Potatoes are reportedly the latest addition to a long list of what expectant mothers aren’t advised to eat, because too much of a starchy good thing can cause gestational diabetes.


A study published in the British Medical Journal and conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and Harvard University found that women who eat more potatoes are at greater risk for gestational diabetes than moms-to-be who eat beans and whole grains, according to Mashable. This condition develops when a pregnant woman has high blood glucose levels, which often happens to those who are overweight, older than 25 and of certain ethnicities are high risk for developing gestational diabetes.

During the study, 15,000 women were monitored over ten years. Each woman completed a daily food diary, and 854 of the participants found themselves suffering from gestational diabetes. Overall, the study learned that the more potatoes the women ate, the higher their chances for gestational diabetes.


The solution to avoiding potato-influenced gestational diabetes seems to be a varied diet of beans and grains, which have low glycemic indexes, and vegetables.

This sounds great, but what about the pregnant women who are just trying to make it through the day with a constantly upset stomach that healthy foods like vegetables and beans don’t soothe? If only growing babies cared about these things, am I right?