Meal planning with diabetes can be challenging, but you do not have to eat bland, tasteless foods and give up the foods you love. Careful planning of meals can let you eat healthy meals and your favorite foods while still being responsible as a diabetic. Work with your health care provider or a dietitian with experience in diabetic meal planning to help you put together a plan that meets your nutritional and diabetic needs.
Step 1
Count carbohydrates. Carbs raise blood sugar, so diabetics need to be aware of how many carbohydrates are consumed. The amount of carbs you need varies depending on your activity level or medications you take, but 45 to 60 grams of carbs per meal is a good starting point.
Step 2
Add protein and a small amount of fat to each meal to help fill you up and provide you with nutrients. Lean meats, fish and chicken are good protein sources that are less fattening than red meat and other fatty cuts of meat. Healthy fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can help lower cholesterol and promote heart health, while saturated and trans fats can increase your risk of heart disease.
Step 3
Choose high fiber foods. The Mayo Clinic says the carb count in high fiber foods can be misleading, and in foods with more than 5 g of fiber, you can subtract the grams of fiber from the total carb count.
Step 4
Plan portion sizes accordingly. The serving size on the food label might be different than the serving in your meal plan, so it is important to be aware of your own portion sizes and count carbs and calories carefully.
Step 5
Choose nonstarchy vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, spinach, green beans, peppers and broccoli to make up the largest portion of your meals, suggests the American Diabetes Association. For lunch and dinner, they should make up about half of your plate. The other half of your plate should consist of a small amount of starchy foods and a small amount of protein sources. For breakfast, you should have a lean protein source with complex whole grain carbs, maybe an egg-white omelet with whole grain cereal and fruit.
Tips and Warnings
- Work with a nutritionist who has experience with diabetics; she can help you choose carbs that are low in sugar and show you how to plan a variety of healthy meals that fill you up.
- Consult your health care provider about how to plan your diabetic diet and how to monitor your blood sugar. Do not make any big changes to your diet without talking with your provider.
