Gestational Diabetes Shopping List

Once diagnosed, it’s best to change your diet immediately and so the first thing most ladies want to do is create a shopping list for things they know will be better options on the the gestational diabetes diet. In this post we will share with you a basic shopping list to get you started, which will follow our dietary guidance of our 8 golden rules.

Store cupboard essentials

These are things that you may already have at home in the cupboard or things that you may need only to buy once, or every now and again which can be helpful:

• Wholewheat pasta
• Cous cous
• Quinoa
• Basmati, wholegrain and/or wild rice
• Beans & pulses; red lentils, chickpeas, butter beans, kidney beans
• Tinned fish
• Coconut oil
• Extra Virgin Olive oil
• Apple cider vinegar
• Balsamic vinegar
• Stock cubes or stock pots
• Chopped tomatoes
• Passata
• Olives
• Pesto
• Dijon mustard
• Tomato purée
• Capers
• Pickled beetroot
• Pickled onions
• Mayonnaise(full fat)
• Franks Hot Sauce
• Caesar Salad Dressing
• Herbs & spices; fresh chives, fresh basil, paprika, chilli flakes, garlic, mixed herbs, curry powder, ground cumin
• Marmite
• Peanut butter or other nut butter (lower total carbs the better!)
• Granular sweetener (Total Sweet xylitol is great for baking and has no bitter aftertaste!)
• Agave nectar
• Ground almonds
• Desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
• Vanilla extract
• Rolled Porridge oats

 

 

Grocery items

These are cupboard essential things that you will need to stock up on regularly and will become part of your weekly shopping list

• Eggs
• Nuts; in their natural form without added salt, flavourings or coatings. Salted and flavoured nuts can be eaten but can have a very high salt content. Good nut choices are: Mixed nuts, almonds, brazils, cashews, macadamia, peanuts, pecan, pine nuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts. Avoid dried fruit!
• Seeds; Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, linseed, flaxseed, chia seeds, soya beans
• Bread; Burgen Soya & Linseed(found to be the best tolerated bread by mothers in our Facebook support group), local bakery Low GI bread, Lidl high protein rolls, Hi-Lo,  400g loaf slices granary or wholemeal, brown sandwich thins (shops own brand, Kingsmill or Warburtons), rye bread, Morrisons in-store bakery pumpernickel with sunflower seeds
• Wholemeal tortilla wraps
• Wholemeal pittas (mini ones are preferable)
• Wholegrain crispbreads or crackers; Ryvita crackerbread, Ryvita crispbread, Jacobs crispbreads, shops own brands – it’s important to choose wholegrain versions!
• Oatcakes; shops own brand oatcakes, Nairns plain or cheese flavoured
• Crisps; real potato crisps rather than baked or maize snacks
• Popcorn; wholegrain air popped pop corn. Avoid toffee or sweetened flavours!
• Nature Valley Protein cereal bars (please note: these are not tolerated by all and should be paired with other sources of protein and natural fat)
• Sweet biscuits; Nairns dark chocolate chip, stem ginger or berry flavours (not the gluten free ones unless GF food is needed for other dietary requirements). Hobnobs, digestives, rich tea
• No added sugar jelly; Hartley’s/Chiver’s no added sugar jelly pots or sugar free jelly packets to make at home
• No added sugar angel delight; Branded no added sugar angel delight or shops own brand no added sugar ‘delight’ (eaten in small servings, made with whole milk or a milk alternative)
• Chocolate; dark chocolate, Cadburys Freddo bars, Treat sized buttons, Kinder bueno (1 stick to be eaten at a time)

 

Chilled items

• Meat and poultry
• Raw Fish Avoid breaded or sweet sauces!
• Tofu
• Bacon or turkey rashers
• Sausages; High meat content (90% + meat content)
• Quorn plain products eg. Quorn sausages, quorn meat style slices etc Avoid breaded Quorn or Quorn with sauces!\
• Butter (real butter, not margarine)
• Cream (real double or single cream) Avoid Elmlea, choose REAL stores own brand creams!
• Anchor Extra Thick Squirty Spray Cream
• Yoghurt; Take a look at our best yoghurts here. Full fat Greek style yoghurt – Fage Total or shops own brand. Full fat natural yoghurt – shops own brand, or any branded. Arla SKYR with added protein. Soya yoghurts.
• Cooked meats or Quorn slices; ham, turkey, chicken, beef, pork, Mattesons smoked sausage, high meat content hot dog sausages, Fridge raiders, Peperami
• Cheese; all full fat cheeses including cheddars, cream cheese (like Philadelphia), cottage cheese, soft cheese, halloumi, Paneer, Feta, Babybels or cheese portions Avoid unpasteurised cheeses which should not be eaten in pregnancy
• Cooked fish; salmon slices, mackerel, prawns, seafood sticks
• Hummus
• Sour cream dips
• Guacamole
• Sandwich fillers eg. egg mayonnaise, cheese and onion, chicken and bacon fresh sandwich fillings
• Fresh olives

Fruit & vegetables

• Berries; strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, red currants, black currants, gooseberries
• Rhubarb
• Granny Smith apples
• Clementimes, satsumas, tangerines
• Grapefruit
• Pomelo
• Lemons
• Green bananas
• Kiwi
• Potatoes; baking potatoes, sweet potatoes, new potatoes
• Salad; salad leaves, rocket, spinach, lettuce, spring onions, peppers, tomatoes, celery, cucumber, radishes, edamame
  beans
• Vegetables; onions, avocado, mushrooms, carrots, courgettes, garlic, chillies, cabbage, beetroot, sweetcorn, green beans, sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli

 

Frozen foods

• Frozen vegetables eg. spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cauliflower rice
• Frozen Berries
• Frozen meat, fish and Quorn Avoid breaded, coated or items in sauces!
• Walls mini milk ice cream lollies
• Claudi & Fin Frozen Yogurt lollies(55ml/50g Strawberry or Mango flavour)
• Sugar free ice poles/freeze pops
• Wall light vanilla soft scoop ice cream
• OPPO ice cream

Drinks

Staying well hydrated is extremely important through pregnancy and even more so with gestational diabetes, you can find out more on our drinks page

• Hot chocolate; Options, Highlights or Choc Shot
• Decaffeinated tea bags
• Decaffeinated coffee
• Herbal and fruits teas; watch out for teas that may contain carbs!
• Bottles of water; still and sparkling (flavoured waters should be no added sugar)
• Zero, no added sugar fizzy drinks
• No added sugar diluting squash
• Whole full fat milk, unsweetened almond milk, lacto-free milk, coconut milk
• Milkshakes: Frijj zero, Yazoo no added sugar, Crusha no added sugar
• Raspberry leaf tea (for later in pregnancy only)

 

Gestational diabetes diet on a budget

If you need ideas of how to save money on your shopping, then you may find some helpful information on our gestational diabetes diet on a budget page.