Her doctor sounds like a hack. If she's already in her third trimester, her risk at suddenly and inexplicably having gestational diabetes is pretty low, and even then, from what I understand, it means she'll have a big fat baby earlier than expected, and the diabetes will resolve itself.

ESPECIALLY since she's already eating healthy.

I don't know what other dietary changes her doctor is expecting either than more lean animal proteins and fewer grains.

My suggestion would be to talk to a midwife. It sounds odd, i know - doctors are supposed to be the be-all, end-all of health tips - but they aren't always. Talk to the people in the trenches - the midwives who are there weekly for pre- and post-natal checkups and nurses who are there in the hospital, actually talking to the women and finding out what all is going on.

Not all doctors understand diabetes. If she's "at-risk", it's probably a good idea for her to visit with a dietitian or nutritionist; if only to make sure she's getting enough of the right nutrition in the latter days of her pregnancy as well as beyond the time her baby is born. I suggest a person instead of a book because the people can help her figure out how to keep what she likes and still make the nutritional changes, as necessary.

I'd say replace the beans with meat. Plenty of protein, low carbs. If calories are still an issue, start cooking with some of the healthier fats like coconut oil, olive oil, and grass-fed butter (maybe throw in some calorie rich veggies like avocados). Eggs are another great low-carb food with plenty of good fats and choline to aid in liver fat export - just be sure to eat the yolks since that is where the nutrients are.

Yea agreed with others, that doesn't sound right. You test for gestational diabetes at around 30 weeks and have it or don't. There's no "at risk" and even so, it goes away after pregnancy. Tell her to get a new doc and eat her fruits and veggies.

Even so, my doc said the best way to lower the risk of developing it is easy and obvious- just reduce your intake of sugars and sodium and stay well hydrated.

Just because someone eats healthy, bodicegoddess, doesn't mean they can't be high risk for gestational diabetes. Especially if they have a family history of diabetes. You're writing off her doctor as a quack without even knowing what factors led him/her to believe she's high risk. Maybe her glucose tolerance test was high.

I have a healthy diet, healthy weight, etc., AND no family history of diabetes, but was recently diagnosed with GD. And, oh yeah, I'm in my third trimester, so it's not exactly unheard of for her to develop it "suddenly and inexplicably." It's caused by pregnancy hormones messing with your body's ability to regulate sugar, not by a poor diet.

Also, having a "big fat baby" is not exactly a small deal - it can lead to greater complications in delivery, especially if I go past my due date. In addition, my child could face complications after birth from the resultant sugar crash, in addition to being at greater risk for childhood obesity and diabetes himself.

These are all things I have had to read up on and face as possible scary complications to my upcoming joyous event. Your blase "it'll just clear up" after birth statement is extremely callous. GD is a potentially serious complication and should be treated as such - with a doctor's and dietician's guidance.

Now, to the original question - anyone else have advice on good diabetic meal planning resources? I'm meeting with a dietician tomorrow, but would love as many resources as possible for healthy recipes.

Forgot to mention - I now also have a 60% chance of developing Type II diabetes over my lifetime. So there's that to freak out about as well.

She should definitely see a dietitian, and she can look one up near her at www.eatright.org and click on "find a registered dietitian". When you get to the map go to the upper right hand corner to select a specialty and click diabetes. There could be several reasons why her doctor may have said she is at risk, but this should not scare her; she can still have a healthy pregnancy even if she gets gestational diabetes, and she doesn't have to be afraid to eat some fruit or beans. Doctors have a lot of knowledge but they are not highly trained in nutrition, so she should seek help from a dietitian.

Based on my family's experience (no problems with the glucose tests, no previous diabetes by the mother or father) it was the doctors way of telling family members they were fat and had a poor diet and were gaining too much weight. All of which was true, it just didn't have anything to do with gd during pregnancy. One of the two people this happened did recently develop diabetes but her doctor does not think it is pregnancy related.

Using gd as a "threat" isn't uncommon. None of which answers your questions.

I'd suggest more nutrtient dense foods that are lower carb like meat, eggs, and lower fat cheese mixed in with a smaller amount of whole grains. But really, encourage her to see a dietician who understands gd.

I am insulin resistant and your friend's doc didn't tell her the whole story. She doesn't have to cut those healthy carbs out of her diet, she just has to balance them with protein. She can have fruits as long as she has some proteins to go with those fruits like plain yogurt or cheese. Telling her to cut out beans and legumes is just plain crazy because they are naturally balanced. Going to a nutritionist will help her a lot. The doc should provide a referral.

I always recommend Moosewood (http://www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/recipes_archive.html) and Mollie Katzen (http://www.molliekatzen.com/archives.php) recipes- you can certainly find good vegetable (without beans and/or fruit) options there.

Lean protein like chicken and fish are also smart and versatile- maybe she'd find inspiration somewhere like Saveur.com?

http://www.saveur.com/solrSearchResults.jsp?p=0&fq=Main\%20Ingredient:Chicken&fq=Source%3ASaveur

http://www.saveur.com/solrSearchResults.jsp?p=0&fq=Main\%20Ingredient:Fish&fq=Source%3ASaveur

I am a Registered Dietitian and also have gestational diabetes. Yes, you can follow a healthy diet and still be diagnosed with GDM. Somewhere around the third trimester, your placenta starts making enough hormones that mess up how your pancreas produces insulin and metabolizes glucose. There are certain risk factors, such as weight, family history and age, that increase this likelihood.
You can also be considered "high risk" depending on the results of your blood tests.
There is absolutely no reason to cut down on carbohydrates - in fact, it is still very important to continue to eat carbs. The keys to controlling diabetes and having a healthy baby are portion sizes and timing of your carbohydrates.
Legumes and fruit are especially good choices because they are high in fibre. Your friend should not be cutting these out.
I think it's important that your friend see a dietitian who can properly explain what a healthy meal plan for somebody with diabetes is. Doctors, too often, do not get enough nutritional training to adequately explain diabetes and often prescribe to the notion that "diabetes is about sugar", which it's not.

Here's a menu plan for diabetes. Might be a good place to start. http://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/ViewDocument.aspx?id=375

Thanks, bethtgood, for providing a very sound response so I don't have to take the time to type all that out. I'm one of those apparently-clueless MDs, so feel free to ignore, but I'll just second that gestational diabetes and "big fat babies" are not to be taken lightly. Although there are a few conditions that labor "cures" (HELLP, for example), in addition to the serious potential complications of fetal macrosomia and early delivery, gestational diabetics have an increased risk of diabetes in the future, as do their babies It's important for women to heed that sentinel and make changes to try to protect their health.

I don't have any recipe recommendations but just want to chime in with another recommendation to seek out a well-trained dietitian. Diet seems to be the one thing friends/family always want to ask me about and we receive essentially NO training in medical school about it. Dietitians are a wonderful resource both in the hospital and in the community and if she's really needing to make major changes, they're the ones with all the good advice!

I have to chime in on this discussion as someone that was told by her doctor on week 30 after drinking 3 portions of 100ml of the supersweet drink them make you drink, to have gestational diabetes.
So my doctors told me that I have gestational diabetes which scared me bcs my dad is a diabetic, so I have like your friend eaten very very healthy, mindful what a diabetic diet is. I have not consumed added sugar in more than 20 years (I am 38 now) and avoid all the high fructose fruits like grapes and bananas, and stick to apples. But anyway, I eat very healthy and love the "recipes for health" on the NYTimes by martha schulman I think (look under the health section)
So anyway, the doctor insisted that I have gestational diabetes, which I refused to believe due to my diet. She threated me to make me test my blood glucose 4 times a day (pricking my finger) for 10 days. I took her on the challenge, I tested myself every day for 10 days and then I faxed the results to her. She agreed that everything was within the norm. If I had not been stuborn they would have put me on medication, and I'd hate to think that I was medicated for nothing, wouldn't you?
Needless to say, this individual needs to see at some point an endocronologist to check all the level of her blood glucose and her family history and get a guide to diabetic dieting - it is not all bad. Also it is key to persons with a family history to engage in some serious physical activity. I read once the story of an endocronologist doctor here in the US that had diabetis and he had to run daily 5 miles in order to keep his diabetis under control with good healthy diet and without insulin. He had tested himself to run 4 miles without changing anything else, and his blood glucose level would rise. So to his metabolism, that was the answer to keeping glucose under control. Good luck to your friend with her pregnancy.

I also had gestational diabetes, and there really aren't a lot of good options. I did not enjoy what I was restricted to eating. But I question the fact that this will be a lifelong thing. Assuming the pregnancy weight is lost and overall a good eating and exercise plan is followed, there should not be a problem. 26 years later, my blood sugar level has not been a problem.

