Gestational Diabetes Meal Plan

If anyone is interested, I compiled this from multiple sources:

Breakfast

1. If you are looking for a cereal-type breakfast pick a low/no sugar option with high fibre, such as shredded wheat or porridge, and have it with nuts and seeds.

2. Grilled bacon with one large slice or two small slices of bread that contains seeds and wholegrains. Rye bread is a good option.

3. A large slice or two small slices of toast made with bread that contains seeds with peanut butter that contains no sugar.

4. Eggs are a good choice. Boiled, poached, scrambled, fried eggs or omelette with seeded or wholegrain bread (cook eggs until yolks are firm to reduce risk of unless they have the British Red Lion mark).

5. Plain yoghurt, Greek yoghurt or plain soya yoghurt with apples or pears and nuts or seeds. If you are choosing low-fat yoghurt, check the sugar content.

6. A cooked breakfast; bacon, high meat content sausages or Quorn sausages, mushrooms, eggs, black pudding, whole tomato and a slice of toast made with seeded bread

7. Fish - smoked mackerel, kippers or eggs or cream cheese and smoked salmon

Lunch

1. Scrambled eggs with a slice of seeded bread

2. Greek salad with plenty of olives and feta cheese, with seeded bread or 2 wholegrain crackers or oatcakes.

3. Tuna nicoise salad with plenty of tuna, an egg and olives and green salad

4. Half a baked potato (try using a sweet potato) with tuna mayonnaise, cheese, coleslaw or salad.

5. An open (one slice) sandwich using seeded bread. Meat, fish, egg, cheese and salad toppings are all good options.

6. A ‘pizza’ made with a wholemeal soft tortilla wrap and toppings of your choice (such as mozzarella, tomatoes, onion, olives and tomato puree)

7. A Spanish frittata, made with eggs and potato, with salad on the side.

Evening meal

1. Pasta with a homemade vegetable or chicken sauce, using a small amount of wholemeal pasta. Add some lentils or beans. Check ready-made sauces for sugar content - some are very high

2. Beef stew with sweet potato, lentils or beans.

3. Chicken thighs, wrapped in bacon and roasted, served with a couple of new potatoes and green beans.

4. Grilled fish fillets with butter beans or other pulses

5. Creamy cauliflower cheese with plenty of green vegetables or a leafy green salad:

6. Steak with sweet potato fries and salad

8. Fajitas made with any meat, Quorn or tofu, sliced peppers, onions and spices served in a wrap with guacamole (or avocado), fresh diced tomato and sour cream.

Snacks

1. Granny smith apples (less sugar content than other apples) with sugar-free peanut butter or cheese

2. Popcorn - sugar-free

3. Hummus and carrot sticks or other crudités

4. Full fat Greek, or soya yoghurt

5. Oatcakes with sugar-free peanut butter

6. Olives

7. Nuts and seeds

8. Cooked meats, Quorn, high meat content sausages

9. Cheese

A 7 day meal plan example:

Day 1

A veggie burger with lettuce and tomato is a healthy Monday lunch. Getty Images

Breakfast:

* 2 eggs, scrambled 

* 1 piece toast 

* 1 cup milk 

* Decaf coffee or tea (no sugar)

Mid-morning snack:

* ½ banana

* 1 string cheese stick

Lunch:

* 3-ounce veggie burger with lettuce and tomato on hamburger bun, 1 teaspoon mustard

* 1 cup baby carrots and broccoli 

* Sparkling water flavored with lemon slices

Mid-afternoon snack:

1 orange and ½ cup milk

Dinner:

* 4 oz. steak

* ⅔ cup broccoli

* 1 large baked potato and 2 tablespoons sour cream

Bedtime snack (your bedtime snack should be timed so that overnight fast is no longer than 8 to 10 hours):

* 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter and 2 graham crackers

* ½ cup milk

Day 2

Breakfast: 

* 1 cup Cheerios 

* 1 cup milk 

* Decaf coffee or tea (no sugar)

Mid-morning snack:

* 1 small apple

* 10 oyster crackers

Lunch: 

* Grilled chicken salad: 2 ounce shredded chicken strips, 1 ½ cups chopped lettuce, tomato, cucumber, broccoli, spinach, bell pepper and 2 tablespoons ranch dressing

* 1 cup noodle soup

* ½ cup unsweetened canned apricots

Mid-afternoon snack:

* ⅓ cantaloupe

* 1 rice cake

Dinner: 

* 2 crab cakes

* ⅔ cup collard greens 

* ¾ cup blueberries

* ½ cup milk

Bedtime snack:

* 2 cups popcorn topped with ½ ounce grated Parmesan cheese

Day 3

Breakfast: 

* 1-ounce vegan sausage 

* 1 English muffin

* Decaf coffee or tea (no sugar)

Mid-morning snack:

* 1 orange

* 3 saltine crackers

Lunch: 

* Rice and beans: ½ cup cooked rice and ½ cup pinto beans in 2 teaspoons olive oil

* ⅔ cup green beans

Mid-afternoon snack:

* ¾ cup fresh grapes 

* ½ cup of milk

Dinner: 

* 4 ounces of chicken strips

* 1 cup broccoli

* 1 large baked potato and 2 tablespoons sour cream

Bedtime snack:

* Cheese sandwich made with 1 ounce cheese and ½ slice whole wheat bread

* ¼ cup pineapple

Day 4

Breakfast: 

* 2 hard boiled eggs

* 1 cup milk

* ½ grapefruit

Mid-morning snack:

* 3/4 cup blueberries

* 1 cup non-fat yogurt

Lunch: 

*  Turkey sandwich on 2 slices of whole-wheat bread

* 1 side salad with vinaigrette dressing

Mid-afternoon snack:

* 2 small plums

* ½ cup milk

Dinner:

* 1 4-ounce grilled chicken breast

* 1 cup steamed butternut squash

Bedtime snack: 

* 1 stick of string cheese

* 3 saltine crackers

Day 5

Breakfast:

* 1 whole-wheat English muffin with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

* Decaf coffee or tea (no sugar)

Mid-morning snack:

* 3/4 cup berries with 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts and 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt

Lunch: 

* Caprese chicken sandwich: 2 slices 100% whole-wheat toasted bread, 1 ½ ounces rotisserie chicken with skin removed, sliced ½ medium tomato, 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, 2 slices medium avocado

Mid-afternoon snack:

* ⅓ cup of hummus with 1 cup veggie sticks of your choosing

Dinner:

* 5 ounces of salmon with grilled peaches and goat cheese over arugula

* ½ cup brown rice 

Bedtime snack: 

* 3 Crackers topped with ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese

Day 6

Breakfast: 

* 3/4 cup blueberries

* 1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt

Mid-morning snack: 

* 20 pistachios

* 1 medium pear

Lunch: 

* 2 cups vegetable soup topped with 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Mid-afternoon snack: 

* 1 slice whole-wheat bread with 1 tablespoon of almond butter

Dinner:

* 1 ⅓ cups chicken sausage & peppers

* ½ cup cooked brown rice tossed with ½ teaspoon each olive oil and no-salt-added Italian seasoning

* 2 cups mixed greens topped with 2 tablespoons Italian vinaigrette dressing

Bedtime snack: 

* 1 medium apple sprinkled with cinnamon

* ½ cup cottage cheese

Day 7

Breakfast: 

* ½ cup oats topped with 3/4 cup raspberries and 1 tablespoon chopped pecans

* 1 cup milk

Mid-morning snack: 

* 1 cup of cherries

Lunch: 

* 1 veggie and hummus sandwich on 2 slices whole wheat bread

* 1 cup noodle soup

Mid-afternoon snack:

* 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

* 1 apple

Dinner:

* 1-1/2 cups Spaghetti squash, plus meatballs and marinara sauce

* 1 ½ cups mixed greens topped with 1 tablespoon Italian vinaigrette dressing

Bedtime snack: 

* 1 string cheese stick

* 10 oyster crackers