Gestational Diabetes Meal Ideas
Gestational Diabetes Meal IdeasPhoto Credit: ginew/iStock/Getty Images Teresa Cantilli has been working as a Registered Dietitian for 18 years. She is a Certified Diabetes Educator and an ACE Certified Personal Trainer. She earned her Master's Degree in Clinical Nutrition from the New York Institute of Technology. Her work has appeared in The New Standard Newsletter for the NSLIJHS, where she has been working for 10 years, and the book "Migraine Expressions." Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. This disorder, characterized by elevated blood sugar levels, is usually diagnosed between 24 and 28 weeks gestation. The cornerstones of managing GDM include regular physical activity and a nutritious, well balanced diet that controls the amount of carbohydrates at meals and snacks. While its essential for women with GDM to meet with a dietitian to receive a meal plan that takes individual calorie and nutrient needs into account, sample menu ideas can provide ideas to get started before this dietitian visit. A healthy diet is an important part of any pregnancy. For women with GDM, a nutritious, balanced diet promotes adequate weight gain and optimal fetal growth -- and also helps manage blood sugar levels. Because carbohydrate foods such as breads, grains, fruit, milk, starchy vegetables and desserts impact blood sugar the most, women with GDM need to ensure they are spreading these foods throughout the day, and limiting added sugars, desserts, and other sweets. Also, women with GDM are encouraged to eat every 2 to 3 hours -- typically 3 meals and 3 snacks daily -- to control blood sugars and provide necessary nourishment. Carbohydrate-containing foods are converted to glucose or sugar in the body, and insulin is necessary to remove e Continue reading >>
What To Eat: A Gestational Diabetes Diet Plan
What to Eat: A Gestational Diabetes Diet Plan What to Eat: A Gestational Diabetes Diet Plan Here's how to create a gestational diabetes meal plan that will help you avoid dangerous blood-sugar spikes and have a healthy pregnancy. Between weird food cravings and intense aversions, following a healthy diet when you're pregnant can be challengingespecially if you've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. A condition caused by elevated blood sugar levels, gestational diabetes can affect the welfare of both mother and child, but maintaining a balanced diet is one proven way to help manage the symptoms. RELATED: 8 Things You Didn't Know About Gestational Diabetes Gina Charles, D.O., has dealt with gestational diabetes both as a patient and as a physician in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. During her own recent pregnancy, she was diagnosed at 28 weeks. "Since it was not severe, I was placed on strict diet control instead of insulin," she says. "With the help of a diabetic educator and my own knowledge of managing gestational diabetes, I developed a meal plan that fit my busy lifestyle." Fortunately, a gestational diabetes meal plan isn't too different from a standard healthy diet. The American Diabetes Association recommends aiming for a ratio of 25 percent protein, 25 percent grains and starchy foods, and 50 percent non-starchy vegetables. Recommended items on a gestational diabetes food list include: Lean meats such as chicken breast and pregnancy-safe fish Low-glycemic fruits (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries) Vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini) Healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds, coconut) And when it comes to forbidden foods? You probably won't be surprised to learn that fast food, fried food, candy, sodas, and processed carbs are Continue reading >>
Meal Ideas For Gestational Diabetes
