Resources for Gestational Diabetes
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How-to test your glucose with a glucometer and how to interpret your results
A couple of supportive tips:
- Eat a bedtime snack: eat a high-fiber, low-fat snack before bed. Whole-wheat crackers with cheese or an apple with peanut butter are two good choices. These foods will keep your blood sugar steady and prevent your liver from releasing too much glucose overnight
- Add 4000 IU of sublingual vitamin D daily
- Increase hydration by about 25% of what you’re doing now. Aim for 3 quarts of water a day and make sure not to go to bed dehydrated
Nutritional Guidelines for Women With Gestational Diabetes
Adapted from Understanding Gestational Diabetes: A Practical Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. Bethesda, Md., National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development. (NIH Publication No. 93-2788), 1993 .
- Eat 3 meals and 3 snacks daily.
- Space snacks so that there is no more than 3 hours without eating.
- Omit foods high in sugar and concentrated sweets.
- Avoid adding sugar (white sugar, brown sugar, or honey) to foods. Avoid soda pop, lemonade, and sweetened yogurt.
- Omit juices, but instead use whole pieces of fruit (apples instead of applesauce).
- Spread carbohydrates out throughout the day.
- If after-breakfast blood glucose levels are outside the target range, you may be asked to shift some carbohydrates (starch and fruit) to other snacks or meals.
- Choose foods high in fiber: whole grains, whole fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, oats.
- Choose foods low in fat and avoid adding extra fat, such as oil, margarine, or butter. Choose low-fat meat selections, such as lean cuts of beef, pork, and lamb. Emphasize more fish and poultry (without the skin). Choose:
- baked, broiled, or roasted instead of fried chicken or fish
- low-fat yogurt instead of butter and sour cream on a potato
- herbs to season vegetables instead of cream or butter sauces
- low-calorie salad dressings instead of mayonnaise or salad dressing on tossed salads
- pretzels, un-buttered popcorn, or bread sticks instead of foods fried in oil, such as doughnuts, chips, and french fries.
- Limit foods from fast-food restaurants. Ask for nutritional information on menu selections and choose foods that are low in fat. For many women, a burger and fries or more than 2 pieces of pizza will cause high blood glucose levels.
- Be careful to gain at least 1/2 lb/week. Cutting back too much on calories and weight gain can increase your risk of a low-birth-weight infant.
Adapted from Understanding Gestational Diabetes: A Practical Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. Bethesda, Md., National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development. (NIH Publication No. 93-2788), 1993 .
Here are some general dietary guidelines:
One serving of protein is equal to one of the following:
One to three servings of fruits should be eaten each day. Because fruits contain sugar, only one serving of fruit should be eaten at a time. One serving of fruit is equal to one medium-sized fruit or ½ cup of chopped fruit. Fruit in syrup and fruit juices should be avoided because these contain large amounts of sugar.
Foods to Choose to Lower Blood Sugar:
Breads and Grains: 6-11 servings/day
Fruits and Vegetables: 2-4 servings/day
Dairy: 4 servings/day
1 slice of dense whole-grain bread
1 plain rice cake
6 crackers (such as matzo, bread sticks, rye crisps, saltines)
1/2 cup whole grain pasta or brown rice
1/2 cup corn
Small plain baked potato
1 6-inch tortilla
1 piece of fresh fruit
1 melon wedge
1/2 cup chopped, cooked, frozen or unsweetened canned fruits
3-5 or more vegetable servings/day
1/2 cup cooked or canned vegetables
1 cup chopped, uncooked or frozen vegetables
1 cup low-fat milk
1 cup soy milk
1 cup low-fat unsweetened yogurt
1 1/2 ounces of cheese
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
Meat, Fish, Poultry: 2-3 servings/day
Fats and Oils: In limited amounts (approximately 5-8 tsp/day)
Sweets and Snacks: In limited amounts
2 ounces cooked lean meat, fish or poultry
2 ounces of cheese
2 eggs
1 cup cooked dried beans or peas
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup tofu (bean curd)
Vegetable oils
Fat-free or low-fat salad dressing
Peanut butter and crackers
Cheese and crackers
Plain popcorn, pretzels
This information provides general guidelines only for lowering your blood sugar. It is not considered a treatment plan; please contact your midwife if you have questions, concerns or problems.
