If you have diabetes and are overweight, losing weight can help you improve your blood sugars and decrease your risk of developing diabetes related complications, such as eye disease and kidney disease. A 1,200-calorie diabetic diet is a very low-calorie meal plan and should only be followed under the direction of your physician.
Diet Guide
Your diet plan should include a variety of healthy foods from each of the food groups to help make sure you meet all of your nutrient needs and maintain a good blood sugar level. You can use the diabetes food guide pyramid as a guide to help you plan your meals. It divides foods into groups based on their nutrient contents, including starches, fruits, vegetables, milk, meat and meat substitutes and fats and sweets. Its design encourages you to choose more of the healthier options from the bottom of the pyramid, grains, fruits and vegetables, while limiting your intake of foods from the top of the pyramid, sweets and fats.
1,200-Calorie Diet
To help you control your intake on a 1,200-calorie diet, you need to limit the number of servings you eat from each of the food groups. A 1,200-calorie diet should include six servings of starch, two servings of fruit, three servings of vegetables, two servings of milk, 4 oz. of meat or meat substitutes and no more than three servings of fat or sweets. You should divide your food choices as evenly as possible among three meals and one snack.
Food Choices
When following a low-calorie diet for weight loss, you need to pay careful attention to food portion sizes. Starch choices and serving sizes include one slice of bread, a small potato or 1/2 cup of cooked cereal. One serving of vegetable includes 1/2 cup of cooked or raw vegetables or 1 cup of leafy greens. Fruit servings sizes include one small piece of fresh fruit or 1/2 cup of unsweetened canned fruit. Limit calorie intake by choosing low-fat or nonfat milk products with one serving equal to 1 cup of nonfat or low-fat milk or 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat yogurt. Make your meat choices lean such as fish or white meat poultry. One egg or 1 oz. of low-fat cheese also equal 1 oz. of meat or meat substitute. One serving of a fat or sweet includes 1 tsp. of oil or margarine, one 3-inch cookie or one slice of bacon.
Breakfast
A sample breakfast meal on your 1,200-calorie diabetic diet may include 1/2 cup of hot cooked oatmeal with 1 tsp. of margarine, a small banana and 1 cup of nonfat yogurt. Make most of your starch choices whole grain, such as oatmeal or whole wheat bread, to increase your fiber intake for better hunger control. Fiber also helps with blood sugar control by slowing digestion.
Lunch
For lunch, you can have a roast beef sandwich with 2 oz. of lean roast beef deli meat on two slices of whole grain rye bread with 1 tsp. of mayonnaise, served with 1/2 cup of sliced cucumbers and a small orange. Try to eat your meals and snacks at the same time everyday for better blood sugar control.
Dinner
Dinner on your 1,200-calorie diabetic diet may include 2 oz. of shrimp tossed with 2/3 of a cup of cooked whole wheat spaghetti, 1 cup of cooked and chopped asparagus, 1 tsp. of olive oil and garlic.
Snack
A healthy snack may include three graham cracker squares with 1 cup of nonfat milk.
References
- National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Disorders; What I Need to Know About Eating and Diabetes; M.J. Franz and C. Leontos; October 2007
- American Diabetes Association: Tight Diabetes Control
- International Diabetes Federation: Complications of Diabetes
- MayoClinic.com; Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet; Nov 19, 2009