Well I failed the 3 hour test today.... I didn't even make it past the fasting ***. I failed so bad that I was diagnosed right then. I don't get to see my doctor until Monday. What can I expect? Did you ladies have an ultrasound to check the baby's weight? I am not sure what to eat. I need to bring my lunch to work so I need some easy meal ideas. I am not much of a cook and I am actually pretty picky. So this should be interesting for me! I have GD as well. For lunch ideas, you might consider low carb bread for sandwiches, or also Weight Watchers or Lean Cuisine meals that are low in carbs. For supper, we grill a lot, and eat a lot of fresh veggies. Summer is a good time (not that any time is a good time, but it is better than winter, I guess) to have GD because of all the fresh produce available! I got diagnosed about 3 weeks ago and know how frustrated the meal planning can be, especially for a picky eater! Right now for lunch I'm supposed to have 4-5 servings of carbs so I've been eating wraps (the tortillas I buy are 30 carbs each or 2 servings, plus meat, cheese, & veggies are all carb free, ranch dressing has negligible amounts of carbs so I don't even bother counting it). With that I can then have some chips or something to make up another 2 servings of carbs, or I'll just do two of them. The nice thing about the wraps is you can put as much meat on there as you want & as much veggies as you like. I'm not much of a veggie eater, so I've been doing cucumbers, lettuce, and red onion. For supper I'm also supposed to have 4-5 servings of carbs also, so usually I'll grill a cheeseburger (big hamburger buns are 2 servings of carbs, again meat & cheese don't count) and I'll find something to eat along with it, plus I'll have a salad or some raw veggies with ranch. Eith Continue reading >>
Basic Meal Planning
Meal plan You need to eat and drink at least 12 carbohydrate choices each day. Most women need 14 carbohydrate choices each day to maintain the desired weight gain of one-half pound each week. If you follow a vegetarian diet, you need 15 to 16 carbohydrate choices each day to get enough nutrients. At breakfast, include: 2 to 3 carbohydrate choices (30 to 45 grams) protein (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, peanut butter) vegetable or fat, freely At lunch, include: 3 to 4 carbohydrate choices (45 to 60 grams) protein (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, peanut butter) vegetable or fat, freely At dinner, include: 3 to 4 carbohydrate choices (45 to 60 grams) protein (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, peanut butter) vegetable or fat, freely For a morning snack, include: 1 to 2 carbohydrate choices (15 to 30 grams) protein (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, peanut butter) vegetable or fat, freely For an afternoon snack, include: 1 to 2 carbohydrate choices (15 to 30 grams) protein (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, peanut butter) vegetable or fat, freely For an evening snack, include: 1 to 2 carbohydrate choices (15 to 30 grams) protein (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, peanut butter) vegetable or fat, freely Breakfast tips Blood glucose is hard to control in the morning when the hormones that boost your blood glucose levels are released. To help, follow these breakfast tips: Eat a small breakfast. Eat whole-grain bread products. Eat a food that has protein. Do not eat cereal or fruit. Do not drink fruit juice at breakfast or any other time of the day. Fruit juice raises your blood glucose very quickly. Completing a meal plan Vegetables Most vegetables do not raise blood glucose. Vegetables supply many nutrients for both you and your baby. Try to eat at least four servi Continue reading >>
Gestational Diabetes Diet Regulations And Menu Plan
If you have gestational diabetes, your practitioner has probably already told you that you'll have to pay extra attention to your diet. Not sure how to best go about that? It'll help to talk to a certified diabetes educator (CDE) who has experience in gestational diabetes and who will be able to show you how to select the right foods and design the best eating plan for your needs. Some key points to remember each day: Choose complex carbohydrates (such as whole grains and beans) over simple ones (like white rice and white bread) Opt for lean proteins over fatty ones Eat lots of fruits and veggies Stick to fat-free or low-fat dairy foods whenever possible Eat snacks throughout the day (to maintain your blood sugar level) Steer clear of processed sugars The following is an example menu of what you might eat in one day to meet your nutritional needs if you have gestational diabetes. The total number of calories comes out to 2089, and it features a moderate amount of diabetes-friendly carbohydrate foods, such as whole grains, legumes, and fruits and has many snacks sprinkled throughout the day. Continue reading >>
