Pregnancies are immensely personal journeys but every woman has shared experiences from this time. Occurrences such as morning sickness, hunger pangs, and the like are extremely common across the board and once the first trimester is over, food cravings may become a very real issue.

Expectant mothers who are also diabetic may have to be a little careful about what to eat and what to avoid, as sudden dips or spikes in blood sugar levels can lead to complications that are better avoided.

Some tips for diabetic expectant mothers are as follows:

• Avoid any snack that is high in sugar and carbohydrates or low in protein.
• Eat at the same time every day to prevent fluctuation in sugar levels
• Eat a snack early in the evening and late at night to prevent ketones (glucose)
• Eat smaller portions to avoid additional weight gain than that happens due to pregnancy
• Make sure you get some exercise — walking, yoga, Tai chi, etc. Engage in light physical activity that is comfortable and doable

Consult your doctor and dietician about the diet plan to follow. This will ensure you are not following an incorrect diet and inadvertently harming yourself. Some options for safe late-night snacks for a diabetic are:

1. Carbohydrate-rich snacks

• Whole wheat, rye bread – 1 slice
• Melba toast – 4 slices
• English muffin – ½
• Raw vegetables with hummus – 3 cups
• Low-fat yogurt – 6 ounces
• Milk – 1 cup
• Rice cake – 4
• Apples, bananas, watermelon, oranges mangoes, avocado, berries – 1/ 2 cup
• Grapes – 17
• Raisins – 2 tablespoon
• Baked tortilla chips – 15 to 20
• Wheat thins – 14
• Plain popcorn – 3 cups

2. Protein-rich snacks

• 1 ounce or 1½ slices of cheese
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1 ounce of meat
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons of nuts

There are some foods with zero or less than 30 calories that can help you get over the hunger pangs. You can have at 3 portions of these food items spread throughout the day and once late in the night.

Some examples of these foods are baby carrots, blueberries, and celery sticks.

With these and many other options available for a late evening snack we can work out combinations of snacks that are easy to prepare, are healthy and will ensure that your sugar levels are within prescribed limits.

3. Easy snacks for diabetics

A few combinations for safe late-night snacks for diabetics that do not need too much preparation are as follows:

• Greek yogurt and blueberries
• Vegetable sticks with hummus
• Popcorn with low-fat cheese
• Roasted chickpeas
• Turkey or chicken wraps with avocado and tomato
• Brown rice cake with low-fat cheese
• Apple with nut butter

It is advisable to consult your doctor before making any major dietary changes and especially before beginning a diet. The most important thing in any pregnancy is always the health of the baby and the mother.