Pregnancy Plate Planner
50 Food Ideas for Gestational Diabetes
Use these examples to discuss meals and groceries with your care team. They set your food amounts, timing and monitoring plan. This is not a prescribed menu or a promise about blood glucose.
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Vegetables
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Carrots
- Tomatoes
- Bell peppers
- Cauliflower
- Cucumber
- Zucchini
- Green beans
- Lettuce
Protein foods
- Cooked chicken
- Cooked turkey
- Cooked lean beef
- Cooked pork
- Cooked salmon
- Fully cooked eggs
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Plain pasteurized Greek yogurt
- Pasteurized cottage cheese
Grains, legumes and starchy vegetables
- Oats
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Whole-wheat bread
- Whole-wheat pasta
- Sweet potato
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Black beans
- Corn
Fruit
- Apples
- Pears
- Oranges
- Peaches
- Plums
- Kiwifruit
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Grapes
Fats, seeds and extras
- Avocado
- Almonds
- Walnuts
- Peanut butter
- Olive oil
- Olives
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Tahini
- Canola oil
Before you shop
The groups overlap: beans, for example, contain carbohydrate and protein. Check ingredients, allergies and your individual care plan when choosing foods.
For packaged foods, read the serving size and total carbohydrate, then consider the amount you will actually eat. A label serving is not a prescribed portion.
During pregnancy, rinse produce, separate raw animal foods from ready-to-eat foods, cook meat, fish and eggs thoroughly, choose pasteurized dairy, and refrigerate perishables promptly. Follow the FDA food-safety guidance below.
Food planning does not replace medical treatment. Ask your care team about food choices or glucose records that concern you.
Sources and review date
Source pages checked 2026-10-16. NIDDK is used for general individualized care guidance; its page was last reviewed in 2017. This guide does not take numeric clinical targets from it.