Ep. 399 Real Food for GD with Lily Nichols

Ep. 399 Real Food for GD with Lily Nichols

Author: HeHe Stewart November 19, 2025 Duration: 1:21:17
This episode is brought to you by Cozy Earth, one of HeHe’s all-time favorite ways to stay cozy during pregnancy and postpartum. Their ultra-soft PJs, loungewear, and sheets make those long nights and lazy days feel a little more luxurious — and they’re a simple way to detox your home while you’re at it! Through November, you can use code HEHE to stack up to 40% off holiday sale prices on anything from dreamy PJs to new sheets: https://cozyearth.com/ In this episode of The Birth Lounge Podcast, HeHe sits down with nutrition guru Lily Nichols to cut through the noise around gestational diabetes (GD) and give parents tools that actually work. They compare the old-school GD advice with Lily’s evidence-based approach from her books, focusing on keeping blood sugar steady without stress or guesswork. Lily dishes out the real deal on carbs, which ones matter, how much, and how to pair them for maximum impact, while busting myths about ketosis in pregnancy. She also shares clever, practical hacks like walking after meals, eating your veggies first (yes, first!), and tailoring your diet to what you actually need. They also tackle the nitty-gritty of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) versus traditional glucose tests, all with a focus on personalized care. By the end, you’ll have a playbook for nourishing your body, managing GD confidently, and skipping the panic… because informed choices and empowered parents are always in style. Black Friday is here, and it’s your chance to snag $150 off your Lifetime Membership to The Birth Lounge — one of only two sales all year! This is your shot to get HeHe’s full evidence-based birth system, handpicked Birth Box, advocacy scripts, partner prep, and all the tools you need to confidently navigate your birth, no unnecessary interventions, no guesswork, just you in control. Don’t wait! The sale ends soon! Head to thebirthlounge.com/join and use code BF25 to claim your spot.   Guest Bio: 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 tens 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. INSTAGRAM: Connect with HeHe on IG  Connect with Lily on IG    BIRTH EDUCATION: Join The Birth Lounge here for judgment-free childbirth education that prepares you for an informed birth and how to confidently navigate hospital policy to have a trauma-free labor experience!   Download The Birth Lounge App for birth & postpartum prep delivered straight to your phone!   LINKS MENTIONED: Connect with Lily:  https://lilynicholsrdn.com https://realfoodforgd.com/ Check out Lily’s free video series on gestational diabetes here: https://realfoodforgd.com/free-stuff/   YOUTUBE LINKS: Connect with HeHe on YouTube.

Hosted by birth and newborn expert HeHe Stewart, The Birth Lounge Podcast creates a thoughtful conversation around the many paths through pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. This podcast moves beyond simplistic advice to explore the wide spectrum of normal experiences, offering evidence-based insights alongside real stories from parents. HeHe, who founded Tranquility by HeHe Maternity Concierge, guides these discussions with a blend of professional knowledge and deep empathy, aiming to demystify the process and empower your choices. Each episode serves as a gathering place-a safe space where clinical expertise meets lived experience, covering topics that span education, family dynamics, physical fitness, holistic health, and parenting young children. You’ll find a supportive resource here, one that acknowledges the variables and nuances of bringing a child into the world and navigating the postpartum chapter. Tune in for honest dialogues that honor different perspectives, providing companionship and reliable information for your own journey. The goal is to leave you feeling more prepared, less alone, and confident in your unique path through parenthood, all within the supportive community of this podcast.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 432

The Birth Lounge Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 125: Friday Free Talk: Why Your Baby's Position Matters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:46
Your baby’s positions matters so much when it comes to your labor and delivery. A baby that is engaged in the right position can lead to a shorter labor, less painful labor, less back labor, and reduce the risk of tearin…
Ep. 123: Friday Free Talk: Birth Trauma is *NOT* Normal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:00
It irks me to pieces when someone says, "birth trauma is totally normal." No, it's not. In this episode, I am breaking down exactly why perpetuating the idea that birth trauma is normal is not only very dangerous, but al…
Ep. 122: Inclusion in Women's Health  with Olivia Chisholm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:48
Olivia Chisolm is a dear friend of mine and joins me today to chat about inclusion (or lack there of) in women’s health. She is the Founder of To Live In Color and serves as an Inclusion Consultant that supports small bu…
Ep. 121: Friday Free Talk: The Positive Side of Coronavirus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:30
Coronavirus has caused some definite headaches in 2020, but I would like to highlight a few positive changes that I’ve witnessed come about in the birth world due to this global pandemic. Not everything is doom and gloom…
Ep. 120: Being Your Own Advocate with Ali Levine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:44
HeHe is the queen of saying “Be an Educator Consumer” when it comes to your heathcare and, particularly, your birth. Today, HeHe is joined by celebrity personality and stylist, Ali Levine, to discuss how to be an informe…
Ep 119: Friday Free Talk, The SNOO [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:18
Did you hear there is a FDA approved IV infusion treatment for postpartum depression? 1 in 9 women suffer from postpartum depression (1). This could be a game changer for so many women. It’s called Zulresso! But what if…
Ep. 118: What is medical Manipulation? with Olivia Friel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:34
No one expects medical manipulation to happen during birth, but what are you supposed to do if you find yourself feeling manipulated during or after birth? How can we protect ourselves against being manipulated by the me…
Ep. 117: Friday Free Talk, How to Calm a Fussy Baby [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:06
A fussy baby is hard. Most of the time, you’re both crying! I’ve been there, too! A crying baby seems to escalate everything so I’m sharing the best tips to calming a fussy baby! I can’t take credit for the method, but I…
Ep. 116: Redefining Self-Love with Kimmay Caldwell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:39
This episode is redefining beauty! Kimmay Caldwell is a self-love coach and Undergarment educator who supports people to say hurray inside, outside, and underneath™. She is an expert bra fitter with over 14 years of expe…