Me, without sugar

First, let me stress that I am not a doctor. These recomendations are just what I have discovered in my own personal research, and they have worked for me. Please consult with your own pysician before making any dietary changes.

Basic dietary changes for gestational diebetes consist of eleminating all sugar, including natural sugars like honey and fruit juice, and all simple carbohydrates, including white flour, white rice, corn, and potatoes. Because milk is also high in naural sugar, I have limited that as well, although I haven't seen it recomended anywhere else. The goal of these dietary changes is to avoid peaks in blood sugar. (Read How Blood Sugar Works)

It is also important to eat regularly as this will keep blood sugar levels from fluctuating too much. A good schedule is to eat smaller meals and snacks every two to three hours. Since insulin resistance is highest in mornings, your last snack of the day should be no more than ten hours before breakfast and the ideal breakfast should consist mostly of protein. Atlhough whole fruit is permited, it should be eaten in limited amounts, and never in the morning.

So What Can I Eat?!!
* meat
* cheese
* nuts
* eggs
* letils
* beans
* other legumes
* brown rice
* whole wheat baked goods
* vegetables!
and
* occasionally fruit

Dr. Mercola recently sent out an article promoting a diet similar to this one, with the complete exclusion of grain and fruit, for the control of Type 2 diabetes. He also recommends appropriate amounts of vitamin D and 1 to 2 hours of exercize daily. (Read Dr. Mercola's Article)

My Daily Schedule -with meal and snack suggestions

7:30 breakfast
*mushroom and cheese omlet
* scrambled eggs and homemade pork sausage
* scrambled eggs with fried steak
* hard boiled eggs

10:00 snack
* glass of water with 1 scoop of Super Seed (see below)

1:00 lunch
* homemade refried beans with cheese and salsa
* small serving of brown rice with a hamburger patty and steamed spinach
* grilled salmon and salad without dressing
* leftovers

3:30-4:00 snack
* 1/2 of an avacado
* sliced apple and cheese stick
* several homemade crackers with homemade humus
* carrot sticks or other raw veggies

6:30-7:00 supper
* fish or meat with brown rice and lots of veggies
* casserole (see recipes)
* beef and vegetable soup with barley and lentils

9:30 snack
* handful of almonds or other nuts
* a few cubes of grilled chicken breast or beef

For me, the trickiest part of this diet has been coming up with dinner options which are "safe" for me, while still appealing to the varied tastes of my large family. Cost is another major factor for our group of nine- soon to be ten. (Let's face it, carbs are cheap.) Though I have resorted to making special foods for myself occasionally, I feel better when we can all share the meal together. After all, their health is important to me too.

My first step was to go through my recipe box and pull out all the tried and true recipes that were easily adaptable or which already fit within my diet restrictions. This resulted in a pile of recipes which are already familiar to and loved by my family.

Pizza Burgers
This recipe is one of the few I've found which is unanomously approved by every member of my crew. It is also extremely simple to adapt- just make the "burgers" up directly on the cookie sheet and serve without the buns. You will also need to make your own sauce as commercial pizza sauce ususally contains sugar. Add a salad on the side for extra nutrition.

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 cup pizza sauce (recipe below)
6 hamburger buns
6 tomato slices
1 cup grated mozzarella

Combine ground beef and pizza sauce. Place buns (bottom side up) on cookie sheet in oven a 350 degrees to crisp. Flip over, spread on meat, top with tomatoes, sprinkle on cheese. Place in oven for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Assemble and serve.

Pizza Sauce
3 oz. can tomato paste
12 oz. can tomato sauce or pureed tomatoes (make sure there is no sugar added)
2 cloves diced garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon marjorim

Combine all ingredients. Use in recipe above or on pizza.

Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
This recipe calls for corn tortillas which are on my forbidden list, However, it was equally delicious when I substituted precooked brown rice.

2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cups salsa (check label for sugar!)
2 teaspoons cumin
2 15.8 oz. cans black beans, drained
12 6-inch corn torillas (substitute 2 cups cooked brown rice)
3 cups Mexican cheese blend, shredded
1/2 cup sliced black olives
sour cream (optional)

Saute onion and pepper in oil until soft. Add garlic, salsa, cumin, and beans. Cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. *Arrange 6 torillas in bottom of a 9"X13" baking dish overlapping them as necessary. Spread half of bean mixture over tortillas and sprinkle with half of cheese. Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, bean mixure, and cheese. Sprinkle on black olives. Cover dish with foil and bake 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and serve garnished with sour cream.

