Gestational diabetes is diagnosed during pregnancy, usually at about 24 to 28 weeks. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are few obvious symptoms of gestational diabetes. Risk factors include age, family history, overweight or obese prior to pregnancy and race. Having gestational diabetes puts your baby and yourself at risk for several complications, which is why it is especially important to understand how to control gestational diabetes through diet as best you can.
Step 1
Speak with a registered dietitian or other health-care provider who can give the necessary information regarding gestational diabetes. When you have this basic information, it will be easier to understand why it is so important to follow a careful diet.
Step 2
Learn carbohydrate counting. Carbohydrate counting is a method used to help you plan your meals and control your blood glucose levels to help you feel better. One carbohydrate serving is equal to 15g of carbohydrate. To be as accurate as possible, check your servings using measuring cups and spoons or a food scale and read the Nutrition Facts label. When reading a Nutrition Facts label for carbohydrate information, look only at the serving size and total grams of carbohydrate. Ignore grams of sugar because they are included in total grams of carbohydrate.
Step 3
Develop a meal plan. This meal plan should include enough calories and nutrients to ensure healthy fetal growth and should be developed to help you maintain optimal blood glucose control. It is important to follow a consistent meal plan with meals and snacks occurring and roughly the same time each day. A sample meal plan for a gestational diabetic would look something like this: For breakfast, two carbohydrate servings, a morning snack of one carbohydrate serving, four carbohydrate servings for lunch, an afternoon snack of two carbohydrate servings, a dinner of two carbohydrate servings and an evening snack of two carbohydrate servings.
Step 4
Monitor your blood glucose. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fingerstick blood glucose testing should be done four times per day for a week. If all is optimal, decrease to four times per day two days per week, or as otherwise advised by your health-care provider.
Step 5
Write it down. Keep a food journal to track your diet and blood glucose levels. Write down what you ate, how much and at what time. Also, write down your blood glucose levels. This will be used as a reference during follow-up appointments and can be helpful for you to look back on.
Step 6
Follow up with your dietitian and health-care provider regularly to ensure that you and the baby are doing well.
Tips and Warnings
- Most gestational diabetics only require two carbohydrate servings at breakfast, but four at lunch and dinner.
Things You'll Need
- Pencil or pen
- Notebook
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Optional: Food scale
