Snacks or dessert for someone with gestational diabetes?
January 6, 2010 8:11 AM   Subscribe

Baby shower. Gestational diabetes. What can I bring?

I'd like to bring something munchable to a baby shower for someone with gestational diabetes. All I know is that she is very tired of peanut butter and she prefers farmer's market/organic foods.

Prior questions seem to go back and forth on fruit (especially in the mornings), but since the shower is in the afternoon, would clementines be okay? How about a combo of grapes, apple slices, cheese slices, olives and wheat thins?

Is it possible to make something more dessert-like but low-sugar and less processed? A friend suggested carrot cake with Sweet n' Low but the idea of Sweet n' Low makes me sad.
posted by zix to Food & Drink (9 answers total)
 
No-bake cheesecake minis? courtesy of The Gestational Diabetes Cookbook?
posted by zizzle at 8:22 AM on January 6, 2010


I agree and would avoid cooking with sugar replacements if you're not used to it. They are very persnikity - I like Splenda just fine, for example, but I think it's rank when baked or mixed with dairy of any kind. I would never cook with Sweet 'n Low. The stuff I would cook or bake with, you've probably never heard of. I'd just avoid the whole issue and go fresh.

Berries are the lowest sugar / carb / GI fruit. Blackberries, strawberries and raspberries with MOUNDS of very fresh whipped cream (add no sugar, it isn't necessary) topped with a small amount of chopped walnuts or almonds would make a nice parfait. You can do the layer thing in a big glass bowl or individual servings.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:25 AM on January 6, 2010


Clementines are a good idea. I could usually eat two if I had them with a full meal containing other protein and fat. Olives and cheese are good.

Just like regular type 2 diabetes, every woman's gestational diabetes is a little different. You don't say if she's on meds or insulin so I don't know how strict her diet is. Mine was pretty flexible and anything with zero (or nearly zero) carbs was totally free. So I could eat all the meat, PB, cheese, butter, etc. that I wanted. Maybe add some roasted turkey breast to your fruit & cheese plate? She's tired of peanut butter, but what about almond or cashew butter? Also for crackers, bread, etc. true whole grain (i.e. not "multi-grain") is way better for GD; the fiber replaces some carbs.

The fake sugar is another thing that varies widely for each woman. I got the OK to eat Splenda ONLY, which I occasionally did, but would not do for any future pregnancies. Does she like custardy things? I'm not an egg fan, but if she is, eggs are great. Flan or something like that? Real sugar is not totally forbidden. It's more about counting carbs, and if there's a small amount of sugar in an egg heavy dessert it may be OK for her to eat.
posted by peep at 8:36 AM on January 6, 2010


Mini quiches. Finger sandwiches with chicken salad or cucumber/cream cheese on whole wheat bread (or that double fiber/double protein bread that Arnold's makes)
posted by fancyoats at 8:51 AM on January 6, 2010


Deviled eggs.
posted by Daily Alice at 9:30 AM on January 6, 2010


Hummus and whole wheat pita would be excellent.
posted by Kimberly at 9:32 AM on January 6, 2010


Does anything here look appetizing to you?
posted by n'muakolo at 9:47 AM on January 6, 2010


Does it have to be sweet? How about meatballs, chicken skewers (go souvlaki style and make tzaziki to go with), stuffed mushrooms, savory (rather than sweet) baked brie?

Your cheese and fruit plate idea is probably fine, though - not all the attendees will have GD, and the guest of honor isn't going to have but a nibble, if that, of what everyone brings.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:21 AM on January 6, 2010


I just got "permission" from my midwives to eat whatever the hell I wanted at my own baby shower.

Yay cake and ice cream!!

And then I was low-carb for the rest of the day, with no ill effects. If it's not a surprise shower, ask if one planned excursion from her tightly controlled values is really going to be a problem for her or her care providers.
posted by marmot at 12:46 PM on January 6, 2010


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