to combine her love of real food with her knowledge of functional medicine. These article are to share what she has learned to hopefully help you heal and feel your best!