Natural Remedies for Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is caused during pregnancy due to a lack of insulin in non-diabetic patients. It is not a serious problem if taken care of in time.

We can follow some basic measures to avoid gestational diabetes. If you’re diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you can avoid complications by using natural remedies to keep the blood sugar levels in control. The mild type of gestational diabetes can be effectively controlled with natural remedies.

The following explain how natural remedies for gestational diabetes can help in lowering blood sugar levels during gestational diabetes. As with anything else during pregnancy, check with your doctor or midwife when adding anything new.

Home Remedies for Gestational Diabetes

Nowadays, there’s a growing trend towards using natural health supplements to manage blood sugar levels. Not many people go the natural health route because of a lack of understanding about the specific mechanisms that are involved when using botanical products.

However, the use of botanical extracts and natural remedies is a popular practice for many people who are aware of the benefits. Even in many industrialized countries, the use of natural products is increasing. We’ll discuss some of the best natural remedies and botanical products that help with gestational diabetes and managing blood sugar levels.

Berberine

Berberine, which comes from specific grapes and berries, has a wide range of health benefits. Berberine supplement is especially beneficial for people who have diabetes, hypertension, or cholesterol issues. Gestational diabetes can be managed by taking berberine supplements alone or with a combination of other natural extracts to further enhance the benefits.

Medical studies have shown that berberine can significantly support healthy blood sugar levels in people suffering from diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes. When taken with medication, the Berberine supplement enhances its function. It can reduce insulin resistance that is characteristic of diabetes and gestational diabetes.

How it works

Berberine supplements can decrease sugar production in the liver, increase the healthy bacteria concentrations in the gut, and also help activate certain hormones that can help with the regulation of glucose or sugar in the body. It is very helpful in managing gestational diabetes. Berberine complex is a very useful product by Whole Family Products containing more active ingredients per mg for better control of blood sugar levels – starting of course with Berberine and including the following, as well:

Banaba

Banaba comes from Southeast Asian trees. It has traditionally been used to help with diabetes. The active ingredients in banaba include phytochemicals. One of the main phytochemicals is known as corosolic acid.

Corosolic acid is known to have many hypoglycemic effects. According to a study, the active ingredients in banaba can reduce blood sugar within an hour. It also helps to lower the risk of developing diabetes in insulin-resistant people.

Bitter Melon

Bitter Melon is also known as bitter gourd or wild cucumber. It is grown in many areas around the world including South America, Asia, the Caribbean, and East Africa. It gets its name from the fact that it gets more and more bitter as it ripens. It is linked with lowering the body’s glucose levels. Basically, it acts like insulin. So, it can help bring glucose to the cells and use it as energy.

Bitter melon also helps stop the conversion of fats and proteins into glucose. A literature review from 2015 claims that bitter gourd has major benefits in controlling many types of blood sugars.

Other helpful botanicals may include:

Fenugreek

Fenugreek seeds have been used in the sub-continent for ages as traditional medicine as well as in the kitchen. Fenugreek seeds are known to be effective in helping people with diabetes as suggested by several studies. These seeds are high in soluble fiber, which helps lower blood sugar by slowing down digestion and absorption of carbohydrates.

Cinnamon

Findings from a clinical study published in the Diabetes Care journal in 2003 suggest that cassia cinnamon (cinnamon bark) improves blood glucose and cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes, and may reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Cinnamon tea can help women with gestational diabetes.

Vanadium Sulfate

Vanadium Sulfate has many hypoglycemic properties that are known to be helpful for insulin resistance. Its precise method of action has not been established yet. However, many experimental studies show that it works like insulin. So, it will affect the adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and liver just like the hormone insulin. It will also work to restore sensitivity to insulin. Hence, it happens to be a convenient natural remedy for women with gestational diabetes complaints.

Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne Pepper has effective thermogenic, fat-burning properties. When taken before bed it has been known to ramp up the body’s ability to burn fat during sleep, helping with fasting blood sugar levels. According to a study, in healthy human subjects capsaicin (a compound found in Cayenne Peppers) increased glucose absorption from the gut and increased the release of glucagon during glucose loading tests. Intervention with capsaicin-containing chilies for 4 weeks in women with gestational diabetes mellitus reduced postprandial hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, with improved fasting lipid metabolic disorders.

Blood Sugar Complex for Gestational Diabetes

Blood Sugar Complex is highly formulated unique botanical extracts (with many of those listed above) to fight insulin resistance. Several of these beneficial ingredients commonly used for battling insulin resistance are combined into this single product to make it the winning product to counter gestational diabetes.

It addresses fluctuating glucose levels and may help with the utilization of insulin in the body. It is particularly useful for pregnant women complaining of unregulated blood sugar levels. Blood Sugar Complex can have great benefits in the management of insulin and glucose in the body during pregnancy. Check with your doctor or midwife if the ingredients will help you.

How To Lower Fasting Blood Sugar Gestational Diabetes?

Patients with diabetes and especially women with gestational diabetes find it really hard to control their blood sugar levels in the morning. The dawn effect and Somogyi effect are known to elevate glucose levels in the body in the morning and pregnant women seem to be affected the most by these phenomena. Fasting blood sugar gestational diabetes can be lowered by;

• Changing the timing or type of your diabetes medications
• Eating a lighter breakfast
• Increasing your morning dose of diabetes medication
• Decreasing the dose of diabetes medications that are causing overnight lows
• Adding a bedtime snack that includes complex carbs
• Doing evening exercise earlier in the day

Target Blood Sugar Level for Pregnancy

According to the American Diabetes Association, these are some targeted blood sugar levels according to when blood sugar testing is done. Pregnant women should strive to comply with these readings, as well.

• Before meal or time of fasting: 95 mg/ dl or less
• An hour after a meal: 140 mg/ dl or less
• Two hours after a meal: 120 mg/dl or less

Healthy Practices and Lifestyle Changes

There is no guarantee that we can control gestational diabetes but if you use advised natural remedies and medicine and also adopt healthy habits before pregnancy, you can significantly reduce the risks of gestational diabetes. If you’ve experienced it once in life your healthy habits can help reduce the chance of having it again later in future pregnancies.

Gestational diabetes symptoms can be controlled if we do the following health practices and change of lifestyle. Go natural! Be Healthy!

These measures can also help to lower your blood sugar levels. It can also help to avoid having type-2 diabetes in the future.

• Eating healthy foods: Your choice of foods reflects your health. Intake of good and healthy food rich in fiber and low in calories and fats is important. You should focus on vegetables, fruits, and a whole grain diet.
• Keeping active: Develop exercising habits before pregnancy so that you carry that on during pregnancy which can reduce the chance of developing gestational diabetes.
• Take daily short walks or ride your bike; whatever your preference, pick an activity that will keep you busy and active on a daily basis.
• Start pregnancy at a healthy weight: Maintain a healthy weight if you have any plans to get pregnant. You should make some changes to your diet that can help you to reach a goal and add fruits and vegetables to your diet. If you are overweight, consider using a blood glucose tester and see if you need to work on insulin resistance before pregnancy. If you have PCOS this is especially advised since PCOS is often partially caused by insulin resistance.
• Maintaining weight: You should maintain your weight at a recommended number. Remember extra pounds can cause problems for you and baby. Now is the time to get healthy.

Gaining weight at a rapid rate is dangerous. It can increase the chances of developing gestational diabetes. Consult your doctor or midwife and ask for recommendations.