One of the biggest challenges for people who have just been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes is how to make healthy food choices. What needs to change? What can you continue to eat? In general, diet is one of the most confusing areas, but it doesn't have to be. There are a number of dietary approaches for Type 2 diabetics---choose the one that works best for you.
Step 1
Check with your doctor concerning your blood glucose levels. You'll want to know whether your levels are slightly high or extremely high, or somewhere in the middle. You need to know if you will require medication, and what your doctor's plan is for managing your diabetes. Your doctor may want to schedule an appointment with a registered dietitian. The three of you will need to develop an eating plan that you'll be able to adhere to for the distant future.
Step 2
Choose one dietary approach to modifying your diet---the glycemic index, carbohydrate counting, following the Diabetic Food Pyramid or the Create Your Plate approach. Choose the glycemic index if you'd like to use a fairly easy system and are willing to balance different foods with others to maintain your blood glucose levels. Learning the glycemic index takes time, but ultimately it's an easy approach to learning how to make the right choices.
Step 3
Choose the carbohydrate-counting method, if you like to have choices in your diet and are willing to make sacrifices so you can continue to eat the foods you love. Carbohydrate counting is a good approach for people who are comfortable with numbers and can make quick calculations in their head. Keep food scales and measuring cups and spoons handy, and learn how to read food packaging, until you learn how to accurately estimate serving sizes and how many carbs are within each one. By working with your dietitian, you'll determine how many carbs you're allowed each day and how to spread your choices through all of your daily meals.
Step 4
Use the diabetic food pyramid, if you like general nutritional guidelines, but don't like to be pigeonholed into a specific eating pattern (see Resources). The diabetic food pyramid probably offers the widest margins of choices without feeling restricted and can be perfect for Type 2 diabetics who do not take insulin.
Step 5
Use the Create Your Plate technique, if you eat out often and find it difficult to remember the carbohydrate content of foods and average serving sizes (see Resources). If you can mentally divide a dinner plate into three sections, the rest is easy.
Tips and Warnings
- Be determined. All plans will have an uphill learning curve in the beginning. Be open to other options.
- Be realistic about how you manage your diet. Choose the approach that will work best for you.
Things You'll Need
- Food Scale
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Glycemic index scales
- Carbohydrate counting tables
