Gestational Diabetes Demystified (feat. Kelly Carter)

Feeling confused about what a gestational diabetes diagnosis means for your pregnancy and your future wellness? Curious about easy and proven ways to keep it in check? Grab a seat and join today’s conversation with Kelly Carter that’ll make gestational diabetes feel way less scary!

Jenn Trepeck and Kelly Carter, the Chief Success Officer at RenewRx, dive into the nitty-gritty of gestational diabetes, explaining how the placenta can throw insulin and blood sugar out of whack. Kelly shares game-changing advice with proven results, such as balancing your plate with veggies and proteins and incorporating movement, like post-meal walks, to manage blood sugar spikes. They also share stress management tricks, like journaling, to ease the mental load and bust myths that can make pregnancy feel overwhelming. 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast, hosted by Jenn Trepeck, delves into real-life wellness and weight loss, clearing up myths, misinformation, and bad science surrounding our understanding of nutrition and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store.

IN THIS EPISODE: 

• (00:00) Intro: Meet Kelly Carter
• (07:11) Kelly’s journey from studying human nutrition to focusing on gestational diabetes
• (09:51) Why gestational diabetes became Kelly’s focus
• (13:54) The placenta’s role in gestational diabetes
• (15:24) Risk factors for gestational diabetes, including age, blood sugar sensitivity, diet and stress
• (21:19) Discussion on balanced nutrition to reduce blood sugar spikes, supported by continuous glucose monitoring
• (24:07) Building a balanced plate for gestational diabetes
• (29:56) Movement, particularly walking after meals, can lower blood sugar levels by up to 25% in women with gestational diabetes
• (31:35) Sleep challenges in pregnancy and their impact on stress and blood sugar
• (34:00) Utilize stress management strategies like walking, napping, and journaling 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Gestational diabetes is a temporary condition during pregnancy caused by hormonal changes and the placenta’s demands, where the body struggles to produce enough insulin to manage blood sugar levels. Still, it can be effectively managed with lifestyle changes.
• A balanced nutrition approach, emphasizing the order of eating—starting with fibrous vegetables, followed by proteins, fats, and carbohydrates—can significantly reduce blood sugar spikes, as supported by continuous glucose monitoring data.
• Lifestyle factors like movement (e.g., walking post-meals), stress management (e.g., journaling, napping), and acknowledging sleep challenges are critical for managing gestational diabetes and improving insulin sensitivity, fostering long-term healthy habits.

QUOTES: 

(00:25) “Very simply, gestational diabetes is your body not being able to keep up with the insulin that's needed to be produced to grow this baby.” Kelly Carter 

(12:59) “Gestational diabetes leaves women feeling confused, frustrated and not understanding what's happening.” Jenn Trepeck

(17:23) “If you're able to focus on your diet and your lifestyle seven months before you conceive, your chances of having a healthy pregnancy increase by at least 30 percent.” Kelly Carter

(18:55) "Everything in  health is related, right? We want to look at nutrition, movement, sleep, and stress." Jenn Trepeck

(29:37) “Why would it make any sense to stop training for the nine months in advance of your personal human Olympics?” Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

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