The first Monday of the new year I was told I failed my 3-hour glucose test, which was a nice way of saying, “you’re going on a gestational diabetes diet”.
Let me start by saying there are WAY harder things you can go through during pregnancy, but this still came as a shock and I was really down about it. It’s completely valid to feel that way at first, but as you go you’ll learn how to easily adjust and thrive!
Gestational Diabetes 101
There are a few themes you’ll see referenced throughout this article so here’s a little background up front.
- ALL of your carbs are limited, not just your sugars.
- To balance your carbs, you want to eat a good amount of protein. Protein helps slow the blood sugar rise to avoid dangerous spikes.
- Making some of your carbs fiber-rich where able will help break down your carbs better and also curb huge blood sugar spikes.
- Aside from your three meals a day, it’s important to have a snack in between each to keep your levels as even as possible all day. To this day, over one month in, I’ve only ever missed one snack and my numbers have been great because of it.
- Exercising within two hours after eating your main three meals of the day will help slow your blood sugar rise and for me, even helped me shed a fed unnecessary pounds.
- Corn and beans are considered carbs on this diet! There’s a lot more carb in them than your realize, so even your skinny popcorn needs to be counted.
- Cheese, avocado, butter, many dressings and other primarily fatty items are not important to track for the sake of the gestational diabetes diet, so you won’t see them heavily regulated in this article. NOTE: they’re still important to have in proper moderation to avoid other non-pregnancy related problems with consuming too much fat.
Breakfast on Gestational Diabetes
The biggest rule aside from following your portions is no fruit at breakfast. Basically, it can be a shock to your system to go from fasting to foods high in sugar, even if it’s natural from fruit.
With this in mind, I stick to a nice savory breakfast most mornings. A few suggestions include my Red’s Turkey Sausage Eggwhich Sandwiches or my Jimmy Dean Egg Fritata Sandwiches with Chicken Sausage and Cheese. Since those options have very little carb, I’ll have a half slice of whole wheat multigrain toast to ensure I’m not totally cutting it out.
I’ve also had English muffins with avocado or cream cheese, Everything But the Bagel Seasoning and hard boiled eggs. However, I sometimes find a whole English muffin can be a lot of carb for me specifically, so I’ve kept it to half per breakfast recently.
Another option is finding less carb-rich substitutes for your favorites. Kodiak Cakes makes a great mix you can have in appropriate moderation that’s packed with protein and fiber. I even found this sugar-free syrup at Target! Note: sugar-free does NOT mean carb-free. Always be sure to check your labels and count your carbs accordingly!
My Morning Snack
One of my most beloved snacks on this new diet has been Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt. Specifically, the strawberry banana flavor. I can’t find strawberry banana at Target, but I linked the strawberry one for reference.
My grocery store often has them 10 for $10, or today they happened to have a ‘buy 8 or more and get them for 88 cents’ deal so I stocked up BIG TIME. As in, I bought 21 containers of it. I’m not kidding when I tell you I have it at least once daily.
On the weekends, I’ll oftentimes indulge in a black iced tea with one Splenda. Artificial sweeteners all have daily allowances. I’m allowed 23 Splendas a day (which seems like a LOT) but at most I have one or two. It just doesn’t really come up for me.
Lunch on Gestational Diabetes
Lunch has been my biggest struggle to date, mostly because of timing. It’s the middle of the day and all of a sudden I’m hungry and need to find something on-plan. I’m a huge sandwich lover and have already cut out deli meat while pregnant, so now having to cut down on bread has left me scratching my head.
The homemade poke bowl trend on TikTok comes at a great time because it’s inspired me to make my own low carb bowls. My homemade poke bowls include 1/2 cup brown rice, shredded carrots, diced cucumbers, finely chopped jalapeno, a hard boiled egg, ginger and spicy mayo. If I happen to have any leftover protein from other meals I’ll throw it in there to increase my protein count.
If I only have a hard boiled egg in my bowl, I’m sure to have a string cheese on the side. Mozzarella string cheese has about 7g of protein and no carbs, making it a great way to balance that blood sugar rise.
One of my most craved meals during pregnancy has been a hot chicken sandwich and fries. Wendy’s and Portillo’s have been my most frequented places for one, and thankfully with some modifications I can still enjoy them. I immediately lose half of the bun, always order grilled/broiled (non-breaded) chicken sandwiches and allocate myself only a small handful of fries.
Did you know half of an average fast food fry order is one serving of carb? Crazy! To be safe, I have a little under half and lose that half a bun and honestly, it’s hardly any different!
My Afternoon Snack
Usually around 3pm is afternoon snack time. Initially, it was all about fruit and string cheese but now it’s gotten sweeter. Finding a sweet, carb balanced snack you can indulge in is a GAME CHANGER. I never would have guessed there was one out there I could safely have, but this carb smart ice cream bar from Breyer’s is it.
I do still switch up my afternoon snack a lot, but when I have a sweet tooth, it’s either this or the NoSugar Keto Bar brownie. Pro Tip: Got my first box of these brownies 30% off on Amazon here. Here’s hoping they’re still on coupon when you read this!
These brownies are crazy good, and not just by Keto/no sugar/low carb standards. They also have peanut butter bars that Kevin loves. Costco carries them in a variety pack so you can try both, grab some on your next run!
Dinner on a Gestational Diabetes Diet
Dinner has been my hit or miss meal. It’s usually pretty easy, but some days we just don’t have anything diet-friendly ready and it can get frustrating. However, it’s hard to go wrong with a big helping of lean protein, veggies and a little bit of carb to balance.
Homemade taco salad is another delicious options and can last a few days when you cook up a pound of lean ground beef. I’ve been sure to buy leaner ground beef to avoid taking in too much fat while I’m on a low carb diet. It’s easy enough to get fats between cheese and dressings, so my strategy is to curb it where I can.
Another frequently made dinner has been meatballs and noodles. We always have some Knorr side packets home that I can still enjoy when portioned within my carb levels. Additionally, the meatballs offer a substantial balance of protein while the extra spinach I add in contributes a good serving of fiber. It’s an easy and delicious option which is why I keep coming back to it.
My Evening Snack
This snack varies a lot based on what I have a taste for, or how hungry I am. It’s taboo to skip a snack, because a lack of nutrients can cause blood sugar spikes too, so I’m always on it.
Some of my go-to snacks include the NoSugar Keto Bars I mentioned earlier, Pringles and string cheese, these Atkins chocolate chip cookies (honestly, shockingly good) and almost any of those are usually accompanied by a 1/3 of a Premiere Protein drink. I find the extra protein to end my day really helps my morning numbers.
At any given time I have one or two of these open in the fridge in either Strawberries & Cream or Chocolate. Depending on what I’m eating or my mood multiple flavors offer me some variety.
Most Eaten Foods on the Gestational Diabetes Diet
Rounding up all the foods I’m frequenting, most on a daily basis, in one easy spot.
- Hard boiled eggs (I make mine in this game changing egg cooker)
- Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt with 5-6 grapes
- Breyer’s Carb Smart Vanilla Ice Cream Bars
- Premiere Protein Shakes
Are you a gestational diabetes diet warrior, too? Share your favorite foods and tips in the comments. I’d love to hear how other mamas to be keep their blood sugar under control while living their best lives.