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Eating Well
We hope that the following practical information on eating and staying well will help you feel positive and encouraged to stick to the gestational diabetes (GDM) diet. The GDM diet is basically a really healthy way of eating which can benefit the whole family. Read on for tips on everything from exercising, eating cake and dealing with hunger. Written by Natasha Leader, Accredited Practising Dietitian & Credentialled Diabetes Educator What about exercise? What’s the deal with carbs? So you’ve just found out that you need to manage your daily carbohydrate (carb) intake. This can be a little tricky. Carbs are now a problem for you but also the solution. You need carbs and your baby needs carbs. Carbohydrates are our energy food. They are contained in many important food groups i.e. bread and cereals, fruits, vegetables and dairy. You can’t just cut them out or your diet would end up unbalanced and insufficient but too much of them means too much glucose in your bloodstream. The answer is this. You need to eat a consistent and moderate amount of carbs regularly through the day. Timing: Ideally you should be eating every 2.5-3hrs. Leaving a much longer gap means you might get too hungry and want to eat more when you finally do eat. Eating every hour means your body is going to find it too hard to keep processing all the time. Try having 3 meals and 3 small snacks through the day. These should be at times of the day that suit you. Type & Amount: Choose nutritious or high-fibre carbs i.e. wholegrain breads and crackers, pasta, starchy vegetables such as corn and potato, legumes, low fat dairy milk and yoghurt and fruit. A fist-sized amount of carbohydrate is a good rule of thumb to go by until you see a dietitian. This is usually equal to about a standard cup measure (2 Continue reading >>
7 Easy Lunches For Type 2 Diabetes
If breakfast is the most neglected meal of the day, lunch can often be the most hurried. A recent survey found that 62 percent of Americans rush through lunch at their desks, and even when we manage to leave the office, fast-food restaurants and food courts often prevail over more healthy options. But they don't have to be your only option — and, in fact, they shouldn't be your first choice if you have type 2 diabetes. In general, try to pack your own lunch whenever possible — the health benefits, not to mention the cost-savings, can be enormous. Short on prep time? Put these quick and nutritious lunch ideas on your menu to fill you up and keep your blood sugar in check. 1. Salads Salad should be in regular rotation for lunch. You can create a different salad every day of the week by varying your toppings. Try grilled chicken, shrimp, or fish, but avoid heaping on a lot of fattening ingredients, such as bacon bits and heavy cheeses. Salads with lots of raw vegetables are best, including carrots, cucumbers, radishes, celery, and spinach. Sprinkle nuts or seeds on top, add a few dried cranberries, and garnish with some avocado chunks to give it zip. Choose a salad dressing made with vinegar and olive oil to avoid added sugars found in fat-free and low-fat versions, and limit the serving to one tablespoon for a side salad and two tablespoons for an entrée-sized salad. 2. Sandwiches As with salads, there are many ways to spice up a sandwich. Start with whole-grain bread or a whole-wheat tortilla. Pick a lean meat, such as turkey, ham, or grilled chicken; layer on your choice of veggies; add mustard, low-fat mayonnaise, or hummus to the mix — and you have a filling and tasty lunch. Stay away from greasy chips, French fries, and other fattening sides. Instead choose fr Continue reading >>
What I Ate When I Couldn't Eat Anything: Facing Gestational Diabetes As A Food Lover
