People with diabetes have higher rates of heart disease than people without diabetes, according to the International Federation of Diabetes. While good blood sugar control is an important factor in decreasing your risk of heart disease, limiting the amount of fat and saturated fat in your diet can also help. Consult with a doctor or dietitian before making changes to your diet.
Diabetes Exchange Diet
The diabetes exchange diet is a calorie-controlled, low-fat diet for diabetes designed by the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association. It divides foods into groups based on similarities in nutrient content. To limit calorie and fat intake, you are allowed to eat a certain number of servings, or exchanges, from each of the food groups. Foods in the meat and milk group are further divided into groups based on fat content. When following a low-fat diet, you should choose milk and meats with the least amount of fat, such as chicken breast and skim milk. On the diabetes exchange diet you can exchange foods within each group because they contain the same amount of calories, carbohydrate and fat. For example, an 8 oz. glass of skim milk can be exchanged for a 2/3 cup serving of nonfat plain yogurt.
Diabetes Food Guide Pyramid
The diabetes food guide pyramid is based on the old U.S. Department of Agriculture's food guide pyramid and is designed to teach you how to make healthy food choices. It also divides foods into groups based on similarities in calorie, carbohydrate, protein and fat content. The diet emphasizes low-fat foods from the bottom of the pyramid, including starches, fruits and milks, and limits high fat foods found at the top of the pyramid including fats and sweets. The diet includes serving suggestions from each group and limits meat intake to 4 to 7 oz. a day, milk intake to two servings a day and fat to no more than 3 to 4 servings a day.
Carbohydrate Counting Diet
Foods containing carbohydrates, starches, milk and fruit have the greatest effect on blood sugar. The carbohydrate counting diet is aimed at teaching you how to control total carbohydrate intake for blood sugar control. It uses basic food serving sizes and food labels to help you count your grams of carbohydrate. When following a low-fat diet, in addition to looking at grams of carbohydrate on the food label, you should also look at grams of fat including saturated and trans fat. A low-fat diet limits total fat intake to 30 percent of calories or less, translating into 60 g of total fat for an 1,800-calorie diet.
