Diabetes Nutrition Advice

Whether or not you take medication for diabetes, you will have much more control over your blood sugar levels if you manage your diet carefully. That goes for meals eaten in and out.
What's most important is to balance your diet to include several different types of foods, from different food groups, at every meal or snack. That balance includes watching your portion sizes so you don't overeat, and making wise, nutritious choices from within each food group, especially carbohydrates.
Plan and choose your meals and snacks to include plenty of nonstarchy vegetables as the focus of your plate, with small amounts of protein and carbohydrates on the side. Your goal is to choose the best combination of foods and the correct portion sizes of each.

Vegetables

Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, green beans, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, cabbage, bok choy, or lightly dressed salad greens.

Vegetable juices, salsas, and other vegetable-based condiments all count toward your vegetable portion.

Since different vegetables not only contribute different nutrients to your diet, but also affect your blood sugar in different ways, it's always a good idea to have a mix of several different types.

Carbohydrates

Bread, cereals, rice, starchy vegetables, fruits and fruit juices, snacks such as chips and popcorn, sweets such as cookies, and milk and yogurt are all categorized as carbohydrates on a diabetic diet. At any meal or snack, carbs should take up no more than one-fourth of your plate. The remaining space on the plate should be filled with protein foods and nonstarchy vegetables.

The American Diabetic Association recommends having 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrate at each meal. That translates to 1/2- to 1-cup of cooked pasta, rice, or beans, or the equivalent of 2 slices of bread.

More often than not, choose complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber, such as whole grain breads and pastas, brown rice, starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, and winter squash, and legumes (dried beans, lentils and split peas) over simple carbs, such as sweets and baked goods made with refined white flour.

If you decide to include simple carbohydrates with your meal, remember they are part of your total carbohydrate count for that meal, and should only be a small part. Read food labels to learn how much carbohydrate is in the foods you eat so that you can calculate and plan your meals correctly.

Meat and Meat Substitutes

Fill one-fourth of your plate with a small portion of skinless poultry, lean meat, seafood such as salmon or tuna, eggs, low-fat cheese, or tofu or other low-fat protein-rich meat substitute.

Add-Ons

At meals, you can add 8-ounces of low-fat or skim milk or 6-ounces of light yogurt. If you don't have a dairy add-on, you can add additional starch such as a small dinner roll or small scoop of mashed potatoes.

You can also add on a small piece of fresh fruit, or up to 1/2-cup mixed fruit, whether it is fresh, frozen or canned in juice.