What I Ate When I Couldn't Eat Anything: Facing Gestational Diabetes as a Food Lover Whether food is your comfort, your hobby, or your profession, gestational diabetes is tough. Here's what you can eat. [Photograph: Shutterstock ] In the first few months of my pregnancy, friends often asked me how I was dealing with life without wine, beer, and cocktails; without buttery pieces of toro at my beloved neighborhood sushi bar; without the various other foods most people avoid when they're carrying a baby. Early on, none of those things mattered much to me; I was too sick to crave much more than mac and cheese. Coffee and wine started to taste oddly bitter and flat to me, but it didn't seem that awful to wait 40 weeks to get back to enjoying them. My local bar always managed to serve me some creative alcohol-free concoction. (Pineapple juice and savory Cel-ray? Highly recommended.) I took advantage of California's citrus season, buying pounds of floral Oro Blanco grapefruits and tangerines for making fresh juice. Fruit never tasted better: I sent my husband on wild goose chases for out-of-season mangoes, and celebrated the early arrival of local strawberries by eating a pint every day. And I had ice cream: pints of salted caramel at home, cones of Bi-Rite's insanely rich buffalo-milk soft serve during walks around the park. In challenging moments in those first few months, Max reminded me that "at least it's an excuse to eat all the ice cream you could desire." (I never did convince him to ship me some homemade pints of this crazy chocolate number from New York.) But in mid-March I found myself undergoing a hazing ritual pretty much all pregnant women experience: you show up at the hospital with an empty stomach, get your blood drawn, and then chug a bottle of extra-strong Continue reading >>
Meal Ideas For Gestational Or Type 1 Or 2 Diabetes In Pregnancy
Meal ideas for gestational or type 1 or 2 diabetes in pregnancy Here are some suggested low glycaemic meal ideas that could help control your blood sugar levels if you have gestational diabetes. Here are some suggested meal ideas that could help control your blood sugar (also known as blood glucose) levels if you have gestational diabetes. These meal ideas below have helped other women but you might find they do not work for you. If so, try something else.There is more advice here on choosing low glycaemic index foods , as well as other top tips for eating with gestational diabetes . Remember to be careful with portion sizes as this has the biggest effect on blood sugar levels. If you are looking for a cereal-type breakfast pick a low/no sugar option with high fibre, such as shredded wheat or porridge, and have it with nuts and seeds. Grilled bacon with one large slice or two small slices of bread that contains seeds and wholegrains. Rye bread is a good option. A large slice or two small slices of toast made with bread that contains seeds with peanut butter that contains no sugar. Eggs are a good choice. Boiled, poached, scrambled, fried eggs or omelette with seeded or wholegrain bread. Plain yoghurt, Greek yoghurt or plain soya yoghurt with apples or pears and nuts or seeds. If you are choosing low-fat yoghurt, check the sugar content. A cooked breakfast; bacon, high meat content sausages or Quorn sausages, mushrooms, eggs, black pudding, whole tomato and a slice of toast made with seeded bread Fish - smoked mackerel, kippers or eggs or cream cheese and smoked salmon Scrambled eggs with a slice of seeded bread Greek salad with plenty of olives and feta cheese, with seeded bread or 2 wholegrain crackers or oatcakes. Tuna nicoise salad with plenty of tuna, an egg and ol Continue reading >>
Sample Diets For Gestational Diabetes
Quick and Easy Lunches for Gestational Diabetes By the time lunch hits for many women with gestational diabetes, you might be ready to consume anything in sight. I have to make sure to eat a mid-morning snack to keep my energy up and blood sugar from going too low, which can result in craving sugar and carbs. If I don't have a snack, come lunchtime I'm ready to devour everything in sight! There are many healthy options for quick and easy lunch menus for women with gestational diabetes without succumbing to the lures of the carb laden value meals at the fast food drive through. The key is having staples on hand to pack for work or grab quickly at home when you are hungry for an easy lunch. Staples for quick, easy, and healthful lunches include: 1. Single servings if whole grains, such as whole grain breads, wild and brown rice, whole grain or wheat crackers, low carb wheat tortillas, and whole grain pastas. To make pasta and rice lunch-friendly, cook a moderate amount and then freeze in 1/3 cup (1 carb option) or 2/3 cup (2 carb choices) serving sizes to reheat. (Whole grains are lower on the glycemic index, so they will give you and your baby good nutrition without making your blood sugar rise quickly). 2. Quick protein sources such as cooked chicken, turkey, or lean beef, low-fat cheese, low fat cottage cheese, eggs, peanut butter and nuts, and quick meats like turkey hot dogs or deli lunch meats. Pre-cooked turkey bacon or sausage can also be crumbled and added to salads, wraps, and other dishes. (Caution: Remember to cook hot dogs and lunch meats until steaming to avoid the risk of listeria, a potentially harmful bacteria). 3. Fresh veggies: pre-cut salads, pre-washed spinach, and bagged ready-to-eat veggies can be convenient for lunches. To save money, wash and cut Continue reading >>
Have Gestational Diabetes? Here’s How You Should Eat
While most women need to be careful about their diets, others have to be especially careful not to develop gestational diabetes. I’m on the crusade to fight diabetes in all of us, but I’m especially concerned about women with gestational diabetes because their babies are automatically at risk for developing diabetes related issues down the line. And we don’t want that! So let’s discuss a plan to keep moms as healthy as possible during this magical time known as pregnancy. How Did I Get Gestational Diabetes? Insulin is the hormone responsible for getting sugar out of the blood and inside the cells. Our bodies can typically regulate the amount of insulin it needs to produce to get sugar out of the bloodstream and into the cells. But during gestational diabetes, the hormones in the placenta that help the baby develop properly also block insulin from working in mommy’s body – causing insulin resistance. So instead of getting moved into the cells, all this sugar becomes stuck outside the cells, creating high blood sugar levels, or hyperglycemia. How Does Gestational Diabetes Affect Babies? Diabetic women who become pregnant are at higher risk of developing birth defects. But since gestational diabetes only affects the baby after it’s been formed, but is still growing, the risk becomes macrosomia, or “fat” baby. During gestational diabetes, mom’s pancreas has to work harder to produce more insulin to get rid of all the sugar in the blood that the cells are not absorbing. The placenta doesn’t absorb insulin, but it does let sugar pass through. This extra sugar goes right to the baby. When the baby develops high blood sugar levels, the baby’s pancreas starts to produce additional insulin to eliminate all the extra sugar in the blood, just like mom’s do Continue reading >>
My Experience With Gestational Diabetes
Explanation of gestational diabetes & personal reflection of what to expect if you are diagnosed during your pregnancy. Not to worry, it’s can be managed! When you’re pregnant many people love to say “Now you can eat for two!” or “Your pregnant, this is the time you can eat what you want!” Unfortunately, these words of wisdom are not entirely accurate. Every mom-to-be dreads the glucose tolerance test, which involves ingesting a high concentration of glucose (a form of sugar) mixed with water to see if you have gestational diabetes. It’s a grueling test because you have to sit in a doctor’s office or clinic for a few hours while they take blood samples before and 2-3 times after you drink the solution. Before the test, you have to fast for 8 hours and this alone makes mamas pretty aggravated but then with the drink solution you have to deal with a sugar high! Waiting for the results, you cross your fingers and hope that the last 24-28 weeks you’ve had a balanced, healthy diet. I knew that I had increased my carbohydrate and sweet intake more than before I was pregnant, but I was hoping the test would still be negative. Unfortunately, when I got the call from my doctor who then said I had gestational diabetes, my first reaction was guilt. How could I have done this to my baby? Gestational Diabetes 101 I want to make sure I disclose this up front, I am not a doctor, I’m just sharing my experience with gestational diabetes. My daily pregnancy routine consisted of exercising five times a week and eating healthy on most days. However, I knew I could have eaten healthier in the last trimester, but I didn’t (those darn cravings and ravishing bouts of hunger!). As I learned more about gestational diabetes, I realized that our bodies change so much during p Continue reading >>
What Is The Best Diet For Gestational Diabetes?
