Diabetes is caused by your body either not making enough insulin or not responding well to the insulin your pancreas does produce. If you have diabetes, you will need to follow a careful diet to keep your blood glucose levels under control and to lower your risk of developing diabetes-related complications, such as heart disease, but there is no strict "diabetes diet." Instead, there are guidelines you should follow when planning a meal.
Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins
If you have diabetes, one of the most important things you can do is to make sure you consume carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the right proportions. Carbohydrates should make up between 50 and 60 percent of your caloric intake. Fat should be limited to 30 percent or less of your calories, and saturated fat should be limited to less than 7 percent of your calories. Finally, protein should make up between 10 and 20 percent of your calories.
Carbohydrate Counting
Try to spread your carbohydrate intake out evenly throughout the day. When you eat carbohydrates, your digestive tract breaks them down to cause a short-term increase of blood glucose. To keep your blood glucose levels steady, try to consume between 45 and 60 g of carbohydrates at each meal, the American Diabetes Association recommends. Whenever possible, get your carbohydrates from foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains.
Foods to Avoid
When you are planning out each day, there are some foods and nutrients which you should try to avoid. Consume foods with saturated fat in moderation; you should also avoid foods with trans fats, such as processed snacks, foods made with stick margarine and baked goods. Trans fats can increase your risk of developing heart disease. You should also limit your cholesterol intake to less than 200 mg per day and your sodium to under 2,000 mg each day.
The Create Your Plate Method
The American Diabetes Association has a plan called the "create your plate" technique for making sure you eat foods in the right proportions. With this approach, fill half of your dinner plate with nonstarchy vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, carrots, green beans, cabbage and onions. Meat or meat substitutