WIth 8 weeks of pregnancy to go, I took the nurse's phone call painfully. "We've decided to diagnose you gestational diabetic." I started to cry. She explained gently that we'd try diet control with no medication and see if that would help stabilize my sugar levels. Everyone I complained to for the next week scoffed at my misery. "It's only 8 weeks! You can do it. Just eat lots of green veggies, and avoid..." (fill in the blank, ad nauseum)
This for a girl addicted to dairy products! I love sugar, and hate artificial sweeteners. I love milk, can't stand soy products. I despise vitamins, but I get all my vitamin C through fruit juices-now on the 'no go' list. So what do you do to make it through, if you're not a serious dieter? Now I'm not addressing all you wonderful people who can eat salad 4 times a day or are totally gluten-dairy-wheat free. But there are those of us who lack some discipline and just want to eat what we are used to. What to do?
1. First point is eggs. These little ovals of goodness have saved my breakfasts. Eggs are high in protein, low in carbs, and a handy tool for a gestational diabetic. They are great for baby's nutrition as well as yours, and the childbirth classes I attend recommend a minimum of 2 per day. They can be hard to stomach prepared the same way over and over, so get creative! Eggs are very flexible. My favorite way to prepare them is to scramble with cheese, sausage, garlic, salt and pepper. I recently made myself a breakfast burrito (Watch the tortilla wraps for carbs, but if you can count the carbs in one, you can stuff with all no-carb fillings and make your carb count for the meal with just the wrap). I filled it with sausage, eggs, tomato, cucumber, sour cream and a tiny bit of boiled potato. Eggs can also be whipped, prepped with a little mayo for egg salad, hard-boiled, poached, made into omelets or many other options. Look for recipes based with eggs, there are some great ones out there.
2. Sour cream, cream cheese and cottage cheese. This list provided my dairy fix. Though they have small amounts of carbs, it is nothing like milk. I think the cream cheese is about 4 carbs for 2 tablespoons. While I can eat all of these raw, they are also extremely flexible and great for use in every meal. For breakfast, I can use the cream cheese on my toast with a little jam. Sour cream fills breakfast burritos or can be whipped with cream cheese and a bit of sugar (or your choice of sweeteners) for a delicious, low-carb topper for a pancake. Make salad dressings with sour cream or cottage cheese, and cream or cottage cheese make a good dip for many fruits, if you can count some fruit into your afternoon or evening meals. Cottage cheese is tasty with tuna fish, salads, fruit, or a dinner side. It has tons of protein, which is another essential in pregnancy.
3. Almond or rice milk. I can't stand to drink these plain, since I'm used to rich, creamy milk. But I am missing my coffee! Using a decaf coffee, ice, and almond milk, you can blend up an iced coffee with no carbs. Then if you have a carb "choice"- 15 carbs for a snack, you can add 3 teaspoons of sugar or sweetener for a yummy blended drink. Almond milk has 1 carb in a cup, opposite 13 for a cup of dairy milk.
4. Measuring cups! If you are going crazy thinking your meal portions have been greatly reduced, pull out your measuring cups. I am a busy woman. I rarely have time to portion and measure my meal separate from my husband's and grandmother's. But if you take 1-2 days to slow down your meal planning a bit, start checking to see just how much food is in a cup. Take full advantage of whatever you're allowed carb wise. You might be surprised at how much food you are actually allowed. My nutritionist told me 1/3 cup of cooked rice or pasta is one carb choice. That means if I have cooked broccoli with butter and sour cream as a dip (My favorite!), cottage cheese for a side, and a salmon filet, I can eat 2/3 cup of rice and 1 cup of milk. Let me tell you, that's a big meal! No skimpy little plates for my dinner.
5. Cheese. One more versatile, amazing help. Cheese goes good with turkey or beef for a lunch sandwich. I already suggested adding it to eggs for breakfast. For a snack I will melt cheese with tuna fish, on a piece of bread, or even just plain on a plate. There are so many types of cheese that I'm sure you can find one to satisfy you. Cheese is low in carbs and great for all meals. You can make a cheese sauce with almond milk and a little butter and flour to pour over broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, etc.
There are lots of tips and tricks to meal planning for gestational diabetes. One friend suggested lowering my yeast intake, saying it helped with craving the sugars. My best encouragement was simply reading labels. Become familiar with the carbohydrate readings in nutrition labels and you'll find that you are not limited as much as it seems. Of course if you are required to go low fat, gluten, or dairy, some of these suggestions will need adjusted. But take advantage of your nutritionist, your doctor and diabetic friends and relatives. Just don't get scared off by the horror stories. Remember that gestational diabetes is NOT Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes, and it is NOT Type 2 Adult Onset. You are different and your body has unique requirements.
Finally, remember that as easy as you make it, it will still be a challenge. When you crave the fruit for breakfast, brownies, chocolate or cookies, think about your baby. As you've probably heard by now, uncontrolled diabetes can be nasty. For your pregnancy, high levels of blood glucose can mean a huge baby (upwards of 11 pounds), the risk of Type 2 diabetes for you after the pregnancy, and a diabetic or severely affected baby. My biggest motivator so far has been thinking about a few short weeks away, when I will hold my son for the first time, and see a healthy, average sized boy with a good life ahead of him, along with the safe return of my morning coffee.
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