How to eat out and order fast food with gestational diabetes
You can eat out with gestational diabetes. Order the way the plate method fills a plate: half non-starchy vegetables, a quarter grilled or baked protein and a quarter carb food, with water or unsweetened tea. Swap fries for a side salad or vegetables, get sauces on the side, and time your after-meal check from the first bite.
Plan before you go
With gestational diabetes, ACOG advises regular meals through the day, often three meals and two or three snacks, because eating regularly helps avoid dips and spikes in blood sugar.1 A meal out can fit that pattern.
- Decide what you will order before you go, so you do not feel rushed.2 Many places put the menu online.3
- If the meal will be later than usual, eat a small snack with fiber and protein first, such as a small handful of nuts. Then eat that much less at the meal.2
- In a drive-through line, take the time you need to read the menu. The cars behind you can wait.3
Build the same plate
The plate method works at a table and in a takeout box. On a 9-inch plate, fill half with non-starchy vegetables (salad, green beans, broccoli), a quarter with lean protein (chicken, beans, tofu, eggs) and a quarter with carb foods (grains, potatoes, rice, pasta, beans, fruit, yogurt).4 The ADA uses the same balance of vegetables, protein and carbs as a rule of thumb when you order fast food.3
Restaurant portions are large: one main dish can equal 3 or 4 servings.4 Ask for half to be packed to go, or share the main dish.42
Swaps that help
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| Fried, breaded or crispy chicken or fish | Grilled, baked, broiled, roasted or steamed.25 For example, a grilled chicken sandwich or a grilled chicken salad instead of a fried chicken sandwich.3 |
| Fries or tots | A side salad, vegetables or a fruit cup. A small fries has 45 grams of carbs or more; a small fruit cup has about half the carbs.32 |
| A medium or large meal | A small size, a single patty or a kid-size meal.3 |
| A bun | Whole-grain bread, or lettuce as the bun where you can ask for it.3 |
| Biscuits and croissants | Whole-grain bread. Croissants and biscuits have a lot of fat.5 |
| Sauce or dressing on the food | On the side, and only enough for flavor.2 |
| Soda, sweet tea or juice | Water or unsweetened tea.34 |
Sauces and drinks
Sauces can add sugar. The CDC suggests limiting dishes with BBQ, glazed, sticky, honey or teriyaki in the name.2 If a dish comes with a heavy sauce, ask for it on the side and use a small amount. Ketchup has a lot of calories from sugar.5
With gestational diabetes, your diet should be low in foods with a lot of sugar, such as soft drinks, fruit juices and pastries.6 Drinking fruit juice raises blood sugar faster than eating whole fruit.4 More in sweets and drinks and fruit.
Eat the carb with the protein
How fast carbs raise your blood sugar depends on the food and on what you eat with it. Carbs eaten with protein, fat or fiber raise blood sugar more slowly.4 So eat the fruit cup or the roll as part of the meal, with the grilled chicken and the salad, not on its own.
The bread basket and dessert
Bread or chips can come to the table before you order. The CDC suggests limiting them, or asking your server to take them away, and drinking a big glass of water when you sit down.2
For dessert, the CDC's diabetes advice is to eat fewer carbs in the meal and then share one dessert with the table.2
Ask for the nutrition facts
Many restaurants have nutrition facts, much like the label on packaged food. If they are not posted, ask for a copy. It is often online too.5 MedlinePlus advises people with gestational diabetes to learn to read food labels and to check them when they choose food.6
Look at the carbs line. In diabetes meal planning, 1 carb serving is about 15 grams of carbs.7 Eating about the same amount of carbs at each meal can help.4 The right amount is different for each person, so set it with your doctor or a dietitian.74
Start the timer at the first bite
The after-meal check is timed from the beginning of the meal.8 At a restaurant, that is the first bite, not the time you sit down or order. Use the 1-hour or 2-hour check your clinic gave you (see when to check after eating and blood sugar targets). First Fork counts down the after-meal check window from the first bite, on the Lock Screen and on Apple Watch.
Write down what you ate next to the reading. The ADA advises noting what may have affected a result, such as food, activity and stress. If the same thing happens several days in a row at about the same time, your care plan may need to change.8 A meal out that gives high readings more than once is a pattern to show your team (see one high reading).
ACOG suggests a walk of 10 to 15 minutes after each meal, which can lead to better blood sugar control.1 A walk after a meal out counts.
Tired nights: low-effort dinners
A dinner does not need a recipe. The plate method gives the shape: one protein, one non-starchy vegetable and one measured carb food.4 Take one from each column:
| Protein | Non-starchy vegetable | Measured carb |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | Salad | A slice of whole-grain bread |
| Chicken | Green beans | Brown rice or pasta |
| Tofu | Broccoli | Potatoes or fruit |
Beans count as protein and as a carb food.4 No measuring cup? In the CDC's hand guide, 1 cup is about the size of your fist.4 The CDC counts 1 cup of brown rice as about 45 grams of carbs.7
Plan for your busiest days, the days when takeout is most likely. Cook a batch of something ahead, such as a container of brown rice, chop vegetables ahead, and keep simple snacks ready, such as vegetables with hummus, string cheese or whole fruit.9 On nights when takeout wins, use the swaps above.
A meal plan works best when it fits your tastes and your life. Ask your doctor for a referral to diabetes education (DSMES), where a diabetes educator builds a meal plan with you.4 See also what to eat.
Questions
Can I eat fast food with gestational diabetes?
Yes, with some swaps. Choose grilled over fried, a side salad or vegetables instead of fries, a small size, and water or unsweetened tea. Ask your care team what fits your plan.
What should I order at a drive-through with gestational diabetes?
Use the plate method: a grilled protein, a vegetable side and one small carb food. Ask for sauces on the side and skip sweet drinks.
When do I check my blood sugar after a restaurant meal?
Time it from the first bite, not from when you sit down or order. Use the 1-hour or 2-hour check your clinic gave you.
What about the bread basket?
The CDC suggests limiting the bread or chips that come before you order, or asking the server to take them away.
What is an easy dinner when I am too tired to cook?
One protein such as eggs or chicken, one non-starchy vegetable such as a salad, and one measured carb food such as brown rice or whole-grain bread. Ask your team how many carbs to aim for.
Sources
- ACOG. Gestational Diabetes (FAQ 177, reviewed April 2026). https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/gestational-diabetes
- CDC. Eating Out (May 15, 2024). https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/healthy-eating/eating-out.html
- American Diabetes Association. Make Healthy Choices at a Fast-Food Restaurant (patient page). https://diabetes.org/food-nutrition/eating-healthy/healthy-choices-fast-food
- CDC. Diabetes Meal Planning (May 15, 2024). https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/healthy-eating/diabetes-meal-planning.html
- MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine). Fast food tips (reviewed July 24, 2024). https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000105.htm
- MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine). Gestational diabetes. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000896.htm
- CDC. Carb Counting (May 15, 2024). https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/healthy-eating/carb-counting-manage-blood-sugar.html
- American Diabetes Association. Check Your Blood Glucose (patient page). https://diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-care/checking-your-blood-sugar
- American Diabetes Association. Tips for Eating Healthy on the Go (patient page). https://diabetes.org/food-nutrition/eating-healthy/tips-eating-healthy-on-go
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