Starter Guide

How to get started and helpful printables to reference.

Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. I appreciate your support!

What to do if You have Gestational Diabetes

These are general steps to get you started as you wait for specific instructions from your dietitian and endocrinologist.

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.
Here's a great food and glucose log printable.
Tip - print as 2 to a page, on landscape, and double sided if you can.

2. Eat every 3-4 hours.
You may have to eat smaller portions at meal time so that you're hungry when snack time comes.
Remember to always pair protein with carbs, even for snacks.

3. 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 drug store.
Download any blood sugar tracking app to your phone, or use this printable glucose log.
Check your blood sugar as soon as you wake up (before breakfast), and 2 hours after each meal.

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

5. Eat a bedtime snack.
Since dinner to breakfast is a long fasting period, eating a bedtime snack is important to keep your glucose steady.

6. Get the free 6-day meal plan with shopping list.

7. Dinner for 3 weeks
After the 6-day meal plan is finished, come back and get dinner for the following 3 weeks.

Screenshot these...

You may be interested in...

More Gestational Diabetes Resources

If you want to nerd out on more gestational diabetes or pregnancy nutrition info, here are amazing sources.

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 goes in depth, but it's an easy read to learn the evidence-based research on what women should eat during pregnancy.

Finally, Real Food for Gestational Diabetes is another great read, by the same author, that teaches how to eat real food to control GD.