Research shows that gestational diabetes, unlike other forms of diabetes, happens during pregnancy due to the radical changes in your body.[1] One of those changes is in the levels of blood sugar, also known as blood glucose levels. It does not necessarily mean that you or your baby have the more common form of diabetes, and it does not mean that you or your baby will have diabetes after your baby is born.[2] Experts note that although you should talk to your doctor about gestational diabetes during your scheduled visits, there are a few ways you can manage it without medication, like changing your diet and increasing your physical activity.[3]

Method 1 of 3:
Treating with Diet and Nutrition

  1. 1
    Cook from scratch. To treat gestational diabetes, natural treatments are similar to medical treatments, but the dietary approaches in the natural treatment of gestational diabetes emphasize whole foods. Keep your food as close to its original or natural form as possible. This means that you should try to limit any processed or prepared foods and cook from scratch as much as possible.
    • If you are pressed for time, try using a crock pot or preparing the basics, such as rice, beans, meats, and vegetables, ahead of time and freezing those basics.
    • Another ingredient that you can use in cooking from scratch that can help you is cinnamon. Cinnamon has also been used to help control blood sugar levels and is considered safe for pregnant women in the amounts used normally in foods.[4] This corresponds to approximately 1000 mg every day.[5]
    • While "natural" food companies like to tout the benefits of organic foods, research does not show a benefit in managing gestational diabetes. It is most important to eat plenty of fresh, whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
  2. 2
    Eat complex carbohydrates. Your diet should include at least around 40 to 50% of your daily intake of calories from complex, high fiber carbohydrates.[6][7][8] Eat most of your complex carbohydrates at lunch and cut down on the portion sizes for other meals. This helps to regulate your blood sugar and insulin production throughout the day.[9] Complex carbohydrates are found in whole, unprocessed foods such as whole grains, sweet potatoes, and oatmeal. Another good rule of thumb is no “white” foods, meaning no white bread, white pasta, or white rice, which are simple carbohydrates.
    • While both simple and complex carbohydrates are broken down into glucose in the body, the idea is that it takes the body longer to break down the complex carbohydrates than it takes to use the simple carbohydrates. This means that the body has a better chance to process the glucose.
  3. 3
    Avoid processed foods. Simple carbohydrates are often found in processed foods, which include added sugars like glucose, table sugar, and fructose such as high fructose corn syrup. Recent studies have shown that the ingestion of high fructose corn syrup, especially from soft drinks and other beverages with high fructose corn syrup added, has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity.[10]
    • Reading labels can be useful to determine the amount of sugars in processed food, but manufacturers are not required to list added sugars. Avoid candies, cookies, cakes, and other confections. The reason that processed foods should be avoided is that they include both simple carbohydrates along with added sugars.
    • Sugar by itself does not cause either diabetes or gestational diabetes, but ingesting more sugar-filled foods and beverages is linked to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.[11]
  4. 4
    Increase the fiber in your diet. Increased fiber can also help with your diabetes. This means you can eat beans and whole grains, all which have increased fiber. Add extra fiber with a tablespoon of ground flaxseeds at every meal. Either get a coffee grinder to grind your own flaxseeds or keep pre-frozen ground seeds in your freezer to keep the healthy oils that you also get in flaxseeds from getting rancid.[12]
  5. 5
    Change the meats you eat. You should limit red meats from your diet. Instead of steak or ground beef, increase fish and skinless poultry. Look for wild-caught fish such as salmon, cod, haddock, and tuna. These fish are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for your and your baby’s health. Remove the skin from poultry such as chicken and turkey, as it is high in fat.
    • Make sure you eat lean meats that are not too high in fat. Only 10 to 20% of your daily calorie intake should be from protein sources. This includes other sources of protein as well, such as nuts.[13][14]
  6. 6
    Increase vegetables and limit fruits. To keep with your healthy diet, you need to eat more vegetables. Make sure you have at least one to two servings of vegetables with every meal. You can eat them as a snack too.[15] Even though fruit is good for you, when you have gestational diabetes, you should limit your fruit intake to no more than two a day. This will help you control the amounts of sugars you eat that come from fruit.[16] Avoid fruits such as pineapple, melons, bananas, raisins, and grapes. They have a high glycemic index, which means they have more sugar that affects your blood sugar per serving than other fruits. [17][18]
    • Your fruit intake should be eaten at lunch instead of breakfast or dinner, which helps keep your blood sugar down in the morning and night.
    • Avoid fruit juices, which are full of sugar as well, even if they are 100% juice.[19]
  7. 7
    Watch your daily calorie intake. Normal weight gain during pregnancy is from 18.5 to 24.9 pounds. Generally, the ADA recommends a calorie intake of between 2,000 and 2,500 calories a day for you and your baby. Each trimester, your caloric intake will increase as your baby grows. However, each pregnancy is different, so you should talk to your doctor and a registered dietitian to ensure that you are getting the right amount of calories per day based on your particular circumstance, weight, and blood sugar needs.[20]
    • During your doctor visits, your physician will most likely recommend a nutritionist to help control gestational diabetes. If your physician doesn’t make that recommendation, insists on one. Pregnancy presents a number of nutritional demands on your body and this is complicated by gestational diabetes. Both you and your baby can benefit from professional, nutritional advice.[21]
    • Make sure you follow the list of healthy foods to increase your calories with healthy options.
  8. 8
    Exercise. Exercise is important for a healthy pregnancy. Work to achieve at least thirty continuous minutes of exercise once or twice per day. Walking is the easiest way to do this, but you can also go swimming or join a yoga class. Mix it in with other activities to keep it interesting and to work other muscle groups. You can also use an elliptical, conditioning machine or stationary bicycle. Moderate physical activity can improve your glucose control.[22]
    • Avoid exercises that have you lying on your back or any activities where a fall or injury is possible. Your chosen activity or activities should be done every day if possible. Make sure you take it easy at first and work up to a moderate level of activity that works the muscles and slightly increases your heart rate.[23]
    • Make sure you listen to your doctor if he advises bed rest or little activity.[24]

