Controlling your diabetes depends on three macronutrients, which are the nutrients your body needs in the highest amounts to have enough energy. These include protein, carbohydrates and fat. You don't need to follow a special diet to control your glucose levels, but you need to balance these macronutrients with your insulin levels and physical activity. MayoClinic.com says diabetic diets are a matter of eating nutritious foods in moderate amounts on a regular schedule.
Step 1
Make an appointment with a registered dietitian. Diabetes is one disease that does not affect every person equally. A lower carbohydrate-protein balance is necessary for a thin person with type 1 diabetes than one who is overweight with type 2, insulin-resistant diabetes explains the University of Maryland Medical Center. Devising your eating plan with a dietitian increases your chances of regulating and maintaining your blood glucose levels.
Step 2
Start with carbohydrates, which should account for 45 to 65 percent of your total daily calories. Carbs are your main energy source, but choose carefully since simple carbohydrates such as soda, white bread, white rice, whole-fat dairy products and sweets break down into sugar and raise your blood sugar. Choose whole grain products instead. Some examples include brown rice, whole grain breads and pastas, fresh vegetables and legumes such as beans and peas.
Step 3
Stabilize your blood sugar with fiber. Cleveland Clinic recommends eating high-fiber foods. Because fiber takes longer to digest, it reduces blood sugar spikes and it keeps you feeling fuller for a longer period of time. This will reduce your desire to snack and overeat. Whole grain carbohydrates, are also high in fiber. Fiber is also found in fruits and vegetables.
Step 4
Eat the right types of protein, which is essential for controlling your blood sugar. Consuming it in combination with carbohydrates prevents your glucose levels from rising and becoming too high or low. Meat, eggs, dairy products, fish, yogurt, cheese and peanut butter contain protein, however, the best sources include lean meats, low-fat dairy and fish.
Step 5
Include healthy fats in your diet. Healthy fats, such as mono- and polyunsaturated, are necessary to break down the food you eat as a source of energy. Fats--healthy or unhealthy--require insulin to be stored in cells. However, bad fats such as saturated fats can increase your cholesterol levels. High cholesterol levels can increase your blood sugar. The University of Maryland Medical Center explains only 25 to 35 percent of your daily calories should come from fats, 7 percent of which should be saturated. Sources of healthy fats include peanut, olive and canola oils, walnuts and avocados. Saturated fats hide in egg yolks, red meat and high-fat dairy products.
