You cannot cure diabetes, but you can manage it through diet, exercise and medication. When it comes to diet and diabetes, you do not need to eat special food, but you do need to make mostly healthy choices and control the amount you eat. A doctor or dietitian can help you create a meal plan to meet your individual needs.
Meal Plan Guidelines
You can follow a number of different meal plans to help you control your diabetes. The carbohydrate counting meal plan can help you manage your diabetes without feeling overly restrictive. Carbohydrate-containing foods -- including milk, yogurt, fruit, juice, bread, cereals and starches -- raise your blood sugar. Each serving of one of these foods -- one slice of bread, 1 cup of milk and 1/2 a cup of juice -- has about 15g of carbohydrates. Controlling the amount you eat at each meal can help you manage your blood sugar. Your doctor can help you determine your daily carbohydrate needs, but most people can safely start with 45 to 60g per meal. You can also use food labels to help you track your carbohydrate intake. Meats and fats do not contain any carbohydrate, but you should include them in your meals for balance. Vegetables contain small amounts of carbohydrates, but are not usually counted towards your meal carbohydrate goal.
Breakfast
A carbohydrate-controlled breakfast meal may include a 2 oz. whole-wheat bagel toasted with 1 oz. of low-fat cheese melted on top. Served with 1 cup of nonfat milk, a hard-boiled egg and a small orange. This meal contains 440 calories and 60g of carbohydrates. In addition to controlling the amount of carbohydrates you eat at each meal, it is also important to pay attention to the type of carbohydrate. Some carbohydrates digest quickly and cause rapid spikes in blood sugar. These are known as high glycemic foods and include white bread, white rice and french fries. Other carbohydrates digest slowly and cause only a small more even rise in blood sugar. These carbohydrates are known as low glycemic foods and include whole-grain bread, most fruits and milk.
Lunch
A carbohydrate-controlled lunch meal may include a cold pasta salad made with 1 cup of cooked whole-wheat pasta, tossed with 3 oz. of diced white meat chicken, 1 cup of cooked broccoli and carrots and 1 tbsp. of Parmesan cheese. Served with a small apple. This meal contains 485 calories and 60g of carbohydrates.
Dinner
For dinner, you can have a 3 oz. very lean hamburger on a whole-wheat bun, served with 1 cup of roasted red potatoes, 1/2 cup of steamed green beans and 2 cups of mixed greens with 1 tbsp. of salad dressing. This meal contains 580 calories and 60g of carbohydrates.
