Eating Out with Gestational Diabetes: A Guide to Keep You Sane
Introduction
Picture this: you're pregnant, glowing, and your appetite is in overdrive. (Or, if you’re like me, you’re pregnant, nauseous, and can only handle toast!) Either way, there's a twist–you have gestational diabetes. Suddenly, both the joys and the practicalities of eating become an exercise in strategic planning.
This is especially true when you find yourself eating outside of your house, whether that be in a restaurant, at the office, on the road, or at a friend’s BBQ or holiday party.
You might be asking yourself,
“How can I make the best choices for myself, even when my options are limited?”
“How do I maintain blood sugar control while dining at my favorite restaurants!?”
“What top tips should I keep in mind, to make sure I always have something safe to eat?”
Navigating uncharted food waters (while pregnant!) is not ideal, but it is definitely doable. Having gestational diabetes doesn't mean giving up the pleasure of dining out entirely; in fact, with some preparation and knowledge, you can become the boss of these GDM challenges.
Stick around to learn how I made eating out with gestational diabetes manageable, and you can too!
Understanding Why Dietary Choices Are Important When You Have Gestational Diabetes
Let’s start with the basics:
Gestational diabetes is a condition that affects how your body balances and regulates blood sugar levels during pregnancy. Normally, insulin enables your cells to take glucose from the bloodstream, either for energy or for storage. However, hormonal changes during pregnancy often result in insulin resistance.
With gestational diabetes, this insulin resistance makes it harder for your body's cells to process the extra glucose from your bloodstream, which causes blood sugar levels to rise. In response to higher, post-meal glucose levels, your pancreas produces more insulin. If left unchecked over time, this process can cause serious issues for you and for baby.
So what does this mean in practical terms? It means that your pre-pregnancy diet might need to be adjusted for the remainder of your pregnancy, in favor of foods (or macronutrient combinations) that are known to have a stabilizing effect on blood sugar levels.
What Foods Have a Stabilizing Effect on Blood Sugar Levels for Gestational Diabetes?
Focus on:
PROTEIN: Like carbohydrates, protein can provide energy. But protein takes longer to digest than carbs do, and does not release much glucose. Both these factors help keep post-meal, blood glucose-rise in check.
FAT: Fat is another energy source that slows down digestion, which helps mitigate how quickly your glucose levels rise. It also provides a lot of bang for your energy buck: a small quantity of fat will provide more energy than the same quantity of protein.
FIBER: Fiber is actually a type of carbohydrate, but one that the body cannot digest. It slows down the absorption rate of sugars from food into the bloodstream, and helps keep hunger at bay for longer than your average carb.
A final note in this section: I am definitely not advocating that you completely avoid carbohydrates. You need carbohydrates! They are your body’s main fuel source! Fruits and vegetables are carbohydrates.
But I am saying that balancing your intake of carbohydrates is essential to the management of gestational diabetes. Protein, fat, and fiber will all help you in this endeavor.
Hydrate Smartly: Starting Your Meal Right
I wish I had something more interesting to tell you here, but water is the number one choice when you have gestational diabetes. Adequate hydration is important when you are pregnant in general, and it seems to be even more so when you have GDM.
None of the studies I’ve read about water and insulin resistance / blood glucose levels examine pregnant people specifically. But in general, dehydration seems to lead to elevated blood sugar levels, because of higher concentrations of glucose in the bloodstream. And when you are dehydrated, your kidneys can retain the water you do have, instead of releasing extra glucose in the form of pee.
That said, if you are out to dinner or at a party, or just jonesing for something a little more special than water, consider: unsweetened iced tea, coffee (black or with cream), hot tea (with lemon or cream), or club soda with citrus.
(True story: once, at a cocktail bar, I asked a bartender to serve me club soda and lime, but in the fanciest glass he had, with the fanciest ice, and the most fun cocktail garnishes he could think of. I’m not saying it was the same as drinking a cocktail, but it did help me feel like I was part of the party!)
Sugary drinks (coffee “drinks”, soda, sweet tea, juices, etc.) can cause quick rises in blood glucose levels, and should therefore be avoided.
Some people do well with diet sodas, or artificially-sweetened drinks. There has been some research into whether or not artificial sweeteners are linked with adverse blood sugar control levels. While this is something to be aware of, the evidence so far is inconclusive. The same considerations hold for sugar alcohols, although note that over-consuming sugar alcohols can cause GI distress!
If you have specific questions about how artificial sweeteners could affect your GDM, definitely check in with your doctor, or with a registered dietician or nutritionist.
A last note: this is purely anecdotal, but many women with GDM–myself included–notice that drinking a large quantity of water either with your food, or right after, can help bring your numbers down.
Dining Out With Gestational Diabetes: The Big Picture
Now we know that making informed dietary choices is important when you have GDM, to focus on protein, fat, and fiber, and to drink plenty of water.
But what does this mean for dining outside the comfort and control of your own kitchen?
At home, you have total control over the ingredients you use, as well as what you’ll find in the refrigerator/freezer/pantry. But when you’re on the go, you’ll often have to make the best choices you can from less than ideal options, which may feel challenging at first.
Step one is to get familiar with the menu beforehand. Most restaurants have their menus online these days, which makes it easier to plan what you’ll eat ahead. If it's not possible to check the menu before heading out, don’t be afraid to ask questions about ingredients or preparation methods when ordering.
