Once you know which foods to eat in a diabetic diet, you can focus on portion sizes. Your doctor will help you decide how best to plan your meals, whether using the glycemic index or counting carbohydrate grams to regulate your blood sugar. Your job is to determine the amount of food that offers consistent levels of nutrients, limits fat intake and keeps calories within bounds. Excess weight creates complications for people with diabetes, so striving not to overeat should be a primary goal.
Whole-Grains Foods
Foods with dietary fiber, such as brown rice and oatmeal, help you control your weight by making you feel full more quickly than other menu items. Diabetic diets should contain whole-grain foods for high fiber, vitamins, minerals and beneficial carbohydrates the provide. Read the nutrition facts on food labels to learn the carb contents and calories per serving. In general, whole-wheat bread portions should be two slices. Keep portions of cooked brown rice, bulgur and quinoa to 1 cup or less per meal.
Corn, Peas and Beans
Starchy vegetables and legumes represent healthy carbs in a diabetic diet. Protein and fiber contents are high for the amount of food in a 1-cup serving of corn, peas, kidney, black and pinto beans, split peas and lentils.
Broccoli, Carrots and Cauliflower
Broaden your vitamin and mineral intake with high-fiber, nonstarchy vegetables, up to as many as five servings per day. You need a smaller amount of nutrient-dense cooked vegetables, such as 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli or spinach. Fill up on 1 cup of raw veggies, including carrots and cauliflower.
Meats and Fish
You may eat meats or fish as protein sources one or more times daily. Servings of lean meat, poultry and seafood should add up to 5 oz. total for the day.
Whole Fruits and Juices
Fruit and juice make important contributions of vitamin C to your diabetic diet, with whole fruit offering greater fiber content than fruit juice. Oranges, grapefruits, apples, pears, bananas and berries are good foods containing natural sugar. Set portions at 1 cup for whole or cut fruit and 1/2 cup for juices. Dried fruit has concentrated sugar content, so limit servings to 2 oz. or less.
