Gestational diabetes - what to eat?

F

firsttimemom

Registered User
I'm 32 weeks, second pregnancy, as expected, GD strikes back.

8 more weeks of dietary hell. I should cut down or remove all carbs, sugar, and fruits.

Any tips on what else to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and esp snacks? Been eating meat/steaks with vege but it's not enough and i'm not a meat eater. Hard boiled eggs, cheese, milk for snacks.
Pls help as i'm always hungry :mad:
 
I can only share what I experienced during my 'torture' of GD... but these are the rules I got the lecture about...

You can have 1/2 a banana, or a couple of biscuits (cookies) as a snack as well (but check the carb content per serving to see how many you can have). Small apples aren't too bad either. Salads (lettuce/tomato) are also 'safe'. Some breads are also ok to have a slice or two... normally soy/linseed type ones. But it is all about reading the labels and working out how many carbs per serving (and what a serving is). Stay away from oranges/orange juice as it will send your readings rocketing.

The trick is to space the snacks out and try not to have more than 15 g carb per 'eating session' (although you probably know this from your nutritionist). You can eat a 'snack' every hour or two. If you're doing blood tests on yourself, you can also watch how different food affect your blood sugars and work out what you can have 'more' of and what the ideal gap between 'carb' snacks is. For example, cereals sent my readings through the roof, even though they were supposed to be 'good'.

In terms of main meals, the trick to remember is the limit on carbs. You shouldn't cut them out completely. So you can have a maximum of a cup of rice with dinner, or a cup and 1/2 of spaghetti, or 1 potato (in any way you like it). However, where you can be hit unexpectedly is with any sauces... so you need to check the carb/serving on sauces as well before using them, and be wary of your white cream sauces which are normally higher in carb content.
The low-fat stuff should be avoided as it tends to have higher carbs than normal stuff.

I can completely relate to your dilemma as I had GD with my second from 20ish weeks and was miserable to the point of developing anti-natal depression.
I was able to manage the GD for about 10 weeks with the low-carb "diet" before my body 'gave up despite sticking to the rules' and had to go on insulin (fun with a needle phobia I tell ya).
Good luck, and fingers crossed you can get through it quickly... although I know from experience 8 weeks seems like forever with the shadow of GD over you.
 
Kiwinoz,

Thanks for your tips, i'll keep that in mind. I have bought lots of celery, cucumber, with home made dips for my snacks. Surviving the 2nd day, i feel that i'm losing weight now. :mad:
 
Hi Crystal88
I've just survived GD with my 2nd (didn't have for my 1st) and managed to not feel too hungry (most of the time).

I work and most of the time i was distracted from any hunger..! For lunch i would have grilled fish or a 1/4 roast chicken with some cooked veggie salad (i remember stronger flavours made me feel more satisfied), or have a big salad with tuna/chicken. My snack options (being at work) were limited, and I often had nuts (big handful!), cheese (babybels) with one wheat cracker, or baby carrots (or other veggie) with hummous or other dip like babaganoush (home made or shop bought).

Also got my helper to make home made falafel (we used internet recipe) which were delicious and very filling. We also used lentils more (in curries/stew) with meat to bulk up the meals. My carb intake was limited like kiwiinoz and I avoided at lunch having brown toast (1 piece) in morning and cup of brown rice/pasta in evening.

Also had a daily glass of water with psyllium husk (which is filling) with a small snack (e.g. avocado or cherry tomatoes) which was great for fibre too.

Overall, I managed to avoid insulin and dropped a little weight from "me" which I was carrying extra (my baby this time was a healthy 7lb 10).

Hope that helps you.
 
check out www.glycemicindex.com

Click on GI Database and you can input any type of food you want and it will give you the glycemic index. Generally, the lower the GI the more ok the food is to eat. You will be surprised what you can actually eat! (e.g. Dried apricots are actually better than apples) With insulan issues it is not so much about how much carbs you eat but they way they are metabolised into the blood stream and in low GI (sub 50) foods the carbs are metabolised slowly over time.