First, the doc here really is wrong about her being "high-risk" for GD if she's already in her 3rd trimester. Testing for GD is done between weeks 24-28 of pregnancy (week 27 or 28 is usually considered 3rd trimester) so she either tested and failed, or she didn't. There's no "developing it later in pregnancy". If she was not diagnosed, then she can continue eating her diet and all is well. If she refused testing (a dumb thing to do because people without symptoms or reason to believe they are at risk can have it and it greatly increases risk of stillbirth) then maybe he is just trying to get her to test? But gestational diabetes usually corrects itself after the delivery of the placenta because it is a hormonal issue between the placenta and pancreas- it is not a lifestyle disease like many assume. It does increase risk of Type II diabetes later in life, both for the mother and the baby.

A previous poster was correct in that it is not about eating NO-carbs, in fact that would be very detrimental to her health. She needs to balance the carbs with other protein-rich foods and certainly LIMIT carbs, but GD moms NEED carbs to keep blood sugar levels high enough for mom and baby. The usual guideline is 1 carb at breakfast and for 2 snacks each day, 2 carbs at lunch, and 3 at dinner. (1 carb is 1 slice of bread, 1 small piece of fruit, 1 glass of milk, etc.)

I am 28.5 weeks pregnant and am not a professional, but have done a lot of research (b/c of an abnormal GTT result this time) and have talked with many, many GD moms about their diets, treatment, etc. Every doc is different but your friends' doc seems like he is using scare tactics. I'd recommend she get a second opinion of a doc as well as speak to a nutritional therapist.

Your friend needs to ask her OB for a referral to a dietician or nutritionist. Just because she is at risk for GD doesn't mean that she can't eat the veggies and fruits that she loves. She just needs to eat certain things in moderation with the right balance of proteins and/or fats.

I had GD and the dietician explained how to plan my meals -- # of carb servings per meal, max length of time in between a meal or snack, etc. She also provided useful information so that I could determine the # of carb servings in a given item, e.g. a small apple is a carb serving, as is 1/2 a banana or 1/3 cup of blueberries. Oh, and for me, I could eat as many veggies as I wanted. Since I enjoy cooking, I was able to make enjoyable, "GD-safe" meals with simple guidelines.

I should also mention that each person's tolerance for carbs is different so your friend really needs to see a dietician and test her blood glucose level after meals to understand what's right for her.

Most hospitals that deal with pregnancy also have Diabetes consultants that you can see as a part of your regular pregnancy checkups. If she's in her third trimester she should have already had an O'Sullivan test to see what level of risk she may be at, and should have been given a blood glucose reader if she was positive or in threat of developing gestational diabetes.

She should be monitoring her blood four times a day, and the consultant would have given her a chart to map out the results so they can monitor her, and gone over what foods to avoid and what ones to focus on so she keeps gaining baby weight without endangering herself.

All pregnancies are different, but her doctor or consultant will probably let her know that she'll be given another blood glucose screening three weeks or so after the baby is born to tell whether or not the diabetes has developed into actual diabetes, or if the gestational diabetes has leveled off.

If her doctor isn't giving her this information, she should be getting a second opinion. Hope this helps!

I've got three weeks left and have gestational diabetes, and this is all fairly verbatim from what my consultant has told me.

http://kristensraw.com/blog/ and http://www.choosingraw.com/ are both great resources for delicious, innovative, healthy vegan food.

dosidough is right, protein is crucial to maintaining blood sugar balance, and insufficient protein intake can increase cravings for sweets making her diet harder to manage. Pregnant women need at least 80 grams of protein a day. Also, what does she eat for "carbs". Carbs are important in maintaining blood sugar levels, but she needs to be eating whole grains instead of processed white flours. "Whole wheat" bread from the grocery store aisle isn't the most solid choice either, she needs brown rice, wild rice, farro, quinoa, amaranth, millet, oats, wheat berries, etc.
http://gestationaldiabetesrecipes.com/ is a website I refer women to frequently for healthy preggo recipes.
Also, gd is not indicated as a reason for induction of labor *as long as it is managed by diet*. As long as her blood sugars are stable, she is not at an increased risk for growing a giant baby, or stillbirth. The same is not true of insulin dependent diabetes.

