Diet for Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. Diabetes
means that your blood sugar, also called blood glucose, is too high.
Blood Sugar Goals
You should try to keep your blood sugar below
Hoethese levels:
Time: Blood Sugar Level:
Before meals 95
1 hour after eating 140
What Raises Blood Sugar?
HoeCarbs are found in starches, fruits, milk and
Carbohydrates (carbs) increase your blood sugar.
milk products, and desserts.
Protein foods, fats, and non-starchy vegetables do not raise blood sugar. These foods help to
stabilize blood sugars. They also help prevent your blood sugar from raising too high, too fast.
When eating snacks, always try to eat a carb and a protein food
When eating meals, try to incorporate all the food groups we have talked about. Making your
meals look like the plate below can help to balance your blood sugars.
Action Tips
Hoe
1. Eat smaller, more frequent meals.
Aim to eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks each day
2. Do not skip meals.
Daytime: Eat a meal or snack every 2.5-3 hours while awake.
Overnight: Do not go longer than 8-10 hours without eating.
3. Eat a protein food with every meal and snack.
4. Avoid very sweet foods at breakfast – fruit, fruit juice, cold cereal with milk, syrup, and
jam/jelly
Counting Carbs
Counting how many carbs you eat at mealsHoe
and snacks can help control your blood sugar.
1 carbohydrate serving = 15 grams of carbs
Eating enough carbs will help your baby’s brain grow. It is not recommended to follow a very
low carbohydrate diet during pregnancy.
General meal and snack recommendations are in the chart below. You can choose to count the
number of grams per meal and snack OR the number of serving per meal and snack.
Meal/Snack: Grams of Carbs: Servings of Carbs:
Breakfast 15-30 grams 1-2 servings
Morning snack 15-30 grams 1-2 servings
Lunch 45-60 grams 3-4 servings
Afternoon snack 15-30 grams 1-2 servings
Dinner 45-60 grams 3-4 servings
Evening snack 30 grams 2 servings
Total 175 11-12 servings
Use the food list on the next page to see which foods and portion sizes are 1 serving of
carbohydrates.
Carbohydrate foods (carbs)
Below are examples of foods that have carbs. Each amount listed is equal to one serving, or 15
Hoe
grams, of carbs.
Starches
1 slice bread, or 1 small biscuit or roll
1/2 hamburger or hot dog bun, English muffin, or small bagel
1/2 of a 6-inch pita or tortilla
1/3 cup cooked noodles
1/3 cup cooked rice, stuffing, or sweet potatoes
1/2 cup peas, mashed potato, corn, beans, or dried peas
1 medium ear of corn
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal or grits
3/4 cup unsweetened cold cereal Milk and Milk Products
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup cooked casserole 1 cup (8 oz) skim, 2% or soy milk
1 cup broth-based soup or winter squash 1/2 cup (4 oz) evaporated fat-free
3 cups plain, low fat popcorn milk
6 saltine crackers or 20 oyster crackers 3/4 cup (6 oz) fruit sugar-free yogurt
¾-ounce pretzels 1/2 cup sugar free pudding
10-15 potato chips or 10-12 French fries 1/2 cup ice cream or frozen yogurt
1/8 of a 12-inch thin crust pizza
Fruits
1 small piece of fresh fruit Desserts
1/2 cup unsweetened canned fruit, 1 inch slice angel food cake
drained 2 inch slice of cake, no frosting
1/2 cup applesauce 2 small cookies
1/2 grapefruit 6 vanilla wafers
12-15 grapes 8 animal crackers
12 cherries 3 graham cracker squares
1 cup melon (cubed) or raspberries 1 small granola bar (1 ounce)
3/4 cup mandarin oranges, blackberries, or blueberries 1 small muffin, plain (1 ½ ounces)
1 + 1/4 cup strawberries
1/2 cup apple, orange, pineapple, or grapefruit juice
1/3 cup grape, cranberry, or prune juice
1/4 cup dried fruit
2 tablespoons raisins
Other Foods
These foods have very little or no carbs. You do not
Hoe need to count carbs for these foods.
Non-starchy vegetables
Asparagus
Beets
broccoli Fats
Brussel sprouts Butter
Cabbage
Margarine
Carrots
Vegetable oils
Cauliflower
Celery Salad dressing
Cucumber Mayonnaise
Eggplant Sour cream
Green and wax beans Cream cheese
Greens
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Okra
Onions Free foods
Preppers Sugar-free gum
Spinach Sugar substitutes
Tomatoes Lemon juice
Diet pop/soda
Protein foods Mustard
Meat Sugar-free popsicles
Poultry (Chicken, Turkey) Sugar-free gelatin
Fish
Pork
Deli meat
Hot dogs
Sausage
Tofu
Cheese
Eggs
Nuts
Peanut butter
