Some things I have learned about controlling my blood sugar

I know that I have spent many hours in the past few weeks, G.oogling for information regarding GD.  I have come across a few new blogs that I have started to silently follow.  Most of my "knowledge", however, has come from trial and error.  I have a much better handle on what I can and cannot eat and I wanted to shed some light on the things that I have changed that have made a big difference in hopes that they might help someone else out that is in my place (or someone who just wants to eat healthy and control pregnancy weight gain).

1.  When I first started this "diet", I was way more obsessive about tracking every single thing that I put into my mouth.  For example, I would document everything on "M.y F.itness P.al" and measure it down to the nth degree.  Once I got a better handle on serving sizes, I decided that this was something that I could relax on.  It was causing me more stress to document every last thing that I ate and I think that may have been driving my numbers up.  I am still fairly strict with portion sizes, but I am no longer documenting cumulative calories, carb counts, or fat/protein contents.  It was just too much for me.

2.  I have learned to always pair carbs with a protein.  If I have carbs, I eat it with some cheese, nuts, or meat.

3.  Walking for short periods after eating helps my blood sugars go lower, but walking for extended periods of time (at a decent pace) seems to do the opposite.

4.  Low-carb, whole wheat, natural breads are ok for breakfast once in a while, but not every day.  I started out eating 2 pieces of low-carb toast with peanut butter and 2 links of organic turkey sausage.  I recently did something I thought I would NEVER do and started eating egg white omelets instead.  I really don't like the taste or consistency of egg whites (the yolks absolutely repulse me), but my blood sugars are awesome after eating that compared to the toast.  I have been eating the omelets with some cheddar cheese and salsa on top (and when I have time with onion and green pepper in the middle).  Not amazing since I am not a fan of the eggs, but the salsa and cheese makes it tolerable.

5.  Fish is my new best friend.  I have always been a fan of fish, but never realized how good it really was for you.  I have been eating lots of cod, salmon and haddock (all wild, no farmed for me).  It helps tremendously with keeping blood sugars low.

6.  Green veggies are awesome!  I have always loved vegetables, so this one isn't really new to me.  I know that the best things for me seem to be: asparagus, broccoli, kale, spinach, salad greens, green peppers, and cucumbers.  I try to eat organic if I can, but it can be tough in the winter.  I eat huge salads several times a week (usually paired with come frilled chilled or an organic turkey burger).  My husband makes kale taste amazing!  He sautes some onions in a small amount of olive oil and then adds the kale.  He adds some organic french onion soup and sautes until the kale is wilted.  I usually pair this with some garbanzo beans.  YUM!

7.  My fasting numbers are best when I sleep 7 hours.  If I sleep 8 or 9 then I usually creep into the mid-90s.  Sleeping from 11 PM-6 AM is best, but I can't usually operate on that schedule when I work.

8.  I can go out to dinner, I just need to plan ahead by looking at the menu.  Most places seem to be nice enough to accommodate me.  I can get an extra veggie substituted for a starch with no issues.  If it is dinner, I can even have a small piece of bread if the rest of my meal is low-carb!

9.  I can't really have much fruit.  :(  The only fruits that I seem to be able to tolerate well are berries.  Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are ok if eaten at a time other than breakfast and when paired with some protein, like plain Greek yogurt.

10.  I have some tasty favorite snack options I'd like to share!  For my mid-morning snack, I have been having the following (cup of yogurt, 1/3 cup berries, 1/2 cup cereal, generous sprinkle of cinnamon):

 

For an afternoon snack, I have the following (Dark Chocolate, Nuts, & Sea Salt K.ind B.ar, string cheese, sometimes a 1/2 green pepper):

For before dinner snack, if I need it (some nuts, usually almonds or pistachios):

For bedtime snack (some I.rene's C.ranberry B.iscotti, only 5g carbs per cookie & some low-fat cheddar): 

11.  I have to eat every 3 hours during the day to maintain good blood sugar levels.  This can be tough, but most of my snack options are pretty mobile.

Hopefully this has been helpful to someone.  :)  It actually isn't so bad and now and I look forward to my snacks. If you can get your hands on some of those K.ind B.ars and biscotti, I would highly recommend them as they are great treats when you are low-carb!  Enjoy!!