Eating healthy after receiving a diagnosis of diabetes doesn't have to mean "boring, bland, dull or tasteless." You can plan tasty, healthy meals that provide healthy nutrition without adding high levels of fats, sugars and calories. You can still eat some of your favorite foods in moderation, such as a slice of sugar-free pecan pie or lasagna made with low-fat ground beef and low-fat cheeses. Use your imagination as you look over the materials your doctor gives you and pick the foods you most enjoy eating from the different food groups.
Step 1
Read the diabetes food pyramid, which the American Diabetes Association includes in its instructional materials. This food pyramid uses six food groupings to help you create a healthy meal plan, writes the American Diabetes Association. Use this plan to help you understand how much food to serve at one meal, and from which food groups to choose your foods.
Step 2
Create your healthy eating plan by familiarizing yourself with exchange lists. Group your foods into different categories----fats, starches, meats, meat substitutes and fruits, according to the Mayo Clinic. Use the exchange list to exchange food from one group for a food from another group, so you get approximately the same amount of nutrients and glucose from the exchange food.
Step 3
Eat the same amount of food at the same time every day, even as you vary the foods you eat from each food group in the food pyramid. The Mayo Clinic recommends drawing about 45 to 65 percent of your daily caloric intake from carbohydrates, 15 to 20 percent of daily calories from lean protein and 20 to 35 percent of your daily calories from healthy fats.
Step 4
Count your carbohydrates so your blood glucose level doesn't vary by more than your doctor wants it to vary. Timing your meals and monitoring your carbohydrate intake can help you maintain a more consistent glucose level, especially if you take diabetes medication or insulin injections, writes the Mayo Clinic. You may need a higher or lower amount of carbs in your meals to manage your diabetes, writes the American Diabetes Association.
Step 5
Choose foods high in fiber, such as beans, peas, vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole-wheat foods and wheat bran. Eat complex carbohydrates from these foods, plus low-fat dairy products. Limit your intake of saturated and trans fats, which only increase your risk of stroke or heart attack.
Tips and Warnings
- Add additional flavor to your food by using low-fat substitutions in your meals. These include low-fat yogurt, salsa and sugar-free fruit spreads or jellies. Use monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in your cooking, but remember to use them in moderation.
Things You'll Need
- Diabetes food pyramid
