The GD diet #1: A few of my fav-or-ite things

If you've ever been pregnant, or female, you know that snacks are very important.  When you have GD, they are important for a different reason: to maintain somewhat stable blood sugar, you need to be eating approximately every 2 hours, and ideally, your snacks should be healthy (and under 20g of carbs).  The best snacks are healthy snacks that make you feel excited, so here are a few treats that really get me going.

1. True North Nut Clusters: 9g for Almond Pecan, 12g for Chocolate Nut.  These are exceptional because they satisfy your candy bar cravings without killing your diet.  They are, however, slightly dangerous if not divided up into single-serving baggies.  5 clusters sounds depressing, but it's actually quite satisfying.

2. Kashi Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Cookie- 1 is 20g.  This one is my absolute favorite.  Full of whole grains and dietary fiber, this filling cookie is BETTER (no joke) than it's unhealthy counterparts.  A few weeks of these and chips ahoy will start to taste like buttery chemicals.

3. Carrots and Peanut Butter- JIF to go and 3/4 cup carrots = 18g  (Or you can do ants on a log if you can stomach disgusting, awful celery).  Now, JIF to go is the EASIEST option, but not the only option.  There are healthier peanut (or almond) butters out there that have no added salt or sugar.  If you have the patience, get some tiny Tupperware, and fill it with your fave nut butter, and bring that along instead.  I'm just going to eat this JIF til my midwife spots it and calls me out.  (Don't tell!)

4. Berries! ...and other fruit, but be sure to look any up for carb count, some unexpectedly have A LOT of sugar.  Strawberries are about 1g each, blueberries are about 10g to 1/2 cup.  Plums are surprisingly low at 8g per fruit, and so are peaches!  Indulge in an entire peach for the price of only 14g!  Cantaloupes (14g per cup) and oranges(11g) are also good.  Apples (24g), pineapples (22g per cup), bananas (25g), pears (27g) and watermelon (22g per wedge... you know you can't limit yourself to a cup) are all high in sugar, and therefore should be used sparingly (see #5).  Of course, it's the expensive fruit that you can eat...

5. Bananas are high in carbs, but fabulous for a lot of other reasons, like the fact that they come in their own wrapper.  If you are getting a lot of leg cramps, bananas can really help.  A great snack is 1/2 a banana and 1 hard boiled egg- about 14g.  That little yellow thing in the picture?  That's a Nana-saver, and its a $3 wonder of modern science (its a clip you put on the 1/2 of the banana you didn't eat to keep it from getting all crusty and brown.  Or you can use a little piece of plastic wrap if you're not a gadget-loving jackass like I am)

6.  Nature's Bakery Fig Bar- 2 bars in a pack- 20g.  Made with stone ground wheat and so delicious.  They come 2 to a pack and you can split them up if 20g of carbs are making you a little uncomfortable.  Lots of flavors to choose from, and if you are lucky enough to have a Wegmans near you, you can pick up a 24 pack variety box for less than $10.  Way cheaper than online.

7.  Kind bar- dark chocolate, nuts and sea salt- 16g.  If you have other favorite KIND bars, just be sure to check the label, they are all different for carb count.

NOT SHOWN:
8. Dark Chocolate Covered Anything.  I especially like walnuts covered in dark chocolate because every "eating for pregnancy" book out there suggests walnuts, but by themselves they taste like licking a tin can.  Walnuts are especially high in DHA which is super fantastic for your baby's brain development in the 3rd trimester, which is probably when you found out you had GD in the first place.  Next Organics Dark Chocolate Covered Walnuts- 9g per serving

9. And a suggestion from Steph: Light n fit Greek Yogurt by Dannon.  Lots of flavors to choose from, only 9g of carbs, and 12g of protein to balance it out.  I can't wait to try it!!!  ...Um.... and they have a flavor called Caramel Macchiato.... oh no...