How gestational diabetes changed the way i nourish myself.

My relationship with food has changed enormously over the last few years. Not because I wanted to follow a particular diet or become overly focused on eating “perfectly”, but because my body eventually made me pay attention.

During my first pregnancy, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. It was the first time I really had to think about how the food I was eating affected my blood sugar. While I was pregnant, I followed the advice I was given and became much more conscious of what I ate.

But after my son was born, I assumed I could simply go back to eating the way I had before.

Around six months later, I started struggling with my metabolic health and couldn't really understand what was happening. Then, when we started trying for baby number two, I began looking more closely at my health and realised there were things going on beneath the surface.

Over the years that followed, I discovered I had endometriosis, struggled with low iron and started learning much more about insulin resistance and metabolic health. I spoke to a nutritionist who helped me completely rethink the way I was eating.

It opened my eyes.

At the time, I had also developed a persistent rash across my back which I was told was connected to a candida overgrowth. My body seemed to be giving me signs that something wasn't quite right.

And alongside all of this came my first three miscarriages.

When you've experienced pregnancy loss, it's incredibly easy to go searching for a reason. I certainly did. I went down what felt like an endless rabbit hole of medical information, investigations and trying to understand my body.

I want to be careful here because I don't believe we can simply attribute pregnancy loss to what somebody eats or how well they manage their blood sugar. Miscarriage is complex, and so much of it is completely outside of our control.

But what this period did change was the way I wanted to look after myself.

By the time I became pregnant for the fourth time after having my son, I was much more conscious of what I was eating. Sadly, that pregnancy also ended at around 11 weeks. But around that time I noticed something else: the skin problems I had struggled with had completely settled.

Whatever combination of changes had helped, I could see that my body seemed to respond well to the new way I was nourishing it.

And somewhere along the way, something that had initially come from fear became something I genuinely loved.

I started making more of my food from scratch. I learnt how to put together breakfasts that kept me satisfied and helped me manage my blood sugar. I became interested in real ingredients, protein, fibre and healthy fats, rather than simply thinking about food in terms of what I was or wasn't “allowed” to eat.

Cooking became less about restriction and more about nourishment.

Berry oat breakfast cake

One of my favourite breakfasts now is a blueberry oat cake that I can batch cook and keep for busy mornings.

Recipe:

Ingredients

Berry layer

• 300g frozen blueberries

• 100g frozen raspberries

• 1 heaped tablespoon chia seeds

• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract

Oat layer

• 1 large ripe banana

• 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• 2–3 honey

• Pinch of salt

• 4 tablespoons whole milk

• 130g rolled oats

• 30g plain or oat flour

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To serve

• Thick natural yoghurt

• Drizzle of nut butter

Method

Gently simmer the blueberries and raspberries in a pan. Once they have defrosted and started bubbling, stir in the chia seeds and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract. Remove from the heat and leave the mixture to cool and thicken.

Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / 375°F / Gas Mark 5. Line a baking tin approximately 20 × 20cm (8 × 8 inches) with non-stick baking paper.

Mash the banana until smooth. Add the remaining vanilla, peanut butter, baking powder, honey, salt and milk and mix until creamy.

In another bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour and cinnamon. Add the wet mixture and stir together until you have a cohesive, slightly sticky oat batter.

Press approximately two-thirds of the oat mixture into the lined tin and spread it evenly. Spoon the cooled berry mixture over the top.

Use the remaining oat mixture to make small crumble-like clusters and scatter them over the berry layer.

Bake for approximately 15–20 minutes, until golden.

Allow it to cool in the tin before cutting. Serve with thick natural yoghurt and, if wanted, a little nut butter on top. The slices of cake can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.

I love having something already prepared that feels like a treat but can also be paired with things like Greek yoghurt, nuts or nut butter to make a more balanced breakfast.

What I'm doing differently this pregnancy

Now, in this pregnancy, I'm monitoring my blood sugar again because of gestational diabetes.

But this time I see the bigger picture.

Yes, what I eat matters. I try to be consistent with my meals and choose foods that nourish both me and my baby. But I've also realised that looking after my metabolic health isn't confined to what is on my plate.

It's my lifestyle too.

It's not overloading my diary.

It's prioritising rest.

It's sleeping well.

It's moving my body.

It's cooking with real ingredients.

And perhaps most importantly, it's trying not to make health another thing I have to obsessively control.

After pregnancy loss, that last part can be difficult. When you've spent years desperately wanting your body to do something it hasn't been able to do, it's very easy for “being healthy” to become another way of searching for certainty.

I'm learning that nourishing myself doesn't have to come from fear.

It can come from care.

I still love finding new breakfast recipes. I still enjoy learning about blood sugar and nutrition. I still get enormous satisfaction from cooking something from scratch and knowing exactly what has gone into it.

But food isn't something I'm frightened of anymore.

It's become one of the ways I slow down, look after myself and create something good for my family.

And maybe that's been the biggest change of all.

I didn't just change the way I eat.

I changed the way I think about nourishing myself.