Ep 88 Managing Gestational Diabetes without the Stress of Diet Culture with Leslee Flannery RD

Jul 19, 2022

If you’ve been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, you may have found yourself in a “pressure cooker” situation if you’ve never had blood sugar issues before. 

 

Now you have to quickly learn all about blood sugar and how to manage it while under the pressure of higher risks not only to your own health but to the health of your child. 

 

Add to that the nutrition misinformation out there and fear-inducing tactics often used by healthcare providers (and the internet, oof!) when communicating this information to you (as ‘motivation’ to create lifestyle changes) and you end up with an incredibly stressful situation during an already vulnerable and stressful time of your life. 

 

Here’s the truth: managing Gestational Diabetes doesn’t have to feel so overwhelming, stressful, hard, or scary! 

 

In today’s episode, Registered Dietitian and Certified Lactation Counselor, Leslee Flannery, addresses the myths surrounding nutrition as it relates to gestational diabetes, what women can do to advocate for themselves, actionable tips for having a healthy pregnancy and baby, and ways to manage blood sugar while maintaining a sense of food freedom and a healthy relationship with food. 

 

In this episode we cover: 

 

• [1:36] Leslee shares the fears she saw in the women diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes and busts some nutritional myths
• [5:27] Leslee reveals the known causes of and risk factors for developing Gestational Diabetes and how self-blame doesn’t help
• [7:57]  Actionable things that women can do to combat the carb-cutting myth and to eat in a healthy, balanced way
• [13:39] Exploring less-obvious causes of blood sugar spikes and how to mitigate them
• [22:26] How to combine intuitive eating with the limitations that come with Gestational Diabetes and how to support women with a history of disordered eating during this time.
• [33:49] The importance of advocating for yourself and being a part of your healthcare team
• [39:00] Non-food-related ways to positively affect your blood sugar
• [40:35] What postpartum looks like for women and their babies after the diagnosis of gestational diabetes
• [46:36] Leslee explains what A1C is, why checking it is important, and when is the best time to do so after birth

Rachel’s Resources:

 

• Follow Rachel on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dietitian.rachelgoodman/
  
  
• Are you a Food Freedom Professional seeking to boost her coaching confidence with clients using the Intuitive Eating approach? Get immediate access to the FREE video training, 3 Steps to Boost Your Coaching Confidence: https://rachelgoodmanrd.kartra.com/page/food-freedom-for-professionals
  
  
• Stop feeling out of control with food using the FREE eguide: 3 Steps to Stop Feeling Out of Control with Food (hyperlink to https://rachelgoodmanrd.kartra.com/page/7NG39  )
  
  
• Want to enjoy your fav foods AND feel good, too? Join Rachel’s online course Living Free: rachelgoodnutrition.com/program  
  
  
• Want to share your thoughts or feedback on this episode? Contact Rachel at  [e-mail]

 

 

Leslee’s Resources: 

 

• Follow Leslee on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Gestational.diabetes.nutrition/

Get Leslee’s free guide: 5 Tips to Lower Fasting Blood Sugar: (hyperlink to https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sozEHebTff4yDUmJQIxcs8GAjkKdMBD3/view