If you are overweight and have diabetes, losing weight can bring your blood sugars down to normal. Your doctor can help develop a diet and exercise plan specific for your needs. A well-balanced 1,350 calorie diet should help you lose weight, improve your blood sugar and lower your risk of developing diabetes-related complications.
Diet Guidelines
When following a low-calorie diet, you need to make sure you eat a balanced diet so you meet all of your nutrient needs. The diabetes exchange diet can help you balance your intake for health and blood sugar management. On the exchange diet, you are allowed to consume a certain number of servings from each of the food groups each day. On the 1,350-calorie diabetic diet, you can have six starch exchanges, five meat exchanges, three vegetable exchanges, three fruit exchanges, two milk exchanges and three fat exchanges. A serving of food within each group contains the same amount of calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat, allowing you to "exchange" items within that group. Your food choices should be evenly distributed among three meals to balance your nutrient intake.
Breakfast
A balanced breakfast meal on a 1,350 calorie diet should include two starch exchanges, one meat exchange, one fruit exchange, one milk exchange and one fat exchange. A sample breakfast meal may include 1/4 cup of low-fat cottage cheese with 1/2 cup of unsweetened canned peaches, two slices of whole wheat toast with 1 tsp. of margarine and 1 cup of nonfat milk. This meal contains 410 calories, 60 g of carbohydrates, 21 g of protein and 8 g of fat.
Lunch
For lunch, include two servings of starch, two servings of meat, one serving of vegetables, one serving of fruit, one serving of milk and one serving of fat. A balanced diabetic lunch meal may include a 2 oz. grilled hamburger on a whole wheat hamburger bun with 1 cup of mixed greens and 1 tbsp. of low-fat salad dressing, a 6 oz. container of nonfat, sugar-free yogurt and 1 cup of cubed melon. This meal contains 540 calories, 65 g of carbohydrates, 30 g of protein and 10 g of fat.
Dinner
A balanced dinner meal on a 1,350-calorie diabetic diet should include two servings of starch, two servings of meat, two servings of vegetables, one serving of fruit and one serving of fat. Your dinner meal may include 2 oz. of broiled salmon with 1 cup of roasted red potatoes with 1/2 tsp of oil and rosemary, 1 cup of roasted Brussels sprouts with 1/2 tsp. of oil and a small orange. This dinner contains 405 calories, 55 g of carbohydrates, 24 g of carbohydrates and 8 g of fat.
