Most of the food you eat turns into sugar as a source of energy for your cells. If you have diabetes, you have difficulty managing this sugar due to an inability to make or properly use insulin, the hormone responsible for getting sugar into the cells. A 1,300-calorie diabetic diet is a low-calorie diet that can help you balance your nutrient intake for blood sugar control and promote a healthy weight. Consult with your doctor before changing your diet.
Diet Basics
Use the diabetic exchange diet to help you create balanced meals on a 1,300-calorie diabetic diet. The exchange diet divides foods into groups based on similarities in calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat. Groups include starches, fruits, milk, vegetables, meats and fats. On the 1,300-calorie diet you can have five starch exchanges, five meat exchanges, three vegetable exchanges, three fruit exchanges, two milk exchanges and three fat exchanges. When meal planning, you can exchange items within groups. For example, at breakfast you can exchange 1 cup of nonfat milk for a 6-oz. serving of nonfat, sugar-free yogurt.
Breakfast
Breakfast on a 1,300-calorie diabetic diet should contain two starch exchanges, one meat exchange, one fruit exchange, one milk exchange and one fat exchange. A sample diabetic breakfast meal might include 3/4 cup of whole-grain ready-to-eat cereal with 1 cup of nonfat milk, one slice of whole-wheat toast with 1 tsp. of margarine, a scrambled egg and a small orange. Or you could have a 2-oz. toasted whole-wheat bagel with 1 1/2 tsp. of peanut butter, a 1-oz. slice of low-fat cheese, a 6-oz. container of nonfat, sugar-free yogurt and a small apple.
Lunch
A balanced 1,300-calorie diabetic diet should contain three starch exchanges, two meat exchanges, one fruit exchange, one vegetable exchange, one milk exchange and one fat exchange. A sample meal might include a grilled cheese sandwich made with two slices of whole-wheat bread, 2 oz. of low-fat cheese and 1 tsp. of margarine, served with 1 cup of grape tomatoes, 5 whole-grain crackers, 17 grapes and 1 cup of nonfat milk. Or you could have pasta salad with 1 cup of whole-wheat pasta, 2 oz. of diced chicken, 1/2 cup of mixed vegetables with 1 tbsp. of Italian dressing, a 6-oz. container of nonfat yogurt and 1 cup of diced melon.
Dinner
A balanced dinner on a 1,300-calorie diet should include three starch exchanges, two meat exchanges, one fruit exchange, two vegetable exchanges and one fat exchange. A sample dinner meal might consist of 2 oz. of broiled chicken breast, 1 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of cooked green beans with 1 tsp. of margarine and two small tangerines. Or have 2 oz. of grilled salmon with 1 1/2 cups of roasted potatoes, 1 cup of roasted Brussels sprouts and 3/4 cup of fresh pineapple.
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