My obstetrician is fully supporting my use of the glycemic index to control my blood sugars. I do not have GD (yet!) but am inuslan resistant outside of pregnancy (more like Type 2 diabetes)
 
Hi ladies,
I am 26 weeks with my first and just diagnosed with GD. I am at a lost regarding what to eat. I am supposed to schedule an appointment to see a dietitian ASAP. Also, I need to do my own sugar blood test with a kit at home.

For now, I have been researching on line and trying to find what I can eat. The depressing thing is that even I stick to this diet, I often feel hungry. Since I only work part time, I beginning to think that I have too much time to think about being hungry.

Please keep sharing with me what you are doing so that I can draw support from here.

I am really concerned how this might affect the fetus. When I had the last scan in my 26 weeks, the fetus was one week bigger than the estimation. I know this must have been the effect of GD.

How about for those of you who were affected. Was your babies born bigger?

I am still trying to get over this emotionally. But I should have known too because I have a family history of Diabetes.

Thank you.
 
Hi Carey,

Just stick to NO sugar, no carbs (a little or half cup) and you will survive. It's good you are seeing a dietitian and taking your blood test at home. My OB did not recommend it, so i'm at a lost on what to eat and how's my sugar level.

I'm 34 weeks now, been doing this diet for 2 weeks now. I still don't eat carbs, i avoid it as much as possible, more of meats and vege. I make different kinds of dips so i have something to dip with my cucumber and celery. Update me too what is the recommendation of your dietitician.
 
Hi Crystal, Thank you for your reply. Could you share your recipe for dips?

I am hoping to have an appointment with the dietitian early next week. Will share what she recommend.

By the way, when we are viewing this thread, this site shows SIMILAR THREADS at the lower part the computer. There are quite a bit of useful info regarding GD there too, if you are interested.
 
Hi Carey,

I just prepare hummus (chickpeas), sun dried tomato dip, avocado dip, or buy philadelphia cream cheese and i'm happy with it.

Yes, pls share your dietitian's recipe, i'll appreciate that.
 
The carbs in fruit are completely different from the carbs in bread/pasta/rice. etc etc.
I would find that my levels would shoot up with any of the above, but that I was fine with fruit.
The first couple of weeks, be very strict. Then experiment with different foods - you'll soon work out what affects you - and out bodies all work differently.
A word of advice - I saw the dietician at QMH with both my pregnancies. The advice they give me was complete rubbish. Fortunately, I have a girlfriend who works for an overseas diabetes group - she gave me much better advice. So be careful who you see - do your research!!
 
Hi

Good luck with the diets. GD is not much fun even if it's a mild case (as mine was) I had GD with my second and could control my insulin levels with diet except for my levels overnight so had to jab myself once a day. I was allowed 12 serves of carbohydrate per day but no more than 2 per meal so I ended up having about 5 or 6 'meals' per day. One serve is 15g of carb. You need carbs so don't give them up completely. Eating was a pain because of the need to eat lots of veggies and meat rather than rice/pasta/bread. I was told to eat only basmati rice and soughdough bread because they have lower levels of carbohydrate than their counterparts on the market. I ended up eating more diary and egg and meat than I normally like, only ate a little fruit because that sent my sugar levels soaring. My diet was quite bland as the asian sauces that I like have high carbohydrate levels with Japanese and Indian food being some of the worst. I lost quite a lot of weight but had a healthy and happy boy in the end who is now almost 2. Good luck.
 
Hi Crystal88, Sorry to have taken this long to share what my dietitian’s recommendation. I have been taking my time trying to get used to the new diet. Since I started, I often feel hungry between meals and snacks. This means I feel tired and I sometimes just lie down and rest when I can.

I think the dietitian I saw at the Union hospital is helpful. She encouraged me to call her if I have more questions after my first appointment. I did call two days after our appointment, she returned my call as soon as she could.

