This list of 33 gestational diabetes meals are easy to make and will not spike your blood sugar. Whether you are figuring out what to eat, or just looking for new recipes, these will definitely get your ideas flowing and keep the plain old salads away.
This gestational diabetes diagnosis has not been easy on me. While I realize that others are dealing with diabetes issues every single day and mine is only short lived, it has not changed how tough it has been to accept it mentally, emotionally, or with figuring out what to eat. I commend those who live with diabetes every single day and manage it well. You are incredible!
You can read all about my diagnoses, struggles, and anger with gestational diabetes in this post.
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One of the frustrating parts of gestational diabetes meals is that food was very fickle. There were times that even if I ate the exact same thing at the same times as the day before, my blood sugar numbers would be higher than normal and bumping against that 130 mark.
There were days when if I ate three pretzels my numbers would spike, but if I ate a handful of Goldfish, I would be totally fine. Infuriating because I love some Honey Mustard and Onion pretzel pieces. Not to mention my serious love of blueberry bagels with extra cream cheese that I indulge in while pregnant being completely off the table.
Over the last 12 weeks, I have done a lot of research, a lot of experimenting, and a lot of grumbling, but have found a few meals and snacks that consistently keep my blood sugar at an even and moderate level.
I dive deep into all the frustrations, anger, and coming to terms with my gestational diagnoses in this post.
While meal planning, I planned meals I knew my family would eat and then modify them to make it a gestational diabetes meal. This meant replacing pasta with zucchini noodles for myself, or simply portioning out rice to only 15 carbs. I tried to keep meals in which I would have to prepare something completely different for myself to a minimum (pizza, quesadillas, etc).
This is a pretty long list of meals to scroll through. Grab the printable list of 33 gestational diabetes friendly meals that are easy to make straight to your inbox by entering your email below.
When determining what I could eat, I relied heavily on this visual in the first few weeks, before I mostly had it memorized and knew a bit more what my body could handle
The gestational diabetes meals and snacks listed here are the ones that consistently worked for me, meaning when I tested my blood sugar an hour after eating them, I was on the low end of my target range and that did not change from day to day of eating these particular things. You have to go through the trial and error process because some of these meals may not work for you.
I should note that I did have to take insulin in the last few months of pregnancy to help regulate my morning fasting numbers. I got up to 22 units of insulin at night before bed, but thankfully did not have to take any during the day.
Breakfast
My nutritionist gave me two breakfast rules:
1. No fruit. (Also no juice, but since I do not drink juice anyway, that was easy.)
2. 30 grams of carbohydrates. This was my range, but yours might be different.
Greek Yogurt, Granola, and Chia
The Bear Naked Granola Honey Almond flavor has a low enough carbohydrate count that when combined with some Fage 2% Greek yogurt and a tablespoon of chia seeds, made for enough proteins to keep my blood sugar happy.
Two Good Yogurt also worked well with this mix of granola and chia seeds.
Egg Breakfast
My go to was two eggs, a half cup of vegetables (peppers, spinach, mushrooms, zucchini – whatever was on hand), and a slice of whole wheat toast. Sometimes I would add in two slices of turkey bacon if I was feeling extra hungry that morning.
Almond milk and Kashi Go Rise Cereal
In general, most cereals need to be avoided as they are simple carbohydrate bombs, but this Kashi Go Rise Cereal had enough protein to keep me even.
Also, unsweetened almond milk contains 45% of your daily calcium needs. When I was telling my nutritionist how tired I was from these diet changes, she suggested increasing my calcium. Almond milk to the rescue!
Avocado Toast
One slice of whole wheat bread (the grainier the better), plus half a smashed avocado and a bit of Everything But the Bagel Seasoning made for a nice breakfast variety and was seriously delicious. If you want an added boost of morning protein, you could top it with hard boiled egg slices.
Breakfast Item Must Haves
- Fage 2% Greek Yogurt
- Two Good Yogurt
- Bear Naked Granola Honey Almond
- Chia Seeds
- Kashi Go Rise Cereal
- Unsweetened Almond Milk
- Hard Boiled Egg Slicer
- Everything But the Bagel Seasoning
Lunch
Nutritionist Recommendation: 45 grams of carbohydrates. This was my range, but yours might be different.
Chia Pudding
I avoided berries for the first eight weeks of my gestational diabetes meals, terrified they would put me over the edge. After doing a little more research, I tried my go to chia pudding recipe for lunch one day and my whole body and mood changed. Sure, the pudding did not have any honey in it and used unsweetened almond milk, but to have that half cup of berries was seriously divine.
Turkey Bacon Lettuce Wraps
In the last few weeks, these were my go to lunch. Easy to make and it gave a satisfying crunch. Add a little sharp cheddar cheese, some cucumber sticks on the side, and my numbers stayed put.
Hummus and Veggie Lettuce Boats
In an effort to find more vegetarian meals that would not be too carb heavy, I made these lettuce boats that included hummus, tomatoes, avocado, and cheddar cheese. Delicious and kept me even!
Leftovers
If there were any leftovers from the previous night’s dinner that did not raise my blood sugar, then it became the next day’s lunch. Easy and quick!
You can read all about my diagnoses, struggles, and anger with gestational diabetes in this post.
Dinner
Do not forget to snag your downloadable copy of this list below. It will make meal planning so much easy to have a quick list in front of you.
Nutritionist Recommendation: 45 grams of carbohydrates. This was my range, but yours might be different.
Green Beans and Wild Rice with Sesame Ginger Salmon
Mix together rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and onion powder to brush over the salmon before baking it. Saute some zucchini and asparagus ribbons and cook rice for the rest of the family. Done and delicious!
A modification to this meal is Zucchini and Asparagus Noodles with Sesame Ginger Salmon. Portion out the rice and double the green beans.
Deconstructed Fajitas
We love our Mexican-inspired meals around here with things like taco salad, vegetarian southwest quinoa dinner dip, and quesadillas being a regular meal plan item. These fajitas were so tasty and I did not even miss the tortilla!
Taco Salad
Since this is a family staple, there was no avoiding it during gestational diabetes meal planning. As long as I portioned it out and limited how many tortilla chips I ate with it, I was totally fine.
Meatballs, Zucchini and Asparagus Noodles with Mac ‘n Cheese
Portion out the mac ‘n cheese to one third a cup to make it a gestational diabetes meal. Go cautiously here as some gestational diabetics cannot handle any form of pasta.
Dinner Egg Bake
I left potatoes out of this recipe and just filled it with vegetables and Feta cheese. Plus, there were leftovers for the next day’s lunch for both Rob and I, which makes it a win. Since I was already so sick of eggs, this was a nice variation and one I would make if I did not have eggs that morning for breakfast.
Italian Turkey Zucchini Boats
Ever since we have tried to make Costco the only grocery store we need to go to during the week (we have almost succeeded), we buy zucchini by the eight count bag. I threw these zucchini boats together out of a need to use them up and they quickly became a family favorite. Even the kids devour them!
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Un-pie
This meal was a complete experiment on my part in an effort to use up a good deal of mushrooms and zucchini we had on hand. It was also my attempt to find a vegetarian meal that was lower in simple carbohydrates.
I used this recipe from Crunchy Creamy Sweet with some modifications (added a zucchini, roasted the potatoes instead of mashed them, and used flour instead of cornstarch).
Rob loved it, which made it a double win!
Buffalo Chicken Dip With Riced Broccoli
This recipe from Unicorns in the Kitchen is a seriously delicious winner. Pair it with some type of vegetable on the side. I opted for zucchini and mushroom rice and was able to mix them together to create a tasty meal that covered all my low blood sugar basis.
Chicken Stir Fry
As long as you limit the amount of rice you are putting in the base of your stir fry bowl, this is a fantastic option. We usually do a chicken stir fry with peppers, green beans, onions, and broccoli. Whatever sauce you decide to use, make sure you check the label as store bought Asian sauces tend to contain a lot of sugar. I used a low-sodium soy sauce and it worked out just fine.
Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps
I have seriously been dreaming about these lettuce wraps since we had them. Something about the crunch of romaine with the creaminess of the chicken salad makes my mouth water.
Vegetarian Southwest Quinoa Dinner Dip
This is a family favorite and one of the most requested meatless meals we make. Portion it out to your specifications. My blood sugars stayed within range!
You can get the full recipe on this quinoa dinner dip here.
Vegetarian Dinner Saute Salad
This meal had me salivating for at least a week as it made appearances on my dinner plate at least three times. It is so super simple to make! Here are the quick details:
- Chop asparagus and mushrooms to just smaller than bite-sized chunks. Saute with Avocado oil until softened.
- Fry two eggs to preference (I like over hard).
- Add to a bowl with chopped spinach, avocado, cucumbers, and mozzarella.
- Optional: Add Everything But The Bagel Seasoning and Brianna’s Homestyle Creamy Balsamic.
Turkey Bacon Cobb Salad
Rob and I stopped eating beef and pork (or at least buying it for the house) years ago. This turkey bacon Cobb salad, which is very similar to this lightened up version, uses extra crispy turkey bacon and skips the tomatoes. A bit of Brianna’s Homestyle Creamy Balsamic and we have a win that both Rob and I enjoy.
Snacks
Nutritionist Recommendation: 15-30 grams of carbohydrates. This was my range, but yours might be different.
Apple and Cheese Stick
This became my go to afternoon snack around 3pm and served me well to stay satiated and through to dinner.
Super Simple Trail Mix
Very very simple trail mix of peanuts, almonds, and a light amount of raisins. This is our usual trail mix set up, but typically there are a few handfuls of chocolate chips added to the mix. You could add some different types of nuts like cashews and seeds like pumpkin or sunflower, but I just wanted to keep it easy and simple. I make a big batch of trail mix each week and keep it on the counter in a glass container.
Seed Crackers with Peanut Butter and Banana
This was my go to evening snack for a while and it worked really well to keep my morning fasting numbers at bay. I would often sprinkle it with some chia seeds for a touch of added protein.
Dessert
When I say dessert, I mean foods that would be considered an evening snack, but tasted more like dessert for that bit of sweetness.
Almond Joy Bites
One of my absolute favorite types of energy bites even when not pregnant. So easy to make and gives you a touch of sweetness. I also highly recommend these as a freezer snack to prepare before the baby arrives. They are like little bites of heaven!
Get the recipe for Almond Joy Bites here.
Yasso Frozen Yogurt Bars
My sister clued me into these Yasso bars as she had gestational diabetes with her third pregnancy as well. They completely satisfied the craving to have something sweet and ice cream like while keeping my numbers in range. They sell them in bulk at my local Costco, so be sure to check yours!
Dessert Trail Mix
I am a salty treats fan all the way. This trail mix combo of peanuts, almonds, raisins, a few chocolate chips, and a small bit of Goldfish was absolutely delish.
Eating Out / Drinks
I generally do not eat out apart from a weekly pizza night, but even that was limited during gestational diabetes. I am sure there are more diabetic friendly meals out there, but I only have the one.
Even though I usually just drink water, having something else from time to time is refreshing. These are the drinks that worked well for me. You should note that I had already kicked my soda habit for the year before, so that temptation was already gone.
Zucchini Pesto with Grilled Chicken dish at Noodles & Company
This meal was delicious and did not spike my blood sugar numbers at all!
Protein20
This was such a great find! High in protein, no added sugars, and a delicious taste, I would mix a bit of this with seltzer during a movie night with Rob to feel like I was having a real cocktail.
Tazo Tea or Stash Tea
One cup of caffeinated black tea did the trick to keep my energy up while chasing after Zoey and William while growing a human. Stash Tea is definitely my go to, but Tazo makes a nice cup of tea as well.
La Croix Seltzer Water
I realize it is just water, but it is enough for me to feel like I am having something special.
As you work to figure out what foods are going to work best for your body and your blood sugar numbers, just know that it is a trial and error experience. Once I figured out the things that worked best for my body, I ate those on repeat with some variations. It was a slow, and oftentimes painstaking, process.
As frustrating and hard as it is, just know that you can do this!
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I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.
I remember my mom had gestational diabetes & back then there was no pinterest or facebook so seeing these recipes are so helpful for mamas out there who need them!
Thank you! My mother-in-law most likely had it as she had three very large babies, but there was no test for it then.
This is such a great resource! Even though I don’t have gestational diabetes, I eat fairly low carb and gluten free. All of these recipes can be adapted for me and they look really good. Thank you for making the best of a bad situation and helping so many eat clean tasty food, including me.
I’m so afraid to get gestational diabetes that I started to eat as if I already had one. With my first pregnancy, I was falsy diagnosed with one which scared the crap out of me… All these recipes are so good! Pinning for future use 🙂
I am so sorry to hear about your false diagnoses! So frustrating! When do you go in for your GD test?
Is there anywhere else to download this? I filled out the subscription and confirmed my email but it never showed up in my inbox or junk folders.
Hi Kelsie. Yikes! You show up on my subscription list and it says it was sent. I will resend it to you directly via your email. It will be coming from Brooke at wreckingroutine dot com. Thank you for letting me know!
yay thanks! I marked the email as not junk so hopefully that helps. I’ve been checking my junk folder all day because I’m so excited for it! lol