When just diagnosed with diabetes, someone might wonder what type of diet to eat. A balanced diet is the mainstay of controlling any type of diabetes -- whether type I, II or gestational. All diabetics share a commonality of the inability to produce or use the enzyme insulin to stabilize blood sugars. According to the "Clinical Diabetes Journal," there is no hard and fast diabetic diet, per say. No longer do diabetics suffer strict dietary limitations, in fact, diabetics can enjoy all foods in moderation according to the American Diabetes Association.
Portion Control
A key component of the diabetic diet revolves around portion control. The American Diabetes Association suggests using the meal plate as a portion guidance tool. Using imagination only, divide the plate into four sections by dividing it first in half, and then into thirds on one side only per the ADA. The ADA encourages filling the larger portion of the plate with vegetables, but only the non-starchy kind, such as spinach, green beans or vegetable juices. The three smaller plate sections will hold a lean meat serving, including chicken, a starch such as rice, and the beverage of low fat milk per the ADA. Counting the beverage in the meal portions is important as it uses some of the daily-allotted calories and carbohydrates in the diabetic diet.
Calorie And Carbohydrate Counting
Endocrineweb states that 50 percent of the diabetic daily calories can come from carbohydrate sources. Counting calories and carbohydrates allow the diabetic to continue to enjoy "regular" foods while maintaining blood sugars at healthy levels. Endocrineweb further suggests limiting daily calories to 16 per lb. of body weight for type I diabetics or a daily total between 1,500 and 1,800 calories for type II diabetics. Carbohydrates are limited to between 45 and 60 g per meal per the ADA. Fruits, grains, pastas and dairy are all carbohydrate sources, according to the ADA.
Food Choices
Working with a doctor or registered dietictian will assist diabetics in learning how to read labels and understand which types of food will impact blood sugar levels the most. For instance, the ADA encourages limiting starchy carbohydrates, such as refined flour products and white potatoes, as they can rapidly increase blood sugar levels. Sugars and alcohol are restricted to the daily calorie and carb count, but are no longer strictly off limits per the ADA.