If you find yourself with very little nutritional information available, a good general rule of thumb is to choose dishes that are low in simple carbohydrates, but high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats.
Another big factor when eating out is portion size: there's a difference between serving size and portion size! Since restaurants often offer larger portions than you’d consume at home, be cognizant that eating way past a suggested serving size could affect blood sugar levels negatively if consumed in full.
Specifically What to Eat When Dining Out with Gestational Diabetes
Use this list of “safe foods” to help make gestational diabetes restaurant food-choices when you are out of the house:
NON-STARCHY VEGETABLES: artichokes, arugula, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, cucumber, eggplant, fennel, garlic, ginger, kale, leeks, lettuces, mushrooms, okra, olives, onions, peppers, radishes, spinach, string beans, zucchini
PROTEIN: small fish like anchovies and sardines, low-mercury fish, bacon, beef, poultry, lamb, lobster, mussels, octopus, pork, sausage, shrimp, squid, veal
DAIRY + EGGS: butter, cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese, eggs, ghee, heavy cream, sour cream
NUTS + SEEDS: almonds, cashews, chia seeds, flax seeds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts
CONDIMENTS: almond butter, avocado oil, bone broth and stock, blue cheese dressing, caesar dressing, capers, citrus, coconut milk, hot sauce, mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil, peanut butter, pesto, pickles, salsa, tomato sauce, vinegar, vinaigrette
What does this look like in practice? Let’s look at some specific examples!
EATING OUT WITH GESTATIONAL DIABETES
Of course, there are a million different kinds of restaurants, but here are a few options that spring to mind:
- Cobb or Wedge Salad
- Brothy, tofu soup with sauteed ginger-garlic greens
- Omelet with onions, mushrooms, ham, and cheese
- A burger or breakfast sandwich with cheese, onions, hot sauce or mustard, hold the bun
- Shrimp cocktail, steak, and creamed spinach
- Fajita of your choice with avocado, sour cream, pico de gallo, cheese, onions, and peppers, hold the tortilla
- Roast chicken with lemony greens and string beans
- Caprese salad with pesto
GESTATIONAL DIABETES ON A ROAD TRIP OR AT THE AIRPORT
- Pre-cut celery, cucumbers, and peppers with hummus or blue cheese dressing
- Bag of your favorite nuts (my favorite? salt and vinegar almonds or pistachios)
- Packet of almond or peanut butter
- Packaged cheese, like string cheese or Babybel
- Olives
- Beef jerky
- Hard-cooked egg with everything bagel seasoning
GESTATIONAL DIABETES AT A PARTY
- Crudité plate, especially with a creamy dressing
- Spiced nuts
- Sausage-stuffed mushrooms
- Deviled eggs
- Cheese plate
- Roasted peppers and marinated artichokes
- Cream cheese-stuffed pepper
- Skewer with cucumber, bacon, tomato, and blue cheese
- Endive boats with creamy dip
- Bacon-wrapped asparagus
GESTATIONAL DIABETES WHEN YOU ARE A GUEST IN SOMEONE’S HOME
This is the time when it is absolutely appropriate to contact the host or hostess ahead of time, and explain your current dietary restrictions! With advanced notice, and a little information from you, hopefully your host will be gracious and make accommodations for you.
With an open line of communication ahead of the event, you have a better chance of having your needs met without ruffling any feathers. Of course, you can also offer to bring something with you, if that will make both parties feel better.
Tips for Shifting Your Mindset When it Comes to Eating Out with Gestational Diabetes
Of course, sometimes things don’t go as you wish, even when you try your best:
Even after explaining gestational diabetes to your family, your mother-in-law might still bring cupcakes to your baby shower.
Even as you pick through a less-than-ideal buffet spread, a family friend might lecture you about how they ate during their pregnancy.
You might find yourself tired, hungry, and frustrated as you feed your toddler birthday party pizza, noticing that there is nothing for you to eat in sight.
Believe me, I know how maddening this can feel. Gestational diabetes is already so hard and unfair, having to navigate clueless or insensitive family, friends, and/or strangers can feel like adding insult to injury.
If this happens to you, remember that you are definitely not alone. And also that this is temporary. While you might not be able to change the people around you, you can definitely make sure that your bag is full of salted peanuts! (Seriously, my bag was always full of roasted peanuts, and they saved me more times than I can count!)
I know gestational diabetes stinks, but you can get through it, I promise.
Conclusion
With some knowledge and a bit of strategy, eating out when you have gestational diabetes can feel a lot less daunting. Because let's face it; everyone deserves a good meal out every now and then!
Lead with protein, fat, and fiber, and make sure to drink plenty of water. And definitely consult with your doctor, or a registered dietician or nutritionist, if you have questions based on your specific needs and lifestyle.
Remember too that managing gestational diabetes is not about being perfect all the time! Your job is to do your best, prepare as well as you can, and then to live your life and give yourself grace.
Where Can I Get More Support?
GD Kitchen! I created this resource to solve a problem I wish someone had already solved before my first GD pregnancy. I teamed up with OB Rachael Sullivan, DO and nutritionist Jamie Askey, RN, so that you'll have all the resources, and all the confidence, I wish I’d had.
Looking for more? Check out the Blog, or try six free recipes here.
What else do we offer? Read more about The GD Starter Pack and The Recipe Membership.
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