Quick Start Guide for Gestational Diabetes w/ Grocery List

If you're new to GD and don't know what to do or where to start, here are 5 steps to get you going as you wait for specific instructions from your dietitian or endocrinologist.

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• 6 Steps to Get Started
• Grocery List
• Must-read Resources
• More Resources
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6 Steps to Get Started

1. Start a food log.
It doesn’t need to be specific. Log the foods and approximate amounts. Example: Breakfast – 2 eggs, 2 sausage links, bottle of water.

Use any app you like or this free printable diabetic log.

2. Eat every 3-4 hours.
Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack.

You may have to eat smaller portions at mealtime so you're hungry again in three hours.

The 7 day low glycemic meal plan article guides you through choosing what to eat and has great quick-reference printables.

3. Eat a balanced breakfast.
Breakfast sets the tone for your blood sugar for the day. A high-protein, lower-carb breakfast sets you up for success.
Example: eggs, meat, berries
Vegan example: Walnuts, berries, coconut yogurt

4. Eat a bedtime snack.
Since the time from dinner to breakfast is a long fasting period, eating a bedtime snack is important to keep your glucose from extreme highs or lows while sleeping.

5. Track your blood sugar (if you can)
You need a glucose meter for this. Meters are sometimes covered by insurance, but if your insurance doesn't, you can buy one from any drugstore.

Check your blood sugar as soon as you wake up (before breakfast), and 2 hours after each main meal.

6. What to eat?
If you need more meal ideas after the 7-day meal plan, check out the free meal plans.

Grocery List

A grocery list for gestational diabetes should include lean proteins, healthy fats, non-starchy vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. These are all low-glycemic foods that you can pair for blood sugar management.

Can you eat foods not on this list? Absolutely! These foods are ideal for the diet, but each body is different, so you can try different foods to see what works for you. As long as you eat carbs with protein and fat (as shown here), you can just about eat what you want.

Sounds so simple, right? It is, but it's not. It takes a lot of trial and error to know what will make your blood sugars happy.

Proteins	Fats	Non-starchy veg	Non-starchy veg	Whole Grains	Fruits
Fish & Seafood	Avocado	Artichoke	Green beans	Corn tortillas	Watermelon
Red meats	Mayonnaise	Asparagus	Hearts of palm	Whole wheat or bean pasta	Blackberries & Raspberries
Poultry	Oils	Bell peppers	Jicama	Barley	Cherries
Tofu	Coconut	Bok choy	Kale	Steel cut or Rolled oats	Oranges
Beans & Lentils	Chia seeds	Cabbage	Leeks	Brown Rice	Pineapple
Eggs	Eggs	Carrot	Mushrooms	Quinoa	Pear
Nuts & Nut Butters	Nuts & Nut Butters	Cauliflower & Broccoli	Okra	Farro	Blueberries & Strawberries
Seeds & Seed Butters	Seeds & Seed Butters	Celery	Onion	Whole grain, sourdough, sprouted, or rye bread	Prunes
Greek yogurt	Full fat dairy	Cucumber	Tomato	Popcorn	Green banana
Cottage cheese	Olives	Brussel sprouts	Turnip		Fig
	Fatty red meats	Radish	Watercress
		Eggplant	Yellow squash & zucchini
		Fennel	Spinach
		Lettuces	Sugar snap peas
		Leafy Greens	Pea pods

What to Avoid

Foods to avoid are foods that will spike blood sugar due to the amount of carbs in a serving, and/or the amount of simple sugars that your body doesn't have to break down. These foods are:

• sugary drinks - soda, some smoothies, fruit juices, Gatorade, etc.
• sugary foods - pie, baked goods, donuts, etc.
• highly processed foods - chips, croutons, granola bars, etc.
• foods with excessive added sugar - most granolas, ice creams, yogurts, cereals, etc.
• white flour products - pasta, bread, tortillas, etc.
• dried fruits - dehydrated fruits have more carbs than fresh.
• deep-fried foods - their trans fats fight against blood sugar management.

Must-read Resources

More Resources

Real Food for Pregnancy is an awesome read if you want to get more into prenatal nutrition, or if you plan on having more pregnancies.

It's an in-depth but easy read about what women should eat during pregnancy. The same author also wrote Real Food for Gestational Diabetes.

Podcast Episodes