Since being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I've had to change what I eat somewhat and follow specific dietary guidelines. One of the hardest things was figuring out what to pack in my lunchbox for work. I looked online for sample diabetic daily menus, but found very little. Others in the BabyCenter forums have said they're looking for the same information.

Now that I've visited with a dietician and spent some time sitting down with a calculator, an electronic scale, and the USDA Nutrient Database to figure out what I can eat, I thought I'd share that information in case it helps someone else get through this. I'm testing my blood sugar 2 hours after each meal and I'm eating the snacks after I test.

Breakfast

• 1/2 cup oatmeal (measured dry so I can use the nutritional info on the box) with 1/2 cup 2% milk, 1 teaspoon of honey, and cinnamon
• 1 egg scrambled
• Prenatal vitamins

Morning Snack

• Decaf coffee with 1/3 c. milk
• 10 almonds
• 2 dried apricots

Lunch

• Sandwich: meat, cheese or egg salad on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomato
• Cottage cheese (one of those small take-along containers)
• Fruit (200g of cantaloupe or one medium-sized apple - basically about 16g of carbs' worth)

Afternoon Snack

• 5 Triscuits with low-fat cheddar cheese
• Baby carrots

Dinner

Dinner varies every night, so here are some examples of menus from the past week:

• Beef barley soup with a whole wheat roll
• Pork chop, broccoli, homemade mac'n'cheese
• Half a large baked potato topped with ham, cheese, and broccoli
• Trout, couscous, romaine and artichoke heart salad, and a crab cake

Evening Snack

• Decaf coffee or tea with 1/3 c. milk
• 1 Dove Promises dark chocolate square
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter (the dietician recommended natural PB, the kind you have to stir)

I hope someone finds this information helpful. Getting this thrown at you on top of everything else you're dealing with in pregnancy right now can be a lot to handle.