SugarCurve
Food Library

Gestational diabetes food list

Look up 1,133 foods: blood sugar impact, glycemic index, carbs per 100 g and whether each one is safe to eat in pregnancy.

1133 foods rated10 categories

Categories

Dairy & Dairy Alternatives

150 foods · 130 low impact · 23 pregnancy warnings

How milk, yogurt, cheese and plant drinks compare on carbs, added sugar and protein, what to read on the label, and which cheeses need care in pregnancy.

Drinks

61 foods · 50 low impact · 25 pregnancy warnings

Juice, coffee, tea, herbal teas, kombucha and protein drinks: carbs per 100 ml, the 200 mg caffeine limit, and alcohol in fermented drinks.

Fats & Oils

39 foods · 39 low impact · 3 pregnancy warnings

Oils and butters carry no carbohydrate, but a lot of energy and, in butter, ghee and coconut oil, saturated fat. Swaps, labels, and cod liver oil in pregnancy.

Fruits & Vegetables

280 foods · 187 low impact · 34 pregnancy warnings

Most vegetables carry little carbohydrate; potatoes, fruit, dried fruit and beans carry more. Which is which, plus sprouts, melon and seaweed in pregnancy.

Grains & Cereal

154 foods · 47 low impact · 2 pregnancy warnings

Cooked or dry, wholegrain or white: how grains, bread and breakfast cereals compare on carbs, fibre and sugar, plus rice and raw flour safety.

Herbs & Spices

144 foods · 131 low impact · 26 pregnancy warnings

Herbs and spices add little; sauces can add a lot. Carbs and salt in ketchup, BBQ and soy sauce, the evidence on cinnamon, and herbs in pregnancy.

Nuts, Seeds & Butters

58 foods · 52 low impact · 8 pregnancy warnings

Most nuts carry 12 to 30 g of carbs per 100 g but 550 to 720 kcal. Chestnuts are starchy. Plus peanuts in pregnancy, Brazil nuts and nut-butter labels.

Proteins

188 foods · 181 low impact · 76 pregnancy warnings

Plain meat, fish and eggs carry almost no carbs; coatings do. Plus pregnancy safety: mercury in fish, liver, cured meats, smoked fish and eggs.

Snacks & Sweets

41 foods · 27 low impact · 4 pregnancy warnings

Chocolate, chips, gummy sweets and liquorice: carbs and sugar per 100 g, why a low GI can mislead, caffeine in chocolate and liquorice in pregnancy.

Sweeteners

18 foods · 8 low impact · 1 pregnancy warning

Honey, maple, agave and coconut sugar are still sugar; stevia and monk fruit aren't. Carbs per 100 g, what regulators say, and the sugar-alcohol catch.

Start here

Common pregnancy food-safety questions and everyday carbs.

Brie
Caution
low0.5g/100

Brie

Cheese

View details
Chicken Eggs
Caution
low1.1g/100

Chicken Eggs

Eggs

View details
Smoked Salmon
Caution
low0g/100

Smoked Salmon

Fish

View details
Tuna
Caution
low0g/100

Tuna

Fish

View details
Coffee
Caution
low0g/100

Coffee

Coffee & Tea

View details
Prosciutto
Caution
low0g/100

Prosciutto

Red Meats

View details
Chicken Liver
Avoid
low0.9g/100

Chicken Liver

Poultry

View details
Feta (pasteurized)
low4.1g/100

Feta (pasteurized)

Cheese

View details
Banana
medium22.8g/100

Banana

Fruits

View details
Oats
low66.3g/100

Oats

Whole Grains

View details
Potatoes
high17.5g/100

Potatoes

Starchy Veggies and Roots

View details
Sweet Potato
medium20.1g/100

Sweet Potato

Vegetables

View details
Brown Rice
medium25.6g/100

Brown Rice

Whole Grains

View details
Mango
medium15g/100

Mango

Fruits

View details
Grape
medium18.1g/100

Grape

Fruits

View details
Honey
high82.4g/100

Honey

Natural Sweeteners

View details

How the ratings work

Of the 1,133 foods in this library, 852 have a low blood sugar impact, 165 medium and 116 high. 202 carry a pregnancy food-safety warning: 17 to avoid, 72 to limit and 113 that are safe only if prepared the right way.

Blood sugar

A glycemic impact band (low, medium or high), the glycemic index where one has been published, carbohydrate per 100 g and portion notes. Glycemic index is measured on one food eaten on its own: a mixed meal behaves differently, and two people can respond very differently to the same food.[1] [2]

Food safety in pregnancy

Safe, limit, prepare with care or avoid, with the hazard behind it (listeria, mercury, vitamin A and so on) and the guidance it comes from. It is about food safety, not blood sugar, so it applies whatever your readings look like.[3] [4]

We keep the two apart on purpose. A food can be gentle on blood sugar and still be one to avoid in pregnancy: swordfish has almost no carbohydrate, but it is high in mercury. One combined score would hide exactly that.[4]

How we source, check and correct these ratings is in our editorial policy.

Common questions

Food questions with gestational diabetes

What to eat, what to avoid in pregnancy, and what the ratings in this library mean.

What can I eat with gestational diabetes?

There is no single list of allowed foods. Your care team or dietitian sets your targets and your meal plan, and the advice is individual. Guidance does set a floor: at least 175 g of carbohydrate a day in pregnancy, so cutting carbohydrate out is not the aim. This library helps you compare foods by blood sugar impact and carbs per 100 g, and check whether each one is safe to eat in pregnancy.[5]

Is a low glycemic index food always a good choice in pregnancy?

Not always. Glycemic index describes blood sugar only, measured on one food eaten on its own. A food can be low-GI and still one to avoid in pregnancy: swordfish has almost no carbohydrate, but it is high in mercury. A mixed meal also behaves differently from a single food, and people respond differently to the same food, so your own readings are what describe you.[1] [4]

Which foods should I avoid while pregnant?

17 foods in this library are marked avoid: Beef Liver, Borage, Chicken Liver, Duck Liver, Epazote, Ginkgo Nuts, Goose Liver, Hijiki, Job's Tears (Adlay), Lamb Liver, Pork Liver, Slippery Elm Powder, Spirulina, Swordfish, Turkey Liver, Veal Liver, and Venison Liver. Another 72 are marked limit, and 113 are safe only if prepared the right way. Each food’s page names the hazard and the guidance behind it. Where your own country’s food agency advises differently, follow it.[3] [4]

What does “blood sugar impact” mean?

It is a band (low, medium or high) for how much a food tends to raise blood sugar compared with other foods. Like the glycemic index values beside it, it is a population average from published tables: a way to compare foods, not a prediction of your own reading. Each food’s page also gives its carbs per 100 g and portion notes.[1] [2]

Important Safety Information

Every pregnancy is different, and gestational diabetes is managed differently depending on your readings, your medication and how far along you are. The ratings and portions on this page are general information — not a diagnosis, a treatment plan or a medical device — and they cannot see your results.

Low blood sugar:
If you take insulin or diabetes medication, eating less carbohydrate than your team planned for can push your blood sugar too low. Treat a reading below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L), or symptoms such as shaking, sweating, confusion or a racing heart, with fast-acting carbohydrate immediately and retest after 15 minutes. Never use this page as a reason to skip or shrink a meal you were told to eat.
Carbohydrate and ketones:
Cutting carbohydrate hard to force a number down is not safe in pregnancy — it can produce ketones. Published guidance sets a minimum of 175 g of carbohydrate per day in pregnancy. Readings that stay above target for several days need your care team, not a smaller portion.
Medication and insulin:
The portions here are generic and know nothing about your insulin doses, your metformin, or the steroids given to mature your baby's lungs — all of which change how a meal affects you. Never adjust a dose or a mealtime based on this page.
Food safety in pregnancy:
Blood sugar is not the only thing that makes a food suitable while you are pregnant. Some foods with excellent glycemic numbers still carry mercury, vitamin A, listeria or alcohol risks, and those are judged separately from the ratings shown here. Check your national pregnancy food-safety guidance before adding an unfamiliar food.
What these ratings can and cannot tell you:
Glycemic index values, impact ratings and maximum servings are population averages taken from published tables. Two people eating the same food can get very different readings, so your own meter is the only measurement that describes you. Nutrition figures are indicative per 100 g and vary with brand, ripeness and preparation.

Contact your care team the same day if: your readings stay above target for several days; you have a reading below 54 mg/dL (3.0 mmol/L) or needed someone else's help to treat a low; you test positive for ketones; or your baby is moving less than usual. Seek emergency care for confusion, fainting, repeated vomiting, or a low you cannot bring back up.

By using this guide, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. How we write, source and review this content: editorial policy.

← Home