Q: Have to go take the “sugar” test in about 2 weeks. Basically no matter what I eat beforehand it won’t affect the results right? It’s just how your body deals with sugar. Or am I wrong? Can you watch your sugar intake a few days/week before and alter your results?

A: Ah, the good ol’ 1-hour Glucose Test… (not my favorite memory since I’ve wound up with gestational diabetes with all THREE of my pregancies!!)

Not positive about how much eating well a couple of weeks/days ahead helps with the results of a glucose test, but I DO know that what you eat right before the test VERY much can effect the results. My midwife has always told me to eat a high protein breakfast before coming in to do the gestational diabetes test. In fact, she once told my friend to eat eggs, tuna fish and cottage cheese!! Not sure I could choke down all 3 of those in the same sitting, but it does help to offset the HUGE rush of sugar if you’ve got some protein in ya. The main thing to remember is that you DON’T want to have a coke and cookies right before putting STRAIGHT SUGAR into your system. That will definitely send you into overload and you might wind up with incorrect results. (Of course, if your caregiver asks you to fast beforehand, be sure to follow THEIR advice!)
Also, what they never remember to tell you is to bring something with protein to eat AFTER the testing is over, or go straight to lunch, whatever works best with the time of day you go (you’ll probably want a big glass of water, too). After drinking all that sugar and nothing else for an hour you can actually get pretty light headed and some protein helps with that.

The other thing that helps your body to process glucose is exercise. So, if it’s possible, walk around during that hour between when you drink it and when they take your blood again. Of course, this is a whole lot more feasable during the 3-hour Glucose Test (if you’re lucky enough to get stuck being ’stuck’ 4 times in 4 hours!) as you can usually walk around in between the hourly draws. Don’t bring a book to read, bring your iPod and tennies, and start walking!