Diabetes is a serious condition in which a person does not produce the hormone insulin or his body produces insulin but does not recognize it and cannot use it to move sugar from the bloodstream into the cells and muscles where it is needed. People with diabetes need to make sure to pay special attention to their diet because eating the wrong foods could increase blood sugar levels dangerously high, leading to side effects such as dizziness and even heart problems. Diabetes can be managed with a good, balanced meal plan. Luckily, diabetics can create their own diabetic meal plan for free.
Step 1
Sign up for a free account on a nutritional database and web-based food journal such as FitDay.com. Websites such as Fit Day can help you to plan your meals ahead of time as well as track your progress with your weight and other health goals. You can also track exercise by recording what type you've done and how often you've done it. It doesn't cost anything to use a nutritional database and planner, but be prepared to spend a good hour or two planning your meals.
Step 2
Go through the meal planning feature on the nutritional journal and set regular meal and snack times. The Mayo Clinic states that eating at set, regular intervals and eating often can help to regulate blood sugar levels and reduce the likelihood of diabetic complications. While it's important to eat snacks often, you don't have to eat large meals. You can allocate for small, frequent meals by allotting 200 to 300 calories worth of foods every 3 to 4 hours. For example, an apple and 2 tbsp. of peanut butter, or a banana and a low-fat yogurt make excellent snacks. Map out snacking intervals every few hours such as at 8 a.m., 11 a.m. 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Step 3
Start mapping out a week's worth of meals, one day at a time, once you have time slots developed for your snacks. The Mayo Clinic states that it is important to balance out carbohydrates, protein and fat at each meal. It wouldn't be a good idea to eat pasta, rice and bread in one meal, for example, since they are all carbohydrates. Instead, try to include one serving of carbohydrates and one serving of protein in each meal and snack. Good choices of carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables and whole grains such as brown rice. Chicken, fish, cheese, tofu and beans are healthy protein options.
Step 4
Choose to include healthy fat options several times per day in the diabetic meal plan. The Mayo Clinic states that since diabetics are already at higher risk of heart problems, they should limit saturated fat, which comes from red meat and dairy. Instead, diabetics may want to eat fish two to three times a week and use olive oil or nuts once or twice each day. The Mayo Clinic recommends eating 45 to 65 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 15 to 20 percent of calories from protein and 20 to 35 percent of calories from fat daily. Instead of tracking every calorie individually, balancing out portions at each snack and meal will help you to fall within those ranges.
