I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and you are there racking your brain, like what?! I don't know what I'm supposed to eat, what I'm not supposed to eat.
I was naughty and would have a bit of chocolate but I just had to balance it out and do the testing.
I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and you are there racking your brain, like what?! I don't know what I'm supposed to eat, what I'm not supposed to eat.
I was naughty and would have a bit of chocolate but I just had to balance it out and do the testing.
What is Gestational Diabetes?
Gestational diabetes mellitus or GDM can feel scary but it’s manageable and it’s quite common. Gestational diabetes mellitus is a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. What this means is that when we eat foods that are high in sugar, our bodies struggle to use it.
Why do I need to manage GDM?
Having too much sugar or too little can harm both mum and bub. Foods often have more sugar than we realise.
Some of these problems
For mums are:
- Caesarean delivery
- Pre-term delivery
- High blood pressure, known as pre-eclampsia during pregnancy
For bubs are:
- Large birth weight can make it hard to birth baby through the vagina
- Breathing difficulties after delivery
- Low blood glucose levels after delivery
So how do I control my sugars?
There are a few things we can do to help our sugar levels.
- Eating good carbohydrates.
- Eating 3-6 meals a day plus snacks.
- Managing the size of your meals.
And what are good carbohydrates?
Good carbohydrates are foods that are high in fibre like these:
- Wholegrain and whole meal breads, cereals, crackers and flour
- Rice
- Pasta
- Noodles
- Legumes
- Lentils
- Sweet potato
- Pumpkin
- Fruit
- Milk
- Yoghurt
Some carbohydrates are not recommended.
They cause blood sugars to rise very quickly
These are:
- Biscuits
- Coke and other soft drinks
- Sugar
- Jam
- Honey
- Chocolate
- Jam
- Honey
- Chocolate
- Jam
- Honey
- Chocolate
Some foods have little to no carbohydrates.
They have important nutrients that our bodies need.
These are:
- Meat, chicken, fish, tofu and eggs
- Cheese (hard cheese only)
- Oil, avocado
- Nuts
- Sugar free drinks, artificial sweeteners
- Vegetables including lettuce, tomato, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant, bok choy and carrots.
How do I make sure I have good sugar levels throughout the day?
One way is to make sure you are eating good carbohydrates in your meals and snacks throughout the day. I have an example:
Breakfast
Porridge with milk and fruit
Snack
Yoghurt
Lunch
Roasted meat with vegetables and long-grain rice
Snack
1 piece of fruit or nuts
Dinner
Spaghetti with meat and salad
Supper
Cheese and multigrain crackers
Having a well-balanced diet during and after pregnancy reduces your chance of developing type 2 diabetes in the future by 10%.
Food ideas
Cereal
Cereal and milk
Porridge
Oats, milk and fruits
Peanut butter on toast
Peanut butter, toast/flatbread (multigrain if available) and fruits if available
Smoothie
Frozen vegetables, fruits mixed with milk
Breakfast pot
Yoghurt, fruits and oats/granola or breakfast cereal
Example of healthy plate
Vegetables, protein and carbohydrates
Roasted meat with vegetables, and home made potato
Roast meat (oven cooked/pan fried), tomato, lettuce and home made potato chopped and pan fried (olive oil)
Spaghetti
Add large amount of vegetables you have at home (e.g. tomato, zucchini or spinach), tomato paste, spaghetti and chicken on the side
Roasted chicken sandwich
Multigrain bread, lettuce, tomato and roasted chicken
Fruit
Apple, banana, apricot, pear or any you like
Yoghurt and fruits
Yoghurt and frozen fruit
Fruit salad
Any fruits you have at home
Cheese and crackers
2 slices of hard cheese and 3 crackers
Nuts
Small handful of any nuts you have available at home
More information
Growing strong: Pregnancy and diabetes
A booklet to help manage diabetes during pregnancy, including the importance of blood sugar control for a healthy pregnancy.
Visit website
Good food for good sugar
How to spread good carbohydrates across the day.
View PDF
Diabetes in Pregnancy Poster
How to manage diabetes in pregnancy.
View PDF