Do some Google Fu on ancestral / paleo / primal diets and diabetes.

GD is a wildly controversial issue in pregnancy. The pregnant body processes sugars more and more slowly the more pregnant you become. Testing for GD is crazily imprecise (you can test under the limit one week but three weeks later test way over the limit) and because the results can't be corroborated over time, are not reliable.

The only reason why women who get labelled GD have a higher chance of getting Type 2 Diabetes later in life is because the majority of those women eat a diet high in grains and sugars (Standard American Diet is extremely heavy on processed wheat, soy and corn and woefully low on proteins and fresh vegetables) both of which make up the bulk of processed foods.

A diet that eschews grains and processed sugars and focuses on occasional fruit, lots of veg, protein and non-seed based fats (choose instead good saturated fats like butter, eggs, coconut oil, the fat from ruminants...) will reduce or eliminate all GD concerns and prevent any future lifestyle induced Type 2 diabetes.

Hi there. I recently launched my website GestationalDiabetesRecipes.com after my experience with GDM & my amazement at the lack of online resources. My site is FULL of delicious GDM dietitian-reviewed recipes & there is some great info on getting started too (setting up a GDM-friendly kitchen/ Eating well/ About GDM). I hope you find it useful. Lisa x

Beans are good carbs, as are fruit.

The problem here is that most doctors know basically nothing about nutrition. A registered dietitian who specialized in diabetes education is her best bet for advice. She can give her a plan that tells her the best foods to eat, etc.. My dad is diabetic and the dietitian was thrilled to hear he was lowering his meat intake and eating more beans and whole grains.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this sounded strange.

Wow people. If you are not a medical expert, please refrain from making absolute statements like "the doc here really is wrong" or "Her doctor sounds like a hack", or giving medical advice when you don't know the whole story. I'm sure her doctor is much more medically educated and wise than the majority of the people on here (minus the other MD's and nutritionists), so please keep in mind your information (much of it probably google-based) may not be as sound as that coming from this woman's own doctor. Besides, all the author wanted was some food advice, not a second medical opinion. p.s. For the record, a good friend of mine developed full-blown, life-long diabetes while pregnant, despite a healthy lifestyle, so this is not something to be trifled with.

Actually, amasou, many, MANY doctors (especially OBs) do NOT practice EVIDENCE BASED medicine at all.

Forcing someone to drink 200-300 ml of pretty much pure glucose is not necessarily a good indicator of whether or not they're going to become diabetic. Testing their blood sugar before and after each meal *IS*. Speaking from experience as a mom who went through pregnancy, who has friends who went through pregnancy, who has friends who are midwives and doctors, and as someone with half a brain to think for myself, I don't think (knowing what I know now), I would take a GD diagnosis from elevated blood sugar levels due to a GTT lying down. I think I would do as many have suggested here and start testing my blood sugar regularly.

Eating as though you're diabetic is probably not bad advice for ANYONE, to be honest. Being diabetic does not mean you can't EVER have ANY sugar or carbs... it means careful nutritional planning and making sure you're not wasting calories on nutritionally bereft foods. I think every one of us could benefit from that advice, to be honest!

All the comments on here from registered dietitians and "nutritional experts" is exactly the reason you shouldn't go to one for any advice. Dietitians just regurgitate the USDA food pyramid advice that has been one of the major causes of obesity and yes, diabetes, over the last 50 years. If you think fruits, beans and whole grains are "balanced carbohydrates" that don't contribute to diabetes and increased insulin and blood glucose levels, you're insane. If you want to get your diabetes under control now and for the rest of your life drop the grains and beans, eat real foods - lots of meat, lots of veggies, some fruits, some nuts. It's pretty simple, you don't need a dietitian. Do some reading on the Paleo diet, the only diet that has been proven to reverse diabetes and is now being shown to reverse all kinds of other inflammatory diseases. Several studies currently going on at the Mayo Clinic because they have seen this "diet" reverse many conditions that medicine hasn't been able to. Some good sites by some super smart people to check out below. These are PHD Research Chemists from Harvard, Cardiologists and Scientists. People that have a lot more knowledge about how food affects the human body that an RD... sorry, but it's the truth.

http://robbwolf.com/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/about-2/mark-sisson/

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/

http://podiumlive.com/crossfit/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=15

http://www.arthurdevany.com/