My GD Diet

Here are the basics of what I learned in my class on managing gestational diabetes.

Basically it is all about counting carbs, and eating protein at every meal/snack. A serving of carbs is 15 grams. Foods fall into the following categories:

Milk/Yogurt
Starches (bread, pasta, potatoes, corn, beans, etc)
Fruit
Vegetables
Protein (meats, peanut butter, eggs, cheese, etc)
Fats

The first three categories comprise "carbs". But all carbs are not created equal. Before noon, I cannot have anything from the Milk or Fruit categories. Apparently this has to do with how pregnancy hormones affect you in the AM. I guess they supress insulin's effectiveness more in the morning, making glucose spikes more common. (Your body treats lactose in milk and fructose in fruit the same as any kind of sugar.)

I need to eat 3 meals and 3 snacks a day, spaced out 2-3 hours apart. The guidelines are as follows:

Breakfast
15 g of carbs (from the Starch group only)
1-2 servings of vegetables
1-2 oz of protein
1-2 servings of fats

Example: 1/2 english muffin with egg and melted cheese and tomato, coffee with cream (cream is a fat - there are no carbs in cream, so cream is OK in coffee while milk in the AM is not allowed).

AM Snack
15 g of carbs (from Starch group only)
1 oz protein

Example: slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter

Lunch
45 g of carbs (3 servings from at least 2 of the carb categories)
1-2+ servings of vegetables
3 oz of protein
1-2 servings of fats

Afternoon Snack
30 g of carbs (2 servings from the carb categories)
1 oz protein

Dinner
45 g of carbs (3 servings from at least 2 of the carb categories)
1-2+ servings of vegetables
3 oz of protein
1-2 servings of fats

Bedtime Snack
30 g of carbs (2 servings from the carb categories)
1 oz protein

In addition to the individual meal guidelines, I am not supposed to have more than 2 servings of fruit a day or more than 3 servings of milk/yogurt. Also, no more than 2 portions of starch at lunch or dinner or more than one portion for snack.

The following are forbidden altogether:
Fruit juice and all sweetened drinks (i.e. soda, lemonade, etc)
Sugar, honey, jam, jelly, pie, cake, etc

Artificial sweeteners are allowed (no more than 3 servings a day), but I don't like them anyway.

Oh, there are also some "free" foods. These are foods where one serving is less than 20 calories and less than 5g total carbs so you don't have to worry about them. They include:

bouillon
broth
cilantro & parsley & herbs
decaf coffee and tea
garlic
lettuce
lemon
mustard
salsa
soy sauce
vinegar
diet soda, sugar free gelatin, sugar free drink mix

Nothing you can really fill up on.

I asked the dietician what would be the best way to deal with cheating - knowing that at some point I'll have to have a cookie or birthday cake. I wanted to know if it was better to do it after eating a lot of protein or something. She said to walk. Walking right after eating helps with glucose absorbtion. I'm supposed to walk 10-20 minutes after each meal, before checking my blood sugar anyway. Maybe a longer walk is warranted if I eat some ice cream with dinner.