Gestational Diabetes - Schaumburg,IL

Hi, L.! I had gestational diabetes and I was told to see a registered dietician. She put a meal plan together for me based on my numbers. I had to maintain a certain level of protein, fats, sodium, sugars, etc. in my system. It was frustrating, trust me! If I wanted peanuts for example, I had to forgo something with fats and protein and based on my numbers, I could only have 21 peanuts. No more, no less! I would highly recommend you to ask your ob-gyn if you could just eat meals out of a special diabetes cook book or if you should see a registered dietician.

Hi L.,

You don't need a special cookbook! I had gd and one of the first things my doctor had me do was meet with a nutritionist who talked to us about my eating plan and gave me a book that talks about the different values of different foods.
Once I started following the diet and controlling my blood sugar, I actually lost weight.

I had GD with my first pregnancy and used this book:

http://www.amazon.com/No-Fuss-Diabetes-Recipes-Delicious-...

It was awesome and the recipes were easy and without goofy ingredients. The book was ideal for me because the recipes were written for 1-2 servings and I was just cooking for my husband and I.

You may also wish to consult a user-friendly book like Diabetes for Dummies. Not that you're a dummy; just that it will be a quick and easy read without all the medical jargon.

From what I remember:
-Eat 5-6 smaller meals, no more than 2-3 hours apart.
-Carbs are NOT your enemy; simple carbs are. You want to avoid sugars but include whole grains and fiber.
-You typically cannot go wrong with a diet that is heavy on the fruits and vegetables.
-Shop the perimeter of the grocery store - fresh fruits, fresh veggies, low-fat dairy, lean cuts of meat, and avoid processed boxed foods that are full of junk, HFCS and sugar as they are nutritionally void
-Make sure you stay hydrated: at least 8 glasses (8 ounce) of water a day.
-If you are allowed to exercise (I wasn't and it sucked), try to walk at least 15-30 minutes a day.

Good luck to you. On the bright side, adopting a diabetic diet is actually a very healthy lifestyle choice that can benefit you well after your pregnancy. Additionally, the GD condition will likely go away shortly after you deliver and typically is not a long-term issue.

Better Homes and Gardens New Diabetic Cookbook: Delicious Recipes for the Whole Family (http://www.amazon.com/Better-Homes-Gardens-Diabetic-Cookb...) I was diabetic through both my pregnancies, the second time to the point of needing insulin, but this cookbook made it survivable. We still make many of the recipes we found in there - the Italian Chicken, Morrocan Chicken, and Deviled Roast Beef being some of the favorites. Seems the diagnosis always came RIGHT when the best cravings were kicking in too. Ugh. My husband found this book and it was a lifesaver!

Good luck!

Have you seen a nutritionist? I went when I had it, it is all about the carbs. My cousin got me the Fat, calorie, carb counter book. And it was great. It had many foods and some fast food places and told you how many carb or grams of carbs each food had. I had to stay away from greasy foods like french fries even if they fit into my carb numbers because of the grease it kept my numbers up. The key is to keep the same number of carbs at the same time of day. Also your body process carbs better with protein. Any cook book that you see that has the carb in grams or carbs will work for you.

15 grams = 1 carb.

Milk 8oz= 1 carb
Some veggies are 5 grams per serving if you put 3 servings it is 1 carb.

Meats are protein etc.

Good luck.