Pregnancy

February 3, 2026

#120: How to Use Food and Lifestyle Habits to Support Gestational Diabetes Naturally with Lily Nichols

This week, I’m joined by Lily Nichols to break down what gestational diabetes really means and why so many mamas feel overwhelmed by the diagnosis. We talk through the difference between true pregnancy-triggered blood sugar changes and underlying insulin resistance, and why individualized nutrition matters more than generic restrictive advice. Lily also shares simple food strategies, lifestyle tools, and the role of CGMs to help you understand your patterns and feel more confident supporting stable blood sugar during pregnancy.

About this episode

What You'll Learn:

  • Why gestational diabetes is often misunderstood
  • How to support blood sugar with individualized nutrition
  • The plate method Lily recommends for protein and carb balance
  • How CGMs can guide better decisions without obsessing over small spikes
  • Practical food and lifestyle habits for steadier blood sugar

 

About Guest:

Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based nutrition. Her work is known for being research-focused, thorough, and sensible. She is the founder of the Institute for Prenatal NutritionⓇ, co-founder of the Women’s Health Nutrition Academy, and the author of three books: Real Food for Fertility (co-authored with Lisa Hendrickson-Jack), Real Food for Pregnancy, and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes. Lily’s bestselling books have helped hundreds of thousands of mamas (and babies!), are used in university-level maternal nutrition and midwifery courses, and have even influenced prenatal nutrition policy internationally. She writes at https://lilynicholsrdn.com. When she steps away from writing, you can find her spending time with her husband and two children — most likely outside or in the kitchen.

Shownotes

Use my link for JustIngredients to get 10% off (or enter code: thewellnourishedmama) → Shop JustIngredients here

Save your seat inside The Confident Mama Masterclass → Join the Workshop here

Head to lilynicholsrdn.com and use the search bar to explore a variety of topics or follow her on Instagram @lilynicholsrdn

Browse all of Lily's free resources here (and be sure to grab your FREE chapter from Real Food for Pregnancy)

How to work with Lily: 
→ For the Mamas: Learn more about her Online Gestational Diabetes Course here
→ For the Professionals: Explore more here - from Speaking events and Courses to Mentorship & Coaching

Transcript