Eating Right

Eating the right foods is the main way to control your blood sugar. In fact, most women can keep their blood sugar within a normal range by diet alone. You need to eat plenty of starch, protein, and vegetables, and some milk, fruit, and fat each day. Some foods raise blood sugar more than others. Learning serving sizes helps you know how much to eat of each food.

Check with your healthcare provider or a registered dietician for serving sizes tailored to you.

Starches and Grains

Starches and grains contain fiber and important vitamins. But they also raise blood sugar if you eat too much at one time.

• Choose breads, pasta, rice, and whole beans. Starchy vegetables such as corn, potatoes, and yams are good, too. But avoid instant noodles, cereals, and grains.

• Toast, bake, or boil. Don't add sugar or jam.

Protein

Protein is digested slowly, so it helps keep your blood sugar stable. Your baby also needs protein to have strong bones and muscles.

• Bake or broil. Remove the skin from fish and poultry, and trim fat off meat before cooking. Avoid frying. Avoid gravy, batter, and sweet sauces.

Vegetables

Vegetables contain mostly water, so they don't raise your blood sugar. They are also rich in vitamins and high in fiber.

• Choose fresh or plain frozen vegetables. Some canned vegetables have added sugar.

• Steam or microwave. Use just a little water. This helps keep the vitamins in.

Milk and Yogurt

Milk and yogurt are rich in calcium and protein. But they also contain sugar, even if they're not sweetened. They raise blood sugar fast.

• Choose plain or "light" yogurt. Look for yogurt with no more than 120 calories in an 8-oz serving.

• Limit milk or yogurt at breakfast. At the first meal of the day, they may make your blood sugar rise too high.

Fruit

Fruit is high in fiber and vitamins, especially A and C. But fruit also has lots of natural sugar, which quickly turns to blood sugar.

• Choose fresh fruit. Canned and frozen fruit often have added sugar.

• Don't eat fruit for breakfast. This may raise your blood sugar too high.

• Don't drink fruit juice. All types of fruit juices are high in sugar.

Fats

Fat raises your blood sugar much more slowly than starch or protein. But fat is high in calories. Eating too much fat can make you gain weight too fast.

• Go light on fat. Gaining too much weight can make your blood sugar harder to control. It can also make your baby bigger.

• Use vegetable fats. Choose canola, olive, sunflower, safflower, or peanut oil.

• Avoid frying. Soften onions and garlic in water. Toast tortillas. Brown meat under the broiler.

Planning Meals

Carbohydrates (starches and sugars) raise your blood sugar more than other foods. They are found in milk, fruit, and starchy foods such as grains, beans, and potatoes. To keep your blood sugar in a healthy range, you need to control the amount of carbohydrate you eat at one time. You need to eat regular meals and snacks. You need to avoid certain foods. And you need to gain the right amount of weight.

Eat Regular Meals and Snacks

It's best to eat small amounts every 2 to 4 hours. If you eat less often, you're likely to eat too much at once. This may make your blood sugar rise too high. So spread your meals and snacks evenly through the day. And keep the amount of food you eat the same each day.

• Eat three meals and three snacks a day. Your healthcare provider will help you make a meal plan that works for you. Your meal plan will tell you how many servings of each food group to have at each meal. If you miss a meal or a snack, don't have more food the next time you eat. This may raise your blood sugar too high.

• Count carbohydrates. Your dietitian will teach you how to read food labels for serving size and total grams of carbohydrate. This will help you plan meals and snacks.

• Limit carbohydrate at breakfast. Your blood sugar rises most in the morning. So eat no more than 30 grams of carbohydrate at breakfast. Eat a protein with your starch. Avoid fruit, fruit juice, milk, and cold cereal. They raise your blood sugar too high in the morning.

• Eat a bedtime snack. This ensures that you don't go too long without food. Eat a protein and a starch.

Avoid High-Sugar Foods

Eating foods that are high in sugar (simple carbohydrates) raises your blood sugar more than most other foods. You know that candy and desserts are high in sugar. So are lots of other foods, such as baked beans and spaghetti sauce. Follow the tips below:

• Read the ingredients on the food label. Avoid foods that list any of these kinds of sugar in the first four ingredients:

  - sugar

  - dextrose

  - honey

  - fructose

  - molasses

  - glucose

  - corn syrup

  - corn sweetener

  - sucrose

• Low-fat doesn't mean low sugar. Low-fat versions of foods, such as salad dressing or ice cream, can be high in sugar. Read the label.

• Beware of sauces. Barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce, hoisin sauce, catsup, chutney, and most other condiments have added sugar. Read the labels.

• Avoid alcohol. Alcohol can affect your blood sugar in ways that are hard to predict. Drinking alcohol also raises your baby's risk of having problems after birth.

• Use sugar substitutes in moderation. The effect of aspartame and other sugar substitutes on mother and baby is not well understood.

How Much Weight Should You Gain?

You need to gain some weight so your baby will grow. But gaining too much weight can make your blood sugar harder to control.

• If your weight was normal before pregnancy: Your goal is to gain 25 to 35 pounds.

• If you were overweight before pregnancy: Your goal is to gain 15 to 25 pounds.

• If you were underweight before pregnancy or you are under 18: Your goal is to gain 28 to 40 pounds.

• If you're having twins: Your goal is to gain 35-45 pounds.