Anyway, my dietitian did not exactly give me any recipes to follow.. But like many ladies have mentioned in this forum, the key is to keep your carb intake on tap. Carbs are mostly from rice/bread/fruit… or anything that is naturally or not naturally sweet.

So, These are my dietitian recommendations to me: (I suppose it depends on how serious one’s situation is. So, I can’t say this is for everyone.)

Breakfast: 40 carb
Morning Snack: 10 carb
Lunch: 40-50 carb
Afternoon Snack: 20 carb
Supper: 40-50 carb
Evening Snack: 20 carb

Timing: At least four hours between main meals and 2.5 hour between snacks and main meal. That means you can start your breakfast as early or as late as you want, but make sure you wait for at least 2.5 hour before you take your first snack and 4 hours for the next meal.

What I can drink and eat:
Drinks: water ( with lemon slices)
Or Skim milk

Food: no junk/fried/ sweet food.

For breakfast: 40g of carb, which equals to
 2 slices of whole wheat bread + 2 slices kraft 97% cheese
 Or 6 tables spoons of oat meal + a cup of skim milk

For lunch and supper:

40-50g worth of most carbs from rice/bread/pasta, which means about 5 table spoon of rice, 2 slices of whole wheat bread and 8 table spoon of macaroni.

Plus: 3 ounces of lean meat and 2 cups of veges + unlimited amount of clear soup

I am able to control my blood sugar level ( with home pricking kit) between 4.9 to 5.9 with a 20 mins walk after lunch and supper. I even lost weight during the first week ( not sure if it's a good thing, will call the nurse to find out). I am getting used to this diet after a week of it.

I am ordered to go back to the hospital 2 hours after each meal in the same day for a blood test after one week of this diet. I guess it's to determine how well it work for me.

Good luck with sticking to a low carb diet for all of us. And Thank you for sharing.
 
Hi Carey,

Thanks for detailed explanation. I avoid wheat bread too, and eat one bowl of oats every morning. I'll follow your advise.
 
Hi Crystal,
Fruits can't be taken right after your main meal.

It's recommended to me to only take it as a snack, which means the portion of fruit taken should contain less than 10g of carbs for morning snack and 20g for afternoon and night time snack.

In the booklet I got from the dietitian, one serving of fruit equal to 10g of carb.
So, when I take afternoon and morning snack, if I want fruit, I can take two serving of it.

I am listing below some of the fruit that i can take two serving as snack ( for the fruit I do not list, you could go online to this website to check on its carb http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/Calorie_Finder.asp?FoodID=1129, and take a appropriate amount)
1/2 orange;
1/2 medium apple;
1/2 pear
banana ( 8 cm)
1/2 grapefruit

Some other fruits I am only allowed to take 1 serving although does matter is for morning, afternoon or night time snack: ( I guess it's because it contains more carb? I am not sure). They are:

1 kiwi fruit
1 plum
10 ( small) grapes or 5 big ones
6 (small) strawberry

I am going to PM you a PDF file call " managing GD". I find it a useful reading.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.
 
Just found out I can't send attachment in through PM. If you are interested in getting the file, please send me your email address.

Or you can put "Managing GD" to search on google.
 
Thanks Carey, this is big help. I asked my doc for fruits and he told me apple and orange. I am totally not eating fruits except for half of avocado in my milk. I find it not sweet anyway, hope it's okay.
 
I have been sticking to apples because I can eat a whole one for two snacks. I am Ok with it so far. But I start snacking on other things like plum for a change.

By the way, my dietitian also recommend a yogurt brand Anlene from New Zealand for snack. It has 20g carb. You can find it from Park and Shop.

The last time I went to look for it from Park and Shop. It was all sold out. But you can order it from the Park and shop website online.
 
Hi Carey,

It's alright, pls don't bother sending it to me, i only got 3 more weeks to go :yeah2

Can you just pls help me look on avocado, can't find how many carbs is it.

I'll check on anlene yogurt for snack. I usually have a handful of nuts - cashew or almond. And my usual Philadelphia dip with cucumber or celery. Or scrambled egg with cheese.
 
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