- Eat a variety of foods, distributing calories and carbohydrates evenly throughout the day. Make sure both your meals and your snacks are balanced. The American Diabetes Association recommends that you eat three small-to-moderate-size meals and two to four snacks every day, including an after-dinner snack.
- Your meal plan may contain fewer carbohydrates than you normally eat. Carbs should include no more than 50% of your caloric intake. It's best to include complex carbs (those containing more fiber) and spread them out over the day. Pair lean protein with carbohydrates at all meals and snacks. Protein helps to make you feel fuller, sustain energy, and give you better blood sugar control.
- Don't skip meals. Be consistent about when you eat meals and the amount of food you eat at each one. Your blood sugar will remain more stable if your food is distributed evenly throughout the day and consistently from day to day.
- Eat a good breakfast. Your blood glucose levels are most likely to be out of whack in the morning. To keep your level in a healthy range, you may have to limit carbohydrates (breads, cereal, fruit, and milk), boost your protein (eggs, cheese, peanut butter, nuts) , and possibly avoid fruit and juice altogether.
- Include high-fiber foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, and dried peas, beans, and other legumes. These foods are broken down and absorbed more slowly than simple carbohydrates, which may help keep your blood sugar levels from going too high after meals.
- Limit your intake of foods and beverages that contain simple sugars such as soda, fruit juice, flavored teas and flavored waters, and most desserts – or avoid them altogether. These foods can quickly elevate your blood sugar.
- Milk is high in lactose, a simple sugar, so you may need to limit the amount you drink and find an alternative source of calcium.
One serving of protein is equal to one of the following:
- 3 oz. of cooked meat
- 1 egg
- ½ cup of beans
- 1 oz. of nuts
- 2 tablespoons of nut butter
- 1 cup of leafy vegetables
- ½ cup of chopped vegetables
- ¾ cup of vegetable juice
One to three servings of fruits should be eaten each day. Because fruits contain sugar, only one serving of fruit should be eaten at a time. One serving of fruit is equal to one medium-sized fruit or ½ cup of chopped fruit. Fruit in syrup and fruit juices should be avoided because these contain large amounts of sugar.
Foods to Choose to Lower Blood Sugar:
Breads and Grains: 6-11 servings/day
Fruits and Vegetables: 2-4 servings/day
Dairy: 4 servings/day
1 slice of dense whole-grain bread
1 plain rice cake
6 crackers (such as matzo, bread sticks, rye crisps, saltines)
1/2 cup whole grain pasta or brown rice
1/2 cup corn
Small plain baked potato
1 6-inch tortilla
1 piece of fresh fruit
1 melon wedge
1/2 cup chopped, cooked, frozen or unsweetened canned fruits
3-5 or more vegetable servings/day
1/2 cup cooked or canned vegetables
1 cup chopped, uncooked or frozen vegetables
1 cup low-fat milk
1 cup soy milk
1 cup low-fat unsweetened yogurt
1 1/2 ounces of cheese
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
Meat, Fish, Poultry: 2-3 servings/day
Fats and Oils: In limited amounts (approximately 5-8 tsp/day)
Sweets and Snacks: In limited amounts
2 ounces cooked lean meat, fish or poultry
2 ounces of cheese
2 eggs
1 cup cooked dried beans or peas
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup tofu (bean curd)
Vegetable oils
Fat-free or low-fat salad dressing
Peanut butter and crackers
Cheese and crackers
Plain popcorn, pretzels
This information provides general guidelines only for lowering your blood sugar. It is not considered a treatment plan; please contact your midwife if you have questions, concerns or problems.
