A diabetic diet consists of balanced meals to meet your nutrient needs while also improving blood sugar control. A registered dietitian or certified diabetes educator can help you develop a diabetic meal plan customized to meet your individualized needs.
Sources of Carbohydrate
Carbohydrates are a part of food that provides energy for the body but, at the same time, has the greatest effect on your blood sugars. For people with diabetes who may lack sufficient insulin to control these spikes, paying attention to the types and quantities of carbohydrates consumed can help keep your blood sugars stable. Sources of carbohydrates include starches, fruits and fruit juices, dairy products, starchy vegetables, and sugary sweets. Although some people may believe that they are following a diabetic diet by eliminating cakes and cookies, portion sizes of all carbohydrates must be followed and no specific food in particular needs to be completely removed from your diet. In addition, carbohydrates that are higher in fiber tend to be better digested than those with refined sugars and flours.
Carbohydrate Consistency
A registered dietitian can help determine how many servings of carbohydrates you will need to eat at each meal, but most will agree on the importance of keeping that number of servings consistent throughout the day. Whatever you eat will affect your blood sugar with a peak of about two hours, therefore, saving your carbohydrate servings from one meal so that you may eat a larger amount at the next meal is not recommended and can, in fact, be quite dangerous. Also important is trying to be consistent with the times of meals and the times you take your medications from day to day.
A Healthy Plate
Because non-starchy vegetables are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals and lower in carbohydrates, making them half of your dinner plate will help give you the feeling of fullness without overdoing the servings of carbohydrates. One-quarter of the remaining plate should be filled with lean protein and the other quarter with your high-fiber starch, such as brown rice, whole wheat pasta or half of a sweet potato. Lastly, add a glass of skim milk, water or a calorie-free beverage to round out the meal.
Label Reading
Reading labels is an important part of understanding how much carbohydrate you are eating. To start, check the serving size. The numbers listed on the label are in relation to the amount listed on the serving size so if you eat double the recommended serving, you must double all of the other numbers as well. Next, check the number of grams of total carbohydrates. A single carbohydrate serving is equivalent to about 15 g. You do not need to look at the sugars, as these have already been accounted for in the total carbohydrate amount. Also, check the fiber content of the food because high-fiber foods tend to create less of a spike in blood sugars.
