In Need of (Diabetic) Food
brunoshort
member
After convincing myself that I don't 'really' have gestational diabetes, my blood sugar levels after the first three days have been all over the place. They even go from really high to really low and back to high in a matter of 5 or so minutes. I decided to go ahead and humor the idea of having GD and now I'm completely LOST about what to eat. I understand I'm not supposed to have fruit or milk before lunch and only 2 servings of each per day. I get two starches at meals and one at snack time. How boring is that? I'm not a big veggie eater and the veggies I do like are considered starchy (i.e., corn).
Does anyone else going through gestational diabetes have suggestions for breakfast or lunch menus that don't involve eating a slice of bread, downing eggs, and drinking water? 
Re: In Need of (Diabetic) Food
Some breakfast suggestions:
morningstar farms breakfast "sausage"
Thomas's bagel thins, i put PB and low-sugar jelly on it (not sugar free, since that has artificial stuff, just the low sugar by Smuckers)
oatmeal, not instant, I use the 1- minute oats. I can do this if I eat a 1/2 serving made with milk. I put some splenda and cinnamon on it.
I'm able to do a smoothie although some may not - I use frozen, no sugar added strawberries (fresh if they are not too expensive), plain greek yogurt, a splash of milk and 1 splenda.
The most helpful thing the dietician told me was to always pair protein and fat with any carbs that I eat. They sorta cancel out the carbs. Everyone is different though. I can actually eat sweets and stuff in between meals. I keep meals small and eat lots of snacks throughout the day. My biggest issue has been my sweet tooth - I love all sweets and have been craving fruit. I found that I can eat grapes, apples, oranges, and berries.
Good luck, it does suck but with some trial and error you'll figure it out.
I had GD with my daughter, and am at high risk for developing it again this pregnancy. It's definitley not an easy adjustment, and everybody's body handles foods differently. For me, even some of the foods they told me were okay in moderation (fruit, baby carrots) put me way over so I had to steer clear alltogether. It was definitley trial and error the whole time.
For breakfast, Thomas's whole grain english muffins are great -they are really good and only 1g sugar each so I could eat the whole thing instead of 1/4 of a bagel, like recommended in my nutrition guide (seriously, who eats 1/4 of a bagel?!?). I would eather cut a hole in the top half, crack an egg into the hole and microwave for 1 min. 30 sec. for a home-made egg mc muffin or have the muffin toasted w/ cream cheese. Whole grain tortillas with eggs, salsa and a bit of cheese are good. Sugar free yogurt or cottage cheese, unsweetened oatmeal with cinnamon, nuts and splenda.
Lunch was usually lunch meat (this was before it was taboo) or tuna, cheese cubes, raw green veggies (not my favorite, but any other color made me spike) and a few whole grain crackers, a whole grain tortilla with lunch meat (again, before it was taboo -leftover meat from dinner the night before would be good too), spinach and cheese, or soup.
Definitely not very exciting, haha!
Good luck to you as you navigate the world of GD!
Thanks, everyone. When I talked to the nutritionist, she really made it out to be a crackers and peanut butter diet I was stuck with. I was told to never do milk or fruit in the morning, but I've been drinking darn near a gallon of whole milk a day with no problems. The second I try to get my carbs and starches figured out, that's when I start spiking. I don't want to play around more than I have and make them think I need medicine to help control it, but their suggestions are really hit and miss with me, much like you all have been saying.
I'm sure it'd be easier if fake sugar (in any amount) didn't make my stomach queasy. Even the light yogurts that look delicious make me sick. Lol! So much for everyone saying "Go ahead and eat what you want! You're eating for two now!" It's more like I'm eating for half a person and hoping the rest of me gets the nutrition we both need.
I agree with the Chobani greek yogurt. I'll have that with an apple and some veggies and dip for lunch. Or hummus with wheat crackers
For lunch the other day I had smoked turkey, avocado slices, sour cream and a little lime juice in a whole wheat tortilla. It was sooo yummy!!
Or for I make chicken salad and put it on a pita, deli thin, or crackers
TAco salads have also been a fave of mine.
Oh- and chicken and cheese quesadillas on a ww tortilla
Lots of choices,definitely not just PB and crackers.....although I will say I am getting quite sick of those!
I've also been able to handle a serving of Breyer's (all natural) ice cream as my bedtime snack.
I look at the carb levels more than the sugar. If you have trrouble figuring out why your levels are high, look at cutting carbs.
I don't have DG, but I am a regular diabetic, and fighting it while pregnant is way more intense than it ever was before!!
I definitely look at carbs more than sugars, but it seems like I'm just all over the place with what's okay for me and what's not. My white mocha keeps me low around 114, but jelly on my peanut butter sandwich (even using less than the serving size) shoots me to 155.
I'm way too picky of an eater... It doesn't seem healthy to base my diet around eating a ton of meat to balance out a slice of bread or a serving of potatoes. I still have three months and I'm getting more discouraged by the day as I realize just how little of the food in my house is okay for me to eat. Atkins diet gone wrong.
All I have left to cling to is curry and fajitas. Thank goodness for that.