To ask what she should eat?!

[veggiegestational]

Please help!

A friend has gestational diabetes.... she's about 28 weeks. Anyway, she's vegetarian which makes it a little more expensive it seems.

Please can you send some suggestions I can help her with.... I could make a couple of meals and then maybe some easy things she can manage as time goes on.

She has a toddler and full time job to contend with!!

Meals for her freezer or cooking in RT for her?

During my testing phase I ate my normal diet and made a note of what meals made my blood sugar spike. I was then able to continue my normal diet whilst avoiding mash potato

I’m vegetarian

Cheese and veggie omelette, frittata, quiche (all served with salad or non starchy veg)

Halpumi and ratatouille bake

Roast med veg with a non sugar added protein source

@TomatoSandwiches what does RT mean?

I'm happy to do some meals, I just don't know what to cook

@PinkyBlossom from what she has said, her normal diet isn't the best and deffo won't be appropriate

The gestational diabetes website has some good ideas:

www.gestationaldiabetes.co.uk

generally it’s low sugar and carb (but you still needs carbs to prevent ketones) and high fat, high protein.

@44PumpLane thanks- but, what would a non sugar protein source be?!

@Sparklesocks thanks!!

Sorry op, cooking for her in real time as in she's coming over for dinner, some meals are better fresh and not so much frozen for when baby gets here.

Off the top of my head best freezeable meals:

Lentil and vegetable lasange
Ratatouille ( frozen ) with fresh wholewheat pasta/toast and a poached egg on top.
Mixed bean burger patties ( frozen ) with fresh salad.
Butternut squash and chickpea stew served with quinoa.
Cauliflower, Spinach and new potato curry with whole meal chapati.

Freshly cooked

Black bean tacos with guacamole and sour cream.
Mushroom and pepper Cheesy fajitas.
Veggies and fried haloumi with hummus
Mushroom, tomato and egg baked breakfast with whole meal bread
Crustless quiche, Mushroom and Spinach, ham and tomato, cheese and chive.

Sorry forget the ham!

Spicy lentil stuffed Peppers
Greek salad
Wholewheat spaghetti with garlic, capers, cherry toms and tuna if she eats fish.
Jacket potatoes are good, especially if she eats the skin and has some good fats with it.
Sundried Tom and Avocado on bagley thins, preferably wholewheat.

The key is to have wholegrains/fibre with good fats and less sugar, so make sure any salads have good extra virgin olive oil instead of ready made dressings or sauces.
Salmon is a good fatty fish and eggs if she eats them as a vegetarian.

Google 'gestational diabetes what meals can I cook', and lots of sites are available.

Join the GDUK Facebook group (and get her to) many vegetarians on there and loads of advice on what to eat. They have a webpage too linked above.

Make a fritatata thing- no tomatoes or potatoes, and put some cheese in there. Then add a side salad. No bread etc.

Basic premise is to stick to Low Glycemic Index foods (GI) that doesn't mean cutting carbs completely just making some different choices. Testing her sugars is going to be the best for deciding which carbs she can tolerate and which she can't. I couldn't eat oats, others can.

www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/glycaemic-index-diet-and-diabetes.html

Some food ideas - she should be having full fat versions of everything, low fat often has sugar and is less filling, she isn't trying to lose weight, this isn't a low calorie diet.

Whole meal or rye toast with eggs or peanut putter
Full fat Greek yoghurt with berries
Beans, mushrooms, whole meal toast and fried egg
Ryvita with cottage cheese or avocado
Salad using dark green veg
Boiled egg with asparagus for dipping
Wholewheat pasta with chunky veg sauce, maybe a fake meat like quorn or pine nuts and pesto
Sliced apple with peanut butter
Nuts for snacking
A couple of pieces of dark chocolate if she wants something chocolatey

Some recipe ideas

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/collections/high-proteinlow-gii_vegetarian

www.eatingwell.com/recipes/23098/health-condition/diabetic/vegetarian/low-carb-vegetarian/

Can't thank you all enough! I will do her a few meals next week to get her going.