People with diabetes have elevated blood sugar due to an inability to produce enough or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that moves sugar from your bloodstream into the cell to supply its energy. Food is your body's primary source of sugar. Controlling how much you eat can help you manage your blood sugar. A diabetic meal guide should help you figure out what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat.
Diet Basics
When planning your diabetic diet, it is important to know what foods to eat. The diabetes food guide pyramid can help you determine the components of a healthy and balanced diet. The food pyramid divides foods into groups based on similarities in nutrient content. Based on your calorie needs, you can eat a certain number of servings from each food group each day. Consult your doctor about how many calories you should eat each day. To control your blood sugar, divide these food servings into three meals. Eating the same amount of food at the same time each day promotes consistency with your blood sugar.
Breakfast
Based on a 1,600- to 2,000-calorie diet, a balanced diabetic breakfast meal may include two servings of starch, one serving of fruit, one serving of milk, one serving of meat or beans and one serving of fat. A sample meal may include two slices of whole wheat toast with 1 tsp. of margarine, a scrambled egg, a cup of nonfat milk and a small orange. Carbohydrate-containing foods, including foods that fall into the starch group, fruit group and milk group, raise blood sugar. But not all carbohydrates have the same effect on your blood sugars. The glycemic index ranks how carbohydrate-containing foods raise your blood sugar. Foods with a low glycemic index -- pasta, oranges and milk -- take your body longer to digest, allowing a slower release of sugar into your bloodstream. Foods with a high glycemic index -- white rice, bagels and instant mashed potatoes -- digest quickly and cause a rapid increase in your blood sugar. For better blood sugar control, choose more low glycemic index foods.
Lunch
A balanced diabetic lunch may include three servings of starch, two servings of vegetables, one serving of fruit, one serving of milk, 2 oz. of meat and one serving of fat. A sample meal may include a shrimp stir fry with a cup of broccoli and 2 oz. of shrimp stir fried in 1 tsp. of vegetable oil and low-sodium soy sauce. Serve with a cup of brown rice, 1/2 cup of unsweetened canned pineapple and a 6-oz. container of sugar-free nonfat yogurt.
Dinner
A diabetic dinner meal may include three servings of starch, two servings of vegetables, one serving of fruit, 3 oz. of meat and two servings of fat. For dinner, you might have 3 oz. of grilled salmon with a small baked potato, 1/2 cup of cooked corn, a small whole-wheat dinner roll with 1 tsp. of margarine, 2 cups of mixed greens with 1 tbsp. of salad dressing, and a small banana.
