CLINICAL DIABETES
VOL. 17 NO. 4 1999

PATIENT INFORMATION

Nutritional Guidelines for Women With Gestational Diabetes

Eat 3 meals and 3 snacks daily.

  • Space snacks so that there is no more than 3 hours without eating.

Omit foods high in sugar and concentrated sweets.

  • Avoid adding sugar (white sugar, brown sugar, or honey) to foods. Avoid soda pop, lemonade, and sweetened yogurt.

Omit juices, but instead use whole pieces of fruit (apples instead of applesauce).

Spread carbohydrates out throughout the day.

  • If after-breakfast blood glucose levels are outside the target range, you may be asked to shift some carbohydrates (starch and fruit) to other snacks or meals.

Choose foods high in fiber: whole grains, whole fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, oats.

Choose foods low in fat and avoid adding extra fat, such as oil, margarine, or butter. Choose low-fat meat selections, such as lean cuts of beef, pork, and lamb. Emphasize more fish and poultry (without the skin). Choose:

  • baked, broiled, or roasted instead of fried chicken or fish
  • low-fat yogurt instead of butter and sour cream on a potato
  • herbs to season vegetables instead of cream or butter sauces
  • low-calorie salad dressings instead of mayonnaise or salad dressing on tossed salads
  • pretzels, unbuttered popcorn, or bread sticks instead of foods fried in oil, such as doughnuts, chips, and french fries.

Limit foods from fast-food restaurants. Ask for nutritional information on menu selections, and choose foods that are low in fat. For many women, a burger and fries or more than 2 pieces of pizza will cause high blood glucose levels.

Be careful to gain at least 1/2 lb/week. Cutting back too much on calories and weight gain can increase your risk of a low-birth-weight infant.

Adapted from Understanding Gestational Diabetes: A Practical Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy. Bethesda, Md., National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development. (NIH Publication No. 93-2788), 1993 ADA.eps v5.5 .

 

 

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Updated 11/99
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