What Is the Gestational Diabetes Diet and What You Can Eat on It

When a woman is diagnosed with gestational diabetes, it is typically at 24-28 weeks gestation, following a glucose tolerance test. It often comes with a list of gestational diabetes food rules and little explanation. According to the CDC, 5% to 9% of pregnancies in the United States are affected by the condition each year. In most cases, changing eating and activity habits is enough to help bring glucose levels to target goals, and according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), 70% to 85% of women can do that without medication. This guide explains how the gestational diabetes diet works and what to put on your plate.

What the Gestational Diabetes Diet Actually Is

The placenta produces hormones during pregnancy, including human placental lactogen, cortisol, and progesterone. These hormones make your cells more resistant to insulin's action. However, when the pancreas doesn't provide enough additional insulin, glucose remains in the blood longer than it should. The diet is a structured eating pattern that spreads carbohydrates throughout the day, so your body doesn't have to "clear" a large load all at once.

This plan is not a low-carb or keto diet plan. During pregnancy, the ADA suggests women consume at least 175 grams of carbohydrates, 71 grams of protein, and 28 grams of fiber per day. Being too strict with low-carb can lead to ketones and a lack of glucose for the baby's brain development. Your goal is to get a specific amount of slow-digesting carbs at regular intervals.

Blood Sugar Targets You Are Working Toward

Your care team will ask you to check your blood sugar when you wake up and after each meal. Both the ADA and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) use the targets below.

One high reading after a slice of birthday cake does not mean the plan has failed. Your doctor looks for a pattern of high readings over several days, which can cause a change in your meal plan or your medication (such as insulin).

How to Build Your Meals

ACOG recommends three meals and 2-3 snacks every 2-3 hours. A typical division would be 15-30 g of carbohydrates at breakfast, 30-45g at lunch and dinner, and 15-30g per snack. Breakfast is the least-served meal because insulin resistance rises in the morning. Your dietitian might give you a different number depending on your weight, activity level, and readings.

Portioning is easier with the plate method. Eat half of a plate of non-starchy vegetables, a quarter of lean protein, and a quarter of complex carbs. Always serve carbs with protein or fat. Protein and fat slow down the rate at which your stomach empties, so an apple without peanut butter will raise your blood sugar more quickly than the same apple with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

Timing and the Bedtime Snack

Lack of breaks during the day can have a counterproductive effect. Skipping meals for 5 or 6 hours increases your chances of eating too much during the next meal and experiencing a greater increase in food intake following that meal. If you have a long fast overnight, then your morning number will go up because your liver releases the stored glucose during sleep.

A little low-protein, low-fat snack about 15 grams of carbs before bed usually helps. These are good examples: a slice of whole grain toast topped with cheese or plain Greek yogurt and some walnuts. If your fasting numbers are already on target, please consult your provider first.

What You Can Eat on the Gestational Diabetes Diet

The list of foods you can eat is quite large. Focus on minimally processed foods rich in fiber, protein, and healthy fat.

Fruit is included in your plan, but portions matter. About 15 grams of carbs equals one cup of berries or one small apple. Milk also has approximately 12 grams of protein per cup. The FDA recommends low-mercury fish like salmon and sardines during pregnancy, at 8 to 12 ounces a week.

Foods That Cause the Fastest Spikes

The main culprit is liquid sugar. Regular sodas are absorbed quickly, with a 12-ounce can of soda containing nearly a full meal's worth of carbohydrates in the form of sugar, about 39 grams. This happens with fruit juice too, even 100% fruit juices.

Other high-glycemic foods, like white rice or white bread, potatoes, or boxed cereals, also break down easily. It's not necessary to skip them. Eat vegetables and protein first, keep portions small (1/3 cup of cooked white rice is about 15 g of carbs), and combine with cauliflower rice. Research at Weill Cornell Medicine in humans with type 2 diabetes found that eating carbohydrates at the end of a meal reduced post-meal blood glucose readings.

A Sample Day of Eating

The plan below is designed to deliver ~175 grams of carbohydrate. Use this as a starting guide rather than a template.

Your readings will tell you what to adjust. If your 1-hour number after breakfast keeps landing above 140, drop the toast or move the berries to your morning snack. Writing out the meals next to your glucose levels for one week will help you see which meals are causing issues.

How Ideal Nutrition Can Help

Planning 5 or 6 meals a day and cooking them all can get tiring fast. Ideal Nutrition offers 40+ chef-made meal options each week, cooked fresh and never frozen. Calories, protein, fat, and carbohydrates are listed on each meal so you can easily track what you eat. Subscription orders are delivered free across Central and South Florida. You can also grab your favorite meals at one of our retail locations, stocked seven days a week.

Conclusion

The gestational diabetes diet implies that every meal has a set amount of carbs, includes protein, follows a schedule, and includes testing. The condition usually resolves after delivery, but it may lead to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future, so the ADA recommends a glucose tolerance test be performed 4 to 12 weeks after your baby is born. That is a test you will benefit from for years to come if you build the right habits.