Meal ideas for gestational or type 1 or 2 diabetes in pregnancy

Here are some suggested meal ideas that could help control your blood sugar (also known as blood glucose) levels if you have gestational diabetes or type 1 or 2 diabetes.

These meal ideas below have helped other women but you might find they do not work for you. You will have to go through a period of trying different foods and testing your glucose levels to see what foods are causing spikes.

If so, try something else. There is more advice here on choosing low glycaemic index foods, as well as other top tips for eating with gestational diabetes.

Remember to be careful with portion sizes as this has the biggest effect on blood sugar levels.

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
7. 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

Read more about your diet with gestational diabetes

Read more about monitoring your blood glucose levels