Gestational Diabetes Recipes

How delicious does this gestational diabetes friendly Homemade Pizza look? Tell me something. After looking through the recipes here at GestationalDiabetesRecipes, are you surprised at the variety of meals that you can still eat even with gestational diabetes?

The thought of including new meals and recipes in your GDM repertoire can be challenging as many of us tend to stick to ‘safe dishes’ we know keep our numbers in the clear. But it’s important to include variety in your diet, especially while you’re pregnant. One way to do this is by doing a quick mental review of a ‘new’ recipe or meal choice. Take a look at the ingredients and break them down into what free foods, carbs and fat that meal presents. Ideally you’re aiming for something that’s high protein, low fat and moderate in carbohydrates. Being pregnant, you also want to take into consideration the nutritional value of the meal and choose nutrient rich meals over energy rich meals. (Revisit our fact sheet on Pregnancy Nutrition if you’re unsure on this.)

Help build your own confidence around meal planning. It can really pay off taking a few minutes each day to practice reviewing any recipe you come across, on or offline, to develop a feel for what adjustments would be needed to make it gestational diabetes friendly. In most cases it will be the amount of carbs or fat. And then add on some fresh vegetables for an all round increase in fibre and nutrients.

Lots of food for thought this week! If you have any ideas, questions or comments about this or any other GDM-related topic, please post them on our Facebook page or email us. Enjoy! (Main carbohydrate containing ingredients are listed in bold.)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons/ 60g/ 2 ounces tomato paste 1 tablespoon dried oregano or mixed Italian dried herbs
• ½ tablespoon light olive oil
• Pita bread (The carbohydrate contained in this product will vary depending on your country and the products available, so check the nutritional panel for ‘total carbohydrate’ information. If you can’t find a pita, wraps or flat bread that keeps you between 30 -45g of carbs for this meal, use 2 slices of low-carb wholegrain bread instead.)
• Salad to serve

Any of the following combinations:

#1

• 1 large tomato, sliced
• ½ a small red onion, sliced into rings
• 1 x 125g/ 4 ounce can of tuna in spring water, drained well
• 2 tablespoons/ 25g/~1 ounce grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
• Handful of fresh rocket leaves to serve (optional)

#2

• 1 large red capsicum grilled, skinned, sliced*
• ½ a small red onion, sliced into rings
• 1 x 125g can/ 4 ounces corn kernels, drained well
• 2 tablespoons/ 25g/~1 ounce grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
• Handful of fresh rocket leaves to serve (sprinkle on the pizza after cooking)

#3

• ½ a small red onion, sliced into rings
• 1 cup cooked roasted pumpkin** (160g)
• 100g ham, sliced (will be cooked)
• 2 tablespoons/ 25g/~1 ounce grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
• Handful of fresh rocket leaves to serve (sprinkle on the pizza after cooking)

Heat oven to 180C/ 350F.

To build pizzas: Place pizza bases onto ovenproof trays. Mix tomato paste, dried herbs and light olive oil in a small bowl. Spoon enough into the centre of each pizza base to thinly cover it. Add your choice of toppings and place in oven for 10 minutes until cheese is bubbling.

Serve sliced with salad.

* Cut capsicum/ red pepper in half longways and trim off stalk. Place on an oven proof tray under the grill/ broiler, skin-side up until skin in blackened and bubbled. Remove from heat. Place in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag. Allow to sweat for 5 minutes then remove and peel off all skin. Slice thinly

** Heat oven to 180C/ 350F. Peel 100-120g/ 4 ounces pumpkin and cut into small cubes. Place on an ovenproof tray or dish and lightly spray with light olive oil or cooking oil. Roast for around 15 minutes until pumpkin is tender.