10 Protein Snacks for Gestational Diabetes

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10 Protein Snacks for Gestational Diabetes

I remember when my OB/GYN informed me at my 8-week pregnancy appointment I had high fasting blood glucose. It was only 105 but he informed me it would most likely continue to rise the further along I got in my pregnancy.

He told me I could do the gestational diabetes test where you drink the orange glucose drink and have your blood taken at 1 hr and again at 2hrs. Or I could just monitor blood sugars throughout the pregnancy. My doctor said he was certain I would fail the test. As he suggested, I decided to just do the diet and test blood sugars after meals.

First, he wanted me to see a nutritionist. I agreed and my first appointment was not good. I left in tears. I was overweight before I got pregnant but I wasn’t obese. When I asked her what would be an appropriate amount of weight to gain during the pregnancy she told me no weight gain. But if I was to gain weight I need to keep at 15 pounds or less.

As soon as I got in my car I started sobbing. When I got home and told my husband I’m not supposed to gain any weight! That is crazy! You can’t tell a first-time pregnant mom she can’t gain weight!!!

In movies and TV shows they always romanticized pregnancy as this time where you could indulge guilt-free. I envisioned sending my hubby on a midnight craving run for ice cream, watermelon, or pickles. Nope, that wasn’t going to be happening for me.

Thank goodness for the internet because I found so much info on low-carb snacks and meals. Once I learned what foods to eat and how to manage my blood sugars it was a breeze.

What is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational Diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. Usually, it happens in the 2nd to 3rd trimester. Insulin helps keep blood sugar in check but for some women their placenta makes hormones that prevent insulin from working well. This leads to high blood sugar levels.

High blood sugar during pregnancy poses risks to the mother and baby.

• Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia)for baby.
• High Blood Pressure (Preeclampsia) for mother.
• An Extra Large Baby.
• C-Section (Cesarean Section).
• Shoulder dystocia.
• Stillbirth.
• Serious breathing difficulties for baby.
• Obesity and type 2 diabetes later in life.

What’s a carb choice

When I had my first appointment with the dietician she went over something called a carb choice. A carb choice is a way to describe 1 serving of carbohydrates which is 15 grams of carbohydrates. 15 grams of carbohydrates equals 1 carbohydrate choice.

My dietician made a daily guide for me. She informed me I was to have 1-2 carb choices at breakfast, 2-3 at lunch and 3-4 at dinner. 1 carb choice as a bedtime snack but I had to link the carb choice to a protien choice.

Protein choice

What’s a protein choice? It means 1 serving of protein which is 7 grams of protein. The dietician told me I should link 1 carb choice to 1 protein choice. So that means for every 15 grams of carbohydrate I was to eat 7 grams of protein. Always linking carbs and protein helps slow down the release of glucose (from carbohydrates) into the bloodstream.

Personalizing the Diet to Your Needs

I can’t tell you how much of what to eat because I am not a dietician or nutritionist but I will tell you the number of carbs the dietician told me to eat was too much. My blood sugars got too high.

She did warn me and said we might discover that this is too many carbs for you and if it is we just lower it. And that’s what ended up happening.

I needed to eat more carbs choices in the morning and fewer carbs at night. I also had to have a protein snack right before bed because if I didn’t my fasting blood sugar was too high the next morning.

Rebound Hyperglycemia

What is rebound hyperglycemia? Rebound hyperglycemia is when you have an elevated fasting blood sugar reading at awakening. Rebound hyperglycemia is also called Somogyi effect. It is believed that during the middle of the night your blood sugar drops too low. Your body attempts to remedy this by releasing hormones that signal the liver to release stored glucose.

My biggest issue with gestational diabetes was rebound Hyperglycemia. I found what really helped me avoid having high blood sugar readings in the morning was eating a protein snack at bedtime. A handful of almonds or string cheese. This was enough to keep my morning fasting blood sugar readings at 90-95 mg/dl. I tried to always have a bedtime protein snack because if I didn’t my morning readings would be 100-110mg/dl.

How Many Carbs Should I Eat?

You should definitely listen to the guidance from your doctor and your dietician. But keep in mind everyone’s body is different. How you respond to a bowl of oatmeal might be way different than someone else. You’ll discover that certain foods cause blood sugar spikes that may be considered a healthy choice but for you, but they cause your blood sugar to go up too high. I know in my case my dietician told me to eat around 125 carbohydrates a day but it was still too much carbohydrates for me. The sweet spot for me was around 90 carbs a day.

Low Carb High Protein Snacks

These are some of my favorite protein snacks I would have before bed. I didn’t snack too much between meals but when I did I usually reached for a protein snack as I found it helped balance my blood sugar better.

1 ounce of pistachios, 5 grams of protein

Greek yogurt, 17 grams of protein

1.5 ounces of cheese, 10.5 grams of protein

Beef or sausage stick, 8-16 grams of protein

Cottage cheese 1/2 a cup, 12 grams of protein

Hardboiled eggs, 7 grams of protein

Beef jerky– 1 ounce, 9 grams of protein

1 ounce of almonds, 6 grams of protein

2 tablespoons peanut butter, 7 grams of protein

1 -2 ounces of Rotisserie chicken, 9-18 grams of protein (you can purchase at any grocery store).

What Helped Me

Keeping snacks on hand at all times. There will be times when you are hungry and busy and can’t get food for a while. Having healthy snacks on hand is a great idea.

Don’t skip breakfast or other meals. Skipping meals can cause blood sugar to drop too low. One time I skipped breakfast and my blood sugar dropped too low I ended up sweating profusely and became confused and shaky. It was scary.

Journaling food and blood sugar readings. This helped me see what foods caused blood sugar spikes so I could avoid them or eat way less of those foods.

If you are going to eat carbs always link them with protein. One carb choice with one protein choice.

Exercise daily. Walking just 20 minutes a day helps keep blood sugars in check.

Have you ever had gestational diabetes? What was your pregnancy like? Let me know in the comments.

Much Love,

Melissa

If you are into natural health and healing remedies please check out this post on Elderberry Syrup.

This website is for educational purposes only. The information provided by Renaissance Path is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any diseases. Please consult a qualified health care professional for medical advice.