Method 2 of 3:
Taking Supplements

  1. 1
    Take a multivitamin. You may need to take a multivitamin with minerals, especially iron, because the demands of pregnancy may require more vitamins and minerals than diet alone can provide. Low Vitamin D levels may be associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes. Have yourself checked for Vitamin D levels and take supplementation if you are deficient. 1000 to 2000 IU a day of Vitamin D have been safely used in pregnant women.[25]
  2. 2
    Take insulin. Insulin is a natural hormone replacement treatment and is a widely used natural treatment. It may be necessary to take the insulin by injection in order to force the glucose into the cells. Your physician will guide you as to how much insulin to take and how to take it.
  3. 3
    Do not take herbs or supplements without consulting with your doctor. There are some herbs and supplements that are safe during pregnancy to help control blood sugars. Always ask your doctor before taking any herbs, even if the packaging says they are safe. This is because many herbs have not been tested for safety during pregnancy. Bitter melon, also known as Momordica charantia, is often recommended for diabetes control, but has been associated with miscarriages and induced abortions in animals, so it should be avoided.[27]
    • Gurmar, also known as Gymnema sylvestre, and Prickly-pear cactus, also known as Opuntia spp, have not been tested in pregnancy, though Gymnema is safe when used for up to 20 months and Opuntia has been used for centuries as food.
    • Gymnema is generally taken in doses of 200 mg twice a day and Opuntia can be taken as a single dose, 400 mg once a day. If you use either Gymnema or Opuntia, talk to your healthcare professional first for recommendations.[28]

Method 3 of 3:
Understanding Gestational Diabetes

  1. 1
    Understand insulin resistance. While it is not clear what causes gestational diabetes, some pregnant women develop insulin resistance, which means that the cells in their body do not respond to insulin normally. Every cell in our body uses glucose (sugar) for producing the energy needed for the cells to do their jobs. The glucose is derived from the foods you eat, primarily from carbohydrates. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, is the main chemical messenger that tells the cells that it is time to take up glucose.[29][30] Insulin is also involved in messaging the liver to take up glucose and transform it into the storage form of glucose known as glycogen.
    • Insulin is also involved in a wide range of other functions like protein and fat metabolism.
    • If the cells become insulin resistant, they ignore or can’t respond to the signal from insulin. This can increase the levels of glucose in the blood. When this happens, the pancreas responds by producing even more insulin. The problem is that since the insulin has no effect on the insulin-resistant cells, the blood glucose levels can keep rising. The body’s response is to convert the high levels of glucose in the blood into fat, and that can set up a scenario of chronic inflammation and other disorders like full blown Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart disease. [31]
  2. 2
    Be aware of the effects. During pregnancy, if insulin resistance is not properly controlled, you can develop gestational diabetes. It can have a number of effects on your and your baby's body. The main effect on the baby of uncontrolled gestational diabetes is increased fat in the blood stream, which leads to increased birth weight. These babies are also at higher risk for difficult deliveries due to the size, breathing problems, obesity, lower than normal blood sugars and, as adults, Type 2 diabetes.
    • The mom is at higher risk for cesarean section, Type 2 diabetes after pregnancy, and high blood pressure before and after delivery.[32][33]
  3. 3
    Recognize the symptoms. Often, there are no symptoms of gestational diabetes, which most often begins about halfway through the pregnancy. This can make it hard to look for. However, when symptoms do occur, they can include many of the same symptoms of Type 2 diabetes. These symptoms include:
    • Impaired vision due to blurriness or other issues
    • General tiredness
    • Increased infections along the skin and in the bladder and vagina
    • Nausea and vomiting through the duration of the pregnancy
    • Increased appetite that can be accompanied by weight loss
    • Frequent urination
    • Increased thirst.[34]
  4. 4
    Diagnose gestational diabetes. To test for gestational diabetes, your physician will order blood tests to test for blood sugar levels. He or she will also order a glucose tolerance test to determine how well your body is dealing with sugars. Your baby can be monitored as well to determine if his size is normal for his gestational age, which is usually done by ultrasound, and to test the baby’s heart rate by using a fetal monitor.[35]
  5. 5
    Know if you're at risk. You can be at risk for gestational diabetes if you have had gestational diabetes during previous pregnancies or have already had a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds at birth. You are also at risk if you are overweight or if you have a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes.[36]
    • You are also more at risk if, before you are pregnant, you were diagnosed with prediabetes, a metabolic syndrome, or insulin resistance. Metabolic syndromes are a group of issues that include high or increased blood pressure, belly and waist excess weight, higher than normal blood sugar levels, and high or risky cholesterol levels.[37]
    • If you are African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latina, or Pacific Islander American, you are also at an increased risk.
    • Other syndromes can also put you at risk. If you have a type of hormonal disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), you are more likely to have gestational diabetes. PCOS is a condition where a woman’s ovaries contain numerous cysts, which leads to fertility and menstrual problems.[38]

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      6. Moreno-Castilla C, Hernandez M, Bergua M, et al. Low-carbohydrate diet for the treatment of gestational diabetes: a randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Care. 2013
      7. Gunderson EP. Intensive nutrition therapy for gestational diabetes. Rationale and current issues. Diabetes Care. 1997;20(2):221-226
      13. Ceysens, G., D. Rouiller, and M. Boulvain: Exercise for diabetic pregnant women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev CD004225, 2006
      14. Zavorsky, G. S., and L. D. Longo: Adding strength training, exercise intensity, and caloric expenditure to exercise guidelines in pregnancy. Obstet Gynecol 117 (6):1399–1402, 2011a
      18. Basch E, Gabardi S, Ulbricht C. Bitter melon (Momordica charantia): a review of efficacy and safety. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2003;60:356-9
      19. Baskaran K, Kizar Ahamath B, Radha Shanmugasundaram K, Shanmugasundaram ER. Antidiabetic effect of leaf extract from Gymnema sylvestre in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients. J Ethnopharmacol 1990;30:295-300

      About This Article

      Lacy Windham, MD
      Co-authored by
      Board Certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist
      This article was co-authored by Lacy Windham, MD. Dr. Windham is a board certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist in Tennessee. She attended medical school at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis and completed her residency at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in 2010, where she was awarded the Most Outstanding Resident in Maternal Fetal Medicine, Most Outstanding Resident in Oncology, and Most Outstanding Resident Overall. This article has been viewed 17,265 times.
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      Co-authors: 11
      Updated: June 5, 2020
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      Categories: Gestational Diabetes
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        Oct 28, 2017

        "Thank you so much for making me understand about the gestational diabetic problem. Thereafter I came to know what food and supplements I should eat. Let me start my diet and keep myself and my baby healthy, too."..." more
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