How to Find the Best Protein Powder for Gestational Diabetes

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Dietitian’s guide on how to find the best protein powder for gestational diabetes.

Discover how to safely supplement your protein intake with gestational diabetes.

Last Updated
Jan 23, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Kayla Kamen, MS, RD

Kayla Kamen is a Registered Dietitian with a MS in Nutrition.

Medically reviewed by Jennifer Fossett, PA-C

Jennifer Fossett is a Physician Assistant with a BA in Nutritional Sciences.

Protein Powder for Gestational Diabetes

Protein consumption also plays an important role in improving insulin sensitivity.

By incorporating protein into your diet, you enhance your body’s responsiveness to insulin, which is crucial for regulating blood glucose levels effectively.

Protein intake stimulates the release of glucagon, a hormone that counteracts the effects of insulin, which helps prevent blood glucose spikes and contributes to better overall glycemic control (J Diabetes Investig, 2023).

Moreover, eating protein promotes satiety, making you feel full for longer, which can be advantageous for individuals who struggle with cravings or overeating.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Diabetics should also avoid food additives.

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can not only upset your stomach, but also alter the composition of your gut microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2019).

This can lead to gut dysbiosis, which has been linked to the development of Type 2 diabetes as well as reduced efficacy of diabetic medications (Diabetes, 2022; World J Methodol, 2022).

Although the exact mechanisms by which this occurs are still unknown, it is thought that gut dysbiosis increases intestinal permeability and inflammation, causing abnormalities in glucose metabolism and signaling events that contribute to insulin homeostasis.

⚠️ Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

As a rule of thumb, if you cannot find it in nature or make it at home, it is probably a food additive.

It is worth adding that artificial sweeteners are among the most problematic food additives for diabetics.

Researchers have found a link between the consumption of artificial sweeteners and a higher risk of glucose intolerance (Nature, 2014), which is a precursor for pre-diabetes and diabetes.

🚫 Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

You might also want to avoid ultra-processed protein concentrates and isolates.

Most protein supplements are made from one or both of these ultra-processed protein sources, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break them down.

You therefore do not digest them in the same way that you do whole foods, which could affect your gut health.

Studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates might disrupt your gut microbiome (Nutrients, 2018) and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut (Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

You should thus look for protein supplements made from whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. Nutrients (Nutrients). The Effect of a Diet Moderately High in Protein and Fiber on Insulin Sensitivity Measured Using the Dynamic Insulin Sensitivity and Secretion Test (DISST). 2017.
2. Journal of Diabetes Investigation (J Diabetes Investig). Robust increase in glucagon secretion after oral protein intake, but not after glucose or lipid intake in Japanese people without diabetes. 2023.
3. Diabetes (Diabetes). Butyrate-Producing Bacteria and Insulin Homeostasis: The Microbiome and Insulin Longitudinal Evaluation Study (MILES). 2022.
4. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
5. World Journal of Methodology (World J Methodol). Gut microbiota interactions with anti-diabetic medications and pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. 2022.
6. Current Diabetes Reports (Curr Diab Rep). Protein content in diabetes nutrition plan.. 2011.
7. Diabetes Care (Diabetes Care). 5. Facilitating Positive Health Behaviors and Well-being to Improve Health Outcomes: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2025.. 2025.
8. European Journal of Nutrition (Eur J Nutr). The effects of dietary protein on physical performance and body composition in middle age and older people having type II diabetes mellitus: a randomized pilot study.. 2025.
9. Nature (Nature). Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. 2014.
10. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
11. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Mol Nutr Food Res). In Vitro Fermentation of Animal and Plant Protein Isolates by the Human Gut Microbiota Under High and Low Carbohydrate Conditions.. 2024.

Editorial Guidelines

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This article was written by a Registered Dietitian and reviewed by a Physician Assistant. We rely on peer-reviewed research and trusted medical sources, and regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.