The diabetic diet is good for everyone – even if you don’t have diabetes. It’s a simple, healthy approach to well balanced nutrition. Consider this site a primer on the diet; it’s designed to get you started on your way to healthier eating. Also, please help up build a cookbook of diabetic-friendly recipes.
The foods recommended for a diabetic diet to control blood glucose (or blood sugar) are good for those with diabetes — and everyone else. This means that you and your family can eat the same healthy foods at mealtime. However, for people with diabetes, the total amounts of carbohydrates consumed each day must be monitored carefully. Of the different components of nutrition — carbohydrates, fats, and proteins — carbohydrates have the greatest influence on blood sugar levels. Most people with diabetes also have to monitor total fat consumption and protein intake, too.
To keep your blood sugar levels in check, you need to make healthy food choices, exercise regularly, and take the medicines your health care provider prescribes. A dietitian can provide in-depth nutrition education to help you develop a personalized meal plan that fits your lifestyle and activity level, and meets your medical needs.
Diabetic Diet Plan And Goal
Most common type of diabetes diet:
- Type 1 Diabetes Diet – Treatment for type 1 diabetes is a lifelong commitment to:
- Taking insulin
- Exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight
- Eating healthy foods
- Monitoring blood sugar
The goal is to keep your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible to delay or prevent complications. Although there are exceptions, generally, the goal is to keep your daytime blood sugar levels between 80 and 120 mg/dL (4.4 to 6.7 mmol/L) and your bedtime numbers between 100 and 140 mg/dL (5.6 to 7.8 mmol/L).
- Type 2 Diabetic Diet – Maintaining a healthy diet is important for everyone, but it is especially important for people with diabetes. A type 2 diabetes diet and following the right meal plan and exercise can make all the difference to a person struggling to keep their blood sugar under control.
- Gestational Diabetes Diet – Gestational diabetes, also known as gestational diabetes mellitus, GDM, or diabetes during pregnancy, is a type of diabetes that only pregnant women get. If a woman gets diabetes when she is pregnant, but never had it before, then she has gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes happens in about 5 percent of all pregnancies, or about 200,000 cases a year in the United States.
The goal of nutrition for people with diabetes is to attain the ABCs of diabetes. The A stands for the A1c or hemoglobin A1c test, which measures average blood sugar over the previous three months. B is for blood pressure, and C is for cholesterol. People with diabetes should attain as near as normal blood sugar control (HbA1c), blood pressure, and healthy cholesterol levels.
Diabetic Diet Sample Meal And Food
Here’s a sample diabetic diet meal plan that is about 1,600 calories and 220 grams of carbohydrates. Remember to drink two 8-ounce glasses of water with each diabetic meal.
Breakfast
(360 calories, 52.5 grams carbohydrate)
- 1 slice toasted whole wheat bread with 1 teaspoon margarine
- 1/4 cup egg substitute or cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 1/2 small banana
Lunch
(535 calories, 75 grams carbohydrate)
- 1 cup vegetable soup with 4-6 crackers
- 1 turkey sandwich (2 slices whole wheat bread, 1 ounce turkey and 1 ounce low-fat cheese, 1 teaspoon mayonnaise)
- 1 small apple
Dinner
(635 calories, 65 grams carbohydrate)
- 4 ounces broiled chicken breast with basil and oregano sprinkled on top
- 2/3 cup cooked brown rice
- 1/2 cup cooked carrots
- 1 small whole grain dinner roll with 1 teaspoon margarine Tossed salad with 2 tablespoons low-fat salad dressing
- 4 unsweetened canned apricot halves or 1 small slice of angel food cake
Snacks
(Each has 60 calories or 15 grams carbohydrate. Pick two per day.)
- 16 fat-free tortilla chips with salsa
- 1/2 cup artificially sweetened chocolate pudding
- 1 ounce string cheese plus one small piece of fruit
- 3 cups “lite” popcorn
