What to eat for breakfast with gestational diabetes?

Written by Zhao Xin Lan
Endocrinology
Updated on June 18, 2025
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Dietary control is extremely important for gestational diabetes. Eating too little may lead to poor fetal development, while eating too much may cause blood sugar levels to be difficult to control, leading to macrosomia or even adverse pregnancy outcomes. Therefore, paying close attention to diet is indeed necessary. As for how much to eat, it can be calculated based on the total calories needed throughout the day, with breakfast accounting for about one-third of the total calories. Specifically for breakfast, it should consist of carbohydrates and protein, a moderate amount of fats, and certain vitamins. For example, for a user weighing 50 or 60 kilograms, breakfast could include 250 milliliters of pure milk, an egg, along with some whole grain bread or steamed buns, approximately 100 grams, and some vegetables. You could have cucumber salad or some kelp strips, which are low in glycemic index and can help fill the stomach. Additionally, between meals, such as between breakfast and lunch, it is appropriate to have two walnut kernels to keep blood sugar from spiking while achieving nutritional balance.

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Written by Xu Dong Dong
Endocrinology
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What kind of milk should be consumed for gestational diabetes?

Patients with gestational diabetes can drink pure milk, which contains rich nutrients such as protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Milk protein contains essential amino acids for the human body, and milk fat mostly consists of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids, which are easily absorbed by the human body. Moreover, milk is rich in calcium, making it suitable for pregnant women to supplement calcium. The daily consumption of milk can be 500mL, taken in two to three servings, choosing either pure milk or skimmed pure milk. If unsweetened yogurt is available, it is also acceptable to drink. It is important to note that one should try to avoid buying milk powder, as it often contains some additives that are not conducive to blood sugar control.

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Written by Luo Han Ying
Endocrinology
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Does gestational diabetes require early delivery?

Patients with gestational diabetes primarily have higher blood sugar levels compared to normal pregnant women. For such individuals, strict blood sugar control is generally required. Poor control of blood sugar can significantly impact the baby and pose dangers during childbirth. However, for those patients with well-controlled gestational diabetes, it is possible to carry the pregnancy to full term without the need for early delivery. Early delivery, leading to a premature birth, can have a greater detrimental effect on the infant than the effects caused by high blood sugar. Therefore, patients with gestational diabetes do not need to deliver early. They can manage their condition through strict dietary control, including fetal monitoring and close monitoring of the baby’s vital signs, considering delivery only after reaching full term.

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Written by Chen Kai
Endocrinology
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Gestational diabetes blood glucose monitoring

Gestational diabetes refers to individuals who were not diabetic before pregnancy but develop high blood sugar levels due to increased insulin resistance caused by elevated hormone secretion during pregnancy. These patients also need to monitor their blood sugar, typically checking fasting blood sugar, post-meal blood sugar, and bedtime blood sugar to maintain it within a target range, such as keeping fasting levels at 5.60 and post-meal levels below 7.8 to avoid hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia and minimize the risk of low blood sugar. If the blood sugar level exceeds 10 or even higher, such patients may require medication treatment. If the increase is mild, through diet and exercise interventions, blood sugar can generally be controlled within the normal range.

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Written by Zhao Xin Lan
Endocrinology
1min 18sec home-news-image

What to eat for breakfast with gestational diabetes?

Dietary control is extremely important for gestational diabetes. Eating too little may lead to poor fetal development, while eating too much may cause blood sugar levels to be difficult to control, leading to macrosomia or even adverse pregnancy outcomes. Therefore, paying close attention to diet is indeed necessary. As for how much to eat, it can be calculated based on the total calories needed throughout the day, with breakfast accounting for about one-third of the total calories. Specifically for breakfast, it should consist of carbohydrates and protein, a moderate amount of fats, and certain vitamins. For example, for a user weighing 50 or 60 kilograms, breakfast could include 250 milliliters of pure milk, an egg, along with some whole grain bread or steamed buns, approximately 100 grams, and some vegetables. You could have cucumber salad or some kelp strips, which are low in glycemic index and can help fill the stomach. Additionally, between meals, such as between breakfast and lunch, it is appropriate to have two walnut kernels to keep blood sugar from spiking while achieving nutritional balance.

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Written by Tang Zhuo
Endocrinology
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Gestational diabetes symptoms

Gestational diabetes refers to the onset or first-time detection of varying degrees of hyperglycemia during pregnancy, including pre-pregnancy unrecognized glucose intolerance and diabetes. Typical clinical symptoms of gestational diabetes include polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, or recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. If the pregnant woman's weight is greater than or equal to 90 kilograms, and the current pregnancy is complicated by excessive amniotic fluid or macrosomia, there is also a high suspicion of gestational diabetes. In severe cases or those with poor blood sugar control, not only is there an increased risk of preterm labor but also miscarriage, and in severe cases, ketoacidosis may occur.