Disclaimer: I am not a health professional. This advice only comes from empirical knowledge of having gestational diabetes during both of my pregnancies. These are simply tips that I am passing along to those who are seeking a little more guidance on the topic.
The first piece of advice, do not beat yourself up. This was not because you indulged in sweets or didn't have the perfect diet. Gestational diabetes is simply a response your body is now having in regards to your pregnancy. That is why it is gestational diabetes. During my first pregnancy when I failed both the 1 hour and 3 hour glucose tests, I was shocked. My BMI was in the normal range, I did not have a sweet tooth besides the occasional chocolate, I had never kept sodas or juices in the house or a lot of junk food. Initially I could not wrap my mind around the fact that this was something beyond my control at this point. In order to effectively manage your GD, a positive attitude is necessary. Let go of the mommy guilt. There will be enough of that as you raise your child.
Mentally it can be very challenging to diet manage your GD. Especially if you are already raising little ones or you work full-time or both. Usually when meal times roll around you may be exhausted and the temptation to give into foods that are readily available will be great. It is obvious that salads take more prep time than grabbing a sandwich and a bag of chips or hitting up a drive thru on the way home. The largest motivating factor for myself was hitting my blood sugar target range. I hated seeing a high number after a bad meal. The disappointment that I felt left me regretting the cheeseburger and fries. After a few of these experiences your brain won't even want those foods that cause your blood sugar to spike.
Cost is also an additional challenge. We all know a big pot of spaghetti is certainly a cheaper and easier alternative than buying the various ingredients for a more healthy meal and preparing them. You will learn quickly that pasta is a big no-no on with this diet. The amount you are allotted is not worth the time and it can really spike your blood sugar. Everyone will react differently of course but after attempts at eating my favorite pasta dishes, I ended up omitting this from my diet.
Take heart! You can keep costs down, it is not all salads and prep work. If you are a fan of chicken, buy lots of chicken breasts. In my grocery store you can frequently find sales or bulk packs of chicken. For my evening meal I would pair baked chicken with any kind of veggie. We live in a wonderful age of microwavable steamers. I frequently find these on sale at Target. It is very easy to bake a chicken and then microwave your veggie. Voila! There is your meal. If you are pressed for time bake lots of chicken at once and have it for the next couple of days. Then all you have to do is wait the 5 to 7 minutes for your vegetable to cook. I know when I started this diet I thought a meal like that would not fill me up. But it did. In between the protein and the fiber from the veggies, I felt full. I also had extra energy from all the protein I was eating.
We also live in the age of thin breads. Remember the sandwich I mentioned earlier? I loved my sandwich and chips for lunch. Now they sell these quaint little thin breads that I would fill with chicken or egg salad. And I would have a side of baby carrots with that. It is a variation but you still get the crunchy part with a slightly smaller sandwich. You could also use a tortilla and make a wrap.
At this point I need to mention water. Drink, drink, drink. We should be drinking a lot of water during pregnancy but with GD you need to be even more vigilant about your intake. This is especially important if you have had a heavy meal. Slipped up and had a few too many slices of pizza? Start drinking that water girl like a camel and your bump is a hump. Water will help stabilize those sugars. It will not exactly fix the mistake but it will bring your levels down faster. Do not think you can eat bad and drink water everyday. I had a St. Patty's day where I indulged a little too much in cake and no amount of water was bringing that number down.
Speaking of pizza. There is no need to part ways with this friend that is beloved around the world. Two words: thin crust. With GD I was able to eat 2 relatively large slices of thin crust pizza from a take and bake place. Again, this is not something you would do every night but I used it as a little reward for a good week of eating.
While on the topic of fast food, I know that many major chains offer salads or wraps now. My willpower is not very good so I ended up saying goodbye to most of these places. It was just easier for me. Places that serve tacos seemed to have the best carb counts. I could have two soft shell tacos and not be over the allotted number of carbs for that meal. If you travel frequently you will need to have access to the number of carbohydrates at these restaurants. Thankfully most places now have that available and it shouldn't be too large of an issue.
It is afternoon and you need a snack. Traditionally you could probably grab a muffin or a banana but with GD those are not very good options. Bananas are loaded with sugar as are muffins. I ate a lot of hard-boiled eggs. They do take time to peel and if your blood sugar is dropping than a faster option is yogurt. Buy lots of yogurt. It is usually on sale and is a quick way to get that snack in. For my snack at night I made my own trail mix. The trail mix that you buy at the store is usually more expensive and comes with unnecessary sugar. I would buy the big containers of almonds from any grocery-selling store, dried cranberries from Target (they are super-cheap there), and throw in some pieces of dark chocolate chips. Dark chocolate is easier on your blood sugar. I could eat about a handful or so of this for a snack. It was actually a snack that my husband I still enjoy.
These are just a few of the many tidbits that I picked up while having GD during my first pregnancy and now again with my second. I may do a second part to this because there is much more to cover. It may seem daunting at first to overhaul your diet but after a few days it just becomes second nature. And after a couple of weeks your are a pro. Keep your chin up! Remember it is only something that lasts for a few months out of your life. It may be difficult to keep that perspective as you jab your finger four times a day but think of it as a science experiment or a challenge. Personally, having a glucose monitor changed some of my eating habits forever. :)
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