The diabetes exchange diet is calorie-controlled meal planning tool you can use to help you manage both blood sugar and weight. It divides foods into groups based on similarities in nutrient content. A 1,500-calorie diabetic diet provides eight starch servings, five meat servings, two milk servings, three fruit servings, three vegetables servings and three fat servings each day. As a calorie-controlled diet, it will help less-active women to maintain their weight and active women to lose weight.
Breakfast
When it comes to diabetes management, eating about the same amount of food at around the same time each day helps with blood sugar control, according to MayoClinic.com. Breakfast on a 1,500-calorie diabetic diet should consist of two starch servings, one meat serving, one fruit serving, one milk serving and one fat serving. A sample breakfast might include one scrambled egg, two slices of whole wheat toast with 1 tsp. of margarine, 1 cup of skim milk and a small orange. You can also have a 2 oz. whole wheat bagel with 1 oz. of low-fat cheese, 1 cup of mixed melons and a 6 oz. container of nonfat, sugar-free fruit yogurt.
Lunch
People with diabetes should make whole-grains, fruits and vegetables a regular part of their daily intake. These high-fiber foods help manage blood sugar by slowing down the rate food is digested and the release of sugar into the bloodstream. On a 1,500-calorie diabetic diet you can have two starch servings, two meat servings, one vegetable serving, one fruit serving, one milk serving and one fat serving for lunch. A sample meal includes a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with 2 oz. of lean turkey meat, lettuce, tomato and 1 tsp. of mayonnaise, served with one cup of carrot and celery sticks, 17 grapes and 1 cup of skim milk. You can also have 1/3 cup of hummus with 1/2 of a small pita, 1 cup of cucumber slices and grape tomatoes, 1 low-fat string cheese, a small apple and a 6 oz. container of nonfat, sugar-free fruit yogurt.
Dinner
According to the International Diabetes Federation, risk of heart disease is two to four times greater in people with diabetes. Limit your risk by decreasing your intake of saturated fat by choosing lean meats and low-fat and nonfat dairy products. For dinner, you can have three starch servings, two meat servings, two vegetable servings, one fruit serving and one fat serving. A sample dinner meal on a 1,500-calorie diet may include a 2 oz. portion of grilled chicken breast with 1 cup of steamed broccoli, a large baked sweet potato with 1 tsp. of margarine and sugar-free gelatin with unsweetened canned fruit. You can also try a stir fry with 2 oz. of cooked shrimp, 1 cup of mixed vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, carrots and snow peas, served with 1 cup of brown rice and two tangerines.
Snacks
Snacking helps to control hunger to prevent overeating. You can have one starch serving as a daily snack on the 1,500-calorie diabetic diet. Examples include six saltine crackers, three graham cracker squares, two rice cakes, 3/4 cup of unsweetened dry cereal or 1 oz. of pretzels.