Gestational diabetes can cause a range of complications during pregnancy. Fortunately, a woman can help reduce complications by following a healthful diet. What foods should women eat and what foods should they avoid if they have gestational diabetes? Gestational diabetes occurs if a woman's body cannot produce enough insulin, during her pregnancy. This deficiency leads to high blood sugar. High blood sugar levels may cause problems for the woman and her baby if not managed properly. This article explains what type of diet a woman should follow during pregnancy if she has gestational diabetes. It also considers other treatment options for gestational diabetes and what complications may occur if the condition is not properly managed. Contents of this article: Understanding gestational diabetes Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2 and 10 percent of pregnancies are affected by gestational diabetes each year in the United States. This type of diabetes occurs when a woman's body cannot make enough of the hormone insulin. Insulin is made by the pancreas and helps the body's cells to use sugar from the blood as energy. When a woman is pregnant, her body will produce more hormones, and she may put on weight. Both of these changes may mean that her body's cells may not use insulin as well as they used to. This is called insulin resistance. Becoming resistant to insulin means that the body needs more of it in order to use up the sugar in the blood. Sometimes a woman's body cannot produce enough insulin to keep up. This leads to a sugar buildup in the blood, resulting in high blood sugar levels. Symptoms of gestational diabetes may include: being unusually thirsty Continue reading >>
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Gestational Diabetes Meal Plan
You are here: Home / feeding kids / Gestational Diabetes Meal Plan DOWNLOAD MY GESTATIONAL DIABETES MEAL PLAN Diagnosed with gestational diabetes? It can come as quite a shock, but youll get through it! When I was pregnant with my second daughter, I failed both the one-hour and three-hour glucose tests, and was subsequently diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I was very surprised to say the least. I went into a frenzy of figuring out how this happened, what I needed to eat (and not eat), how it would affect the baby, and anything else that I could worry about at the time. I know quite a bit about type-1 and type-2 diabetes, but didnt have much experience with gestational diabetes until it happened to me! Now that I have lots of practice and personal experience, I hope that I can help you eat well through your diagnosis. Heres some helpful background info about gestational diabetes from Mayo Clinic . Disclaimer: This post and the gestational diabetes meal plan ideas are just that IDEAS to help you navigate! As always, run everything by your Doctor. Breathe: The upside of being diagnosed with gestational diabetes is that you can now make sure your glucose levels stay within a healthy range good for baby and good for you! And the diabetes will most likely be over in a matter of months. Stress can affect blood sugar levels, so dont stress about this, and find ways to minimize the stresses in your life. Meals, snacks, and food will take up a lot of time, so maybe its getting help with housework, childcare, working less, etc. (Easier said than done, I know.) Youll go see specialists. Write down all of your questions and concerns they have all of the answers! After my gestational diabetes diagnosis, I was referred to both a Doctor and a Registered Dietitian who specialize in Continue reading >>
What Can I Eat If I Have Gestational Diabetes? Food List And More
Gestational diabetes is diabetes that only occurs in pregnant women. That means you can't get gestational diabetes unless you’re pregnant. You may develop gestational diabetes for the first time during pregnancy or you might have a mild undiagnosed case of diabetes that gets worse when you’re pregnant. During pregnancy, the way your body uses insulin changes. Insulin is a hormone that breaks the foods you eat down into glucose, or sugar. You then use that glucose for energy. You’ll naturally become more resistant to insulin when you’re pregnant to help provide your baby with more glucose. In some women, the process goes wrong and your body either stops responding to insulin or doesn't make enough insulin to give you the glucose you need. When that happens, you’ll have too much sugar in your blood. That causes gestational diabetes. If you have recently been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, or are curious about what will happen if you are diagnosed with it, keep reading to learn more about maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Eat protein with every meal. Include daily fruits and vegetables in your diet. Thirty percent or less of your diet should be made up of fat. Limit or avoid processed foods. Pay attention to portion sizes to avoid overeating. If you have gestational diabetes, maintaining a healthy, balanced diet may help you manage your symptoms without needing medication. In general, your diet should include protein plus the right mix of carbohydrates and fats. Once you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, ask your doctor about working with a registered dietitian or nutritionist. They can help you plan your meals and come up with an eating plan that will keep you and your baby healthy. Aim to base your meals around protein. Include lots of fresh foods a Continue reading >>
