Real Food for Gestational Diabetes: An Effective Alternative to the Conventional Nutrition Approach

Having just been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes I needed a book that had all the key information. This book is heavy on the explanation but has helpful information on snacks and a few recipes to try at the end of the book. I feel more informed for my diabetes appointment and how to try to manage my blood glucose levels.

When I found out I had gestational diabetes I FREAKED out. The conventional advice given to me by the hospital seemed to spike me more than assist in managing my blood sugar levels and the answers given to me when I asked questions did not sit true. This book was a God send providing me with information which made sense, supported my belief of eating good wholefoods and finding a balance between what the hospital was telling me and staying true to myself. It took a lot of the stress out of having GD. I recommend it to anyone who is on the GD journey. Most importantly, this book isn’t some crazy person providing advice based on a whim. All her opinions are backed by peer reviewed research which I love!

Me lo recomendó la matrona y te da mucha información adecuada

This is the only book that exactly aligned with my goals, cleared my fears out of my own understanding of the correct low carb diet that worked for me.

I am so happy to have discovered this book. When I got pregnant I had a good idea of how to eat to keep my blood sugar steady, but this guide was invaluable in its advice and insight on how to build a diet that not only kept blood sugar in a healthy range, but offered the most nutritional bang for your buck for mom and baby. The focus on what to ADD as opposed to just what to avoid was a welcome and insightful addition. Not to mention the fact that reading it made me feel understood and validated in my choices, when seemingly everyone around me was pushing the status quo. For the past four years I’ve been focusing on eating real, whole foods. I’ve cut out gluten and most grains, reduced my sugar intake drastically, and found a level of health and comfort in my body I never thought possible. Throughout this time, my husband and I were also trying to conceive. It took a long time, but we were thrilled to find out we are expecting our first child several months ago. Since then, I’ve continued eating pretty well. My appetite took quite a hit the first trimester, but I avoided morning sickness for the most part. I was surprised at my lack of crazy cravings. From my experience over the last few years, I knew my body does not handle refined sugar or processed grain products well. Those foods are also pretty devoid of nutrition so I keep these types of foods to a minimum, although I no longer think of them as “bad” or “never”. That tends to insight my inner toddler who doesn’t want to be told “no”. Instead, I try to eat what makes me feel best at any given time. It works for me! Knowing this, I had a bad, bad feeling about having to do the diabetes testing done during pregnancy. My doctor does the 1 hour glucose tolerance screening followed by the 3 hour test if your first results cause concern. I did the first screening (despite my reservations) and my results came back high. I was not surprised that my body didn’t know what to do with all that glucose all at once. Ironically, if I was taxing my body with a high carb diet on a daily basis, I’d probably do OK on the test. My body just wasn’t used to dealing with that load. At this point, I decided to take a stand and refuse the three hour test. It sounded miserable and I knew I’d fail. It took some serious negotiating, but my doctor finally allowed me to get a blood sugar meter and just test 4 times a day to see how I was handling the food I was actually eating (I requested this from the get-go but was shot down earlier). Basically, she agreed to treat me “like” a gestational diabetic but would hold off with an official diagnosis as long as my numbers stayed in range. That was when I found this wonderful book! As a result of following the advice in this book, I have kept my blood sugar steady and my doctor is happy! Whether you have an official diagnosis of GD or not, following this author’s protocol is perfect for any pregnant woman. We all want to do the best for ourselves and our new little ones. This is a great way to start! Thank you!