Gestational diabetes diet

Carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose, so portion size, food type, and timing can affect your readings. Pregnancy targets are personal and should come from your care team. A diagnosis does not mean removing all carbohydrates or eating too little; you and your baby still need adequate nourishment.

Meals built around vegetables, a suitable carbohydrate portion, protein such as eggs, beans, fish, poultry, or yoghurt, and a small amount of healthy fat may be easier to manage than sugary drinks or highly refined snacks. Your cultural foods can usually be adapted with professional guidance.

Eat at regular times recommended by your clinician and avoid skipping meals. Choose water or unsweetened drinks more often than juice or sweetened beverages. Combine carbohydrate foods with protein or fibre, and notice how particular meals affect your readings. Gentle activity after meals may be suitable for some pregnancies, but check first if you have complications or activity restrictions. A dietitian can tailor portions to your appetite, culture, medicines, and pregnancy needs.

Contact your care team if readings repeatedly miss the range they gave you, you cannot keep food or fluids down, or you are losing weight or feeling unusually weak. Seek urgent help for fainting, confusion, difficulty breathing, or severe vomiting. Do not respond to a high reading by fasting or making a drastic restriction without advice.

Ask for your glucose targets, meal and snack timing, suitable activity, and a referral to a pregnancy dietitian. Ask what to do when illness, nausea, or an unusual meal changes your readings.