You’re pregnant and you’ve been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. To say you’re probably feeling overwhelmed is an understatement! But don’t worry, mama… I got you and those snack attacks. It’s especially important that you choose the right snacks at the right times to keep your blood sugar levels stable and your energy levels up.
Choosing foods that are packed with nutrients and phytochemicals is essential for the growth and development of your baby… and to keep mom healthy too!
Snack Tips for Gestational Diabetes
- Eat every 3 hours or so
- Make sure every meal and snack is balanced
What do I mean by “balanced”…?
Snacks That Stabilize Blood Sugars
To manage your gestational diabetes, you want every meal and snack to have 3 components:
- Complex Carbohydrates (including fiber)
- Protein
- Healthy Fat
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The Best Snack Ideas for Gestational Diabetes
Here’s a list of snacks I recommend you keep on hand throughout your pregnancy:
- Veggies and hummus (or other bean dip)
- Nuts (unsalted, preferably raw; 1/4 cup serving)
- Almonds
- Brazil nuts
- Cashews
- Hazelnuts
- Macadamia nuts
- Pecans
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
- Seeds (unsalted, preferably raw; 1/4 cup serving)
- Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- Sunflower seeds
- Plain Greek yogurt with a handful of berries and a sprinkle of chia seeds or hemp seeds
- Roasted chickpeas (I like these ready-to-go ones or make your own roasted chickpeas)
- Steamed edamame pods with a sprinkle of salt or sesame oil
- Roasted lentils (you can buy these or make your own roasted lentils)
- Hardboiled eggs
- Mini whole grain pita stuffed with egg salad or tuna salad
- Small banana with unsweetened almond butter
- Small apple with unsweetened peanut butter
- Kale chips (you can buy these or make your own kale chips)
- Chicken avocado wrap (whole grain wrap with roasted chicken breast or nitrate-free low fat turkey deli meat with 1/4 of an avocado, tomato and lettuce)
- Cottage cheese (1/2 cup) and a handful of blueberries
- Slice of wholegrain toast with nut butter (unsweetened)
- Caprese salad skewers (bocconcini cheese, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil on toothpicks or cocktail skewers)
- Mini pizza (1/2 of a whole grain English muffin with crushed tomatoes or pesto and a sprinkle of low fat mozzarella or ricotta cheese, broiled until cheese is melted)
- Popcorn
- Wholegrain crackers (a serving is usually 5 small crackers) and 1 oz (1 slice) of cheese
- Seaweed snacks (nori sheets)
- Red pepper strips with guacamole
- Cucumber slices with tzatziki
- Green smoothies (that have protein and moderate carbs)
- Trail Mix Breakfast Cookies (these are great for constipation too)
The Best Packaged Snacks for Gestational Diabetes
Because we’re busy enough… and sometimes you just need something you can grab and go.
I’ve put together a list of my favorite snacks for gestational diabetes on Amazon so you can stock up quickly and easily.
The Best Protein Bars for Gestational Diabetes
If you like having some protein bars on hand just in case you need to eat something quickly (and stealthily), here are my top picks. These are all gluten-free. Note that the CLIF and KIND bars contain inulin/chicory root fiber, so they can be a bit more gassy if you’re sensitive to that. Especially during pregnancy!
Aloha protein bars – vegan, organic and gluten-free
Healthy Snack Shopping List for Gestational Diabetes
I’ve divided them up into snacks that need to be refrigerated if you’re at home or have a fridge at your work. If you don’t have access to a fridge during the day, not to worry. Read on!
I like to keep a separate list of foods that are shelf-stable/non-perishable, or don’t need to be kept in the fridge. This is key for everyone. We all run errands that end of taking longer than we thought, and I don’t want you to get stuck without having something to eat.
Keeping your car, purse, gym bag, desk drawer, etc. loaded with snacks is key to making sure you don’t let your blood sugar drop. This can lead to overeating later and puts your blood sugars out of whack. You want this to be smooth sailing for you and the baby!
Fridge Snack Shopping List
- Natural peanut butter, almond butter or other nut and seed butter, no added sugar
- Edamame, boiled or steamed
- Plain Greek yogurt, unsweetened (avoid “diet” yogurts with artificial sweeteners)
- Hardboiled eggs
- Cheese
- Cheese sticks, slices and/or Babybel cheese
- Cottage cheese, plain
- Mini bocconcini cheese
- Shredded mozzarella for mini pizzas
- Fresh fruit
- Berries
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Apples
- Pears
- Small bananas
- Berries
- Guacamole
- Tzatziki sauce
- Hummus or other bean dip
- Veggies
- Cherry tomatoes
- Celery sticks
- Carrot sticks
- Cucumber rounds or spears
- Sugar snap peas
- Snow peas
- Bell pepper slices
- Jicama sticks
- Zucchini spears
- Lettuce for wraps
- Baby spinach for green smoothies
Non Perishable Snack Shopping List
- Nuts (unsalted, preferably raw; 1/4 cup serving)
- Almonds
- Brazil nuts
- Cashews
- Hazelnuts
- Macadamia nuts
- Pecans
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
- Seeds (unsalted, preferably raw; 1/4 cup serving)
- Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- Sunflower seeds
- Chia seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Roasted lentils (you can buy these or make your own roasted lentils)
- Kale chips (you can buy these or make your own kale chips)
- Popcorn
- Crackers made from whole grains, nuts and/or seeds
- Protein bars
- Aloha protein bars – vegan, organic and gluten-free
- CLIF whey protein bars
- KIND protein bars
Gestational Diabetes Meal Planning
Wondering what to eat for your meals? Here’s how you can make meal planning easier.
Looking for more personalized advice? I’d love to help! Reach out and let’s talk about nutrition coaching. We can work together to create a meal plan to help you reach your goals.
