10 reasons to avoid excess sugar during pregnancy

If you’re following a healthy pregnancy eating plan you’ll notice levels of refined sugar are quite low, this is because it’s suggested women avoid too much sugar during pregnancy.

With this is mind our Healthy Mummy recipes and meals are packed with the nutrients you need for you and your baby during this special time.

In our current society eating a high sugar diet during pregnancy is really common, in fact studies show women think pregnancy gives them free rein to eat whatever they feel like.

However, this can have serious consequences for mothers and their babies, and when we talk sugar, we are not just talking about the white powdered stuff, we are talking about most of your white foods such as breads, pasta, cakes, biscuits and ice cream.

This also includes all of the high GI foods such as flavoured and fizzy soft drinks, alcohol, sweets, jam, jelly, sauce and breakfast cereals. You get the idea!

10 scientifically researched reasons to avoid excess sugar during pregnancy:

1. A higher sugar consumption is linked to a higher pregnancy weight gain.

2. Too much sugar increases glucose and insulin levels. So yes, eating excess sugar, does contribute to gestational diabetes.

3. It can contributes to the development of a fatty liver.

4. The birth weight of your baby may be smaller.

5. By eating a diet high in sugar during pregnancy, we are programming our child’s genes to be higher risk for metabolic syndrome, and diabetes.

6. Eating high sugar diets alters our children’s blood vessel structure and places them more at risk for heart diseases. These risk factors are found to be present in our children as early as age 7!

7. Eating a diet high in added sugars increases risk of pre-eclampsia.

8. Drinking both artificially-sweetened soft drinks, and standard soft drinks increases risk of pre-term delivery.

9. Prenatal and pregnancy consumption of sugar has been linked to having obese children.

10. You increase your likelihood of having nausea and/or vomiting if you eat a diet high in carbohydrates and added sugars.

Hopefully, you’re convinced about why you need to remove lots of high GI carbs and sugars from your diet.

Are you ready to kick-start your weight loss?

Want to shift your baby weight but feel like you have NO TIME in your day to exercise and eat healthily? That’s where the Healthy Mummy’s 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge can help.

Our Challenge entails: 

• 28 days of at home exercise routines (no gym needed) – with video instruction
• Customisable and breastfeeding friendly meal plans
• Time-efficient exercises for busy mums – under 30 mins
• Challenge combines Pilates exercises with interval and circuit training (HIIT)
• Suitable for basic to advanced fitness levels.
• Home to thousands of EASY-TO-MAKE recipes.

To find out more about joining the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge for £1 click here.

PLUS – connect with THOUSANDS of other mums on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge by joining our free support community here