* Omit tortillas. Mix bean mixture with rice and spread in casserole dish. Top with cheese and black olives. Cover with foil and cook as directed.

Paprika Pork Roast
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
4 o 4 1/2 lb. pork roast
1 to 2 medium onions, sliced
1 cup water

Combine spices and rub over entire roast. Place roast in a roasting pan, top wih onion, and pour waer into the pan. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until cooked through. Serve with lots of nice, healthy veggies. Serves 8 to 10

Lentil Barley Soup
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup olive oil
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken broth (make your own!)
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup lentils
3/4 cup pearl barley
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions, celery, and garlic in oil. Add broth, tomatoes, carrots, and herbs. Bring to a boil, reduced heat, cover, and simmer for at least an hour (until carrots and lentils are soft). Serves 5 to 6

"Stuffed" Peppers
2 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chpped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
10 oz. diced tomatoes with green chiles
14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
15 oz. tomato sauce
3 3/4 cups water
1 tablespoon cumin
3 cups uncooked instant brown rice
1 cup grated cheddar

Brown beef, onions, and peppers. Drain and add garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and spices. Bring to a boil, add rice, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Top with cheese and serve. Serves 8

The next step was to add in some new recipes and to find alternatives for foods which are now off limits. Thankfully, we have made it a habit to try new recipes on a regular basis, and my family is willing to try most things at least once.

Oatmeal Pancakes
I tried some leftover pancakes as a substitute for a hamburger bun and found it very tasty. My husband (who decided to join me in my diet) has used them a couple of times to make sandwiches for work.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats (NOT instant)
1/4 cup powdered milk
1 teaspon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients. Slowly add in eggs, water, and oil. Mix well. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased griddle. Cook until lightly browned. Flip and brown on other side. Serve plain or with fresh sliced fruit.

Pizza Crust
After trying to adapt my white flour crust recipe (and failing miserably), I borrowed this recipe from a friend. My husband says he likes it even better than my old recipe.

6 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon yeast
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups warm water

Mix all dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Knead 2-3 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes. Divide into 4 portions and rll out on floured surface. Place on greased pizza pans and bake 12 minutes at 425 degrees. Put on sauce and toppings and bake again for 10-15 minutes.

Whole Wheat Crackers
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
about 1/2 cup of cold water water

Blend together the flour, salt, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds, then add the oil and mix well with a fork. Pour in the cold water, mix, and continue to add water a tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft and workable.Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead for at least ten minutes.Pull off a golf-ball-sized lump and roll it into a ball. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out until it's cardboard thin. Cut crackers with a cookie cutter. Repeat this procedure untill you've used all the remaining dough. Bake the crackers on an ungreased cookie sheet at 400 degrees, turning to brown both sides. Allow the crackers to cool thoroughly on a rack before storing them in an airtight container.

Sugar-Free Seasoning Salt
When I started reading the labels, I discovered that most premade seasoning mixes have sugar added. I made up this mix to replace one of my favorites.

1 tablespoon powdered onion
1 tablespoon powdered garlic
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons salt, optional

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container. This mix is good sprinkled on steaks and hamburgers. Or add a teaspoon or two to a 1/4 cup of soy sauce and a 1/4 cup of oil to make a great marinade for grilled chicken.

I'm still pregnant, and I'm sure I'll continue learning as I go. Sometimes I want nothing more than a bite of cream filled doughnut, but I know I can't have it. Sometimes I get bored with my limited menu,or get tired of the whole idea of eating. Occasionally, I feel "left out" when everyone else is enjoying something I'm not allowed to have. But even though it is hard to give up so many of the foods I love, and hard to learn to eat on a schedule, even when I don't feel like it, this is just for a season. Soon I will be cuddling my new baby and it will all be worth it!

Perhaps I will add some more recipes as we try them. In the meantime, I hope you found something helpful here.