Taking Your Pregnancy Glucose Challenge Test? Here’s What to Eat for Breakfast That Morning

Glucose challenge tests are used to screen for diabetes during pregnancy. Diabetes that develops during pregnancy is known as gestational diabetes. This is a treatable condition. But if it’s not found and treated right away, it can harm your health and the health of your growing baby. That’s why experts recommend that everyone receives screening for gestational diabetes, usually between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. 

Here’s what to know about glucose challenge tests and what to eat for breakfast the morning of the test for a smooth result.

How do you get ready for a glucose challenge test?

You don’t need to do anything special to get ready for a glucose challenge test. You just go to your lab or obstetrician (OB) office on the day of your challenge test. You can eat and drink normally the morning of your test. But you can’t have anything to eat for the 2 hours right before your test.

Once you arrive, you’ll be asked to drink a beverage that contains 50 g (nearly 11 teaspoons) of glucose (sugar). Then you’ll wait an hour without having anything to eat or drink. 

Once that hour is up, you’ll have a blood draw to check your blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels above a certain threshold are often a sign that someone has gestational diabetes.

The glucose challenge test isn’t perfect. So, if your blood sugar level is high, you’ll need to take a separate test to confirm that you have gestational diabetes. This is called an oral glucose tolerance test. Oral glucose tolerance tests are more accurate for diagnosing diabetes. But they also require fasting and take up to 3 hours to complete. So, they’re too difficult to use as a screening test. 

What should you eat for breakfast before a pregnancy glucose test? 

What you eat the morning of your glucose challenge test can affect your results. 

Some foods are more likely to raise your blood sugar levels and keep them high for several hours. This can elevate your challenge results and make it seem like you have gestational diabetes. 

On the other hand, not eating at all can make it seem like you have low blood sugar levels. 

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Choosing the right food can make your glucose challenge test go more smoothly. And it can help you avoid the anxiety and discomfort of an oral glucose challenge test. The morning of your glucose challenge test, you should choose foods that won’t cause spikes in your blood sugar.

Some great options include high-protein foods, low-glycemic fruits, and complex carbohydrates. 

Some breakfast food examples are:

• Fresh berries, apples, stone fruits, and oranges

• Yogurt

• Whole grain toast

• Plain oatmeal

• Low-sugar granola

• Almond butter and peanut butter

If your test is later in the day and you have time for lunch, here are some more foods to try:

• Lean meat, like chicken, turkey, and fish

• Non-starchy vegetables, like broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, lettuce, or kale

• Legumes, like beans, chickpeas (and hummus), and lentils

• Brown rice, quinoa, and other whole grains

What foods should you avoid before a glucose challenge test?

You should avoid foods with a high glycemic index before a glucose challenge test. These include processed foods and foods with a lot of added sugar. Some examples of foods to avoid are:

• Candy and chocolate

• Pastries and desserts, including donuts, muffins, cupcakes, and cookies

• Sugary breakfast cereals

• Sugary drinks, like soda, juice, sweetened tea, and coffee syrups

• White bread, white rice, and bagels

You want to avoid these foods the night before and the morning of your glucose challenge test. Some experts also recommend avoiding caffeine the day of your test. 

How can you tell if your diet has affected your pregnancy glucose challenge test?

You can’t know for sure if what you recently ate affected your results. Other factors can also affect your results, like medications or a mild infection such as a cold.

An oral glucose challenge test is the only way to know for sure if you have gestational diabetes. 

Make sure to take your oral glucose tolerance test even if you think your breakfast triggered a false result on your challenge test. Completing your oral glucose tolerance test is the best thing you can do for your health and your baby’s health. 

And here’s a reassuring fact: Most people who “fail” their glucose challenge test don’t have gestational diabetes.

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Written by:

Ronald W. Dworkin, MD, PhD

Ronald W. Dworkin, MD, is a board-certified anesthesiologist who has been practicing anesthesiology in a community hospital for 30 years. He has taught in the honors program at George Washington University for over 10 years and works as a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

Reviewed by:

Adriena Beatty D.O., MBA, CPE

Adriena Beatty, DO, MBA, CPE, is an Army veteran and board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist with over 20 years of experience. She is a graduate from Tuskegee University with a degree in chemical engineering and chemistry.

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