Most of the food you eat turns into sugar. As a diabetic, managing and controlling the amount of food you eat can help you manage your diabetes and blood sugars. There are a number of different types of diets to choose from and a doctor or dietitian can help determine the best diet plan suited for you.
Carbohydrate Counting
Foods that contain carbohydrate, including all foods from the starch, fruit and milk groups, raise blood sugars. The carbohydrate-counting diet helps you control your blood sugar by teaching you how to control the amount of carbs you consume at each meal. Meal carbohydrate needs are based on your individual calorie and blood sugar goals. A doctor or dietitian helps you determine how many grams of carbohydrate you need at each meal, but you can start at 45 to 60 g, according to the American Diabetes Association. Standard serving sizes, such as one slice of bread and 1/3 cup of pasta, and food labels help you count carbohydrate grams. To balance your meals, be sure to include vegetables, some meat and fat.
Create Your Plate
Create your plate is a simple meal-planning tool for diabetic people that helps to control blood sugar by limiting portion sizes and food intake. It does not require any counting, measuring or special tools. The create your plate method uses your own dinner plate to help you control portion sizes for both blood sugar and weight control. To begin, you divide your plate in half and then divide one side in half again, making three sections. The largest section is reserved for low-calorie non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli and green beans. A small portion of meat and starch go into the other two sections. To complete your meal, add a piece of fruit and an 8 oz. glass of milk.
Diabetes Exchange Diet
The calorie-controlled low-fat diabetes exchange diet was designed by both the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association as a diet plan to help people with diabetes control blood sugar and weight. The diet divides foods into basic food groups based on similarities in calorie, carbohydrate, protein and fat content. As a more structured and balanced diabetic meal plan, you eat a certain number of servings, or exchanges, from each of the food groups based on your estimated calorie needs. When meal planning, you can exchange items for one another within each group. For example, at dinner you can exchange a small baked potato for 1/3 cup of rice or 1/3 cup of macaroni -- all foods found in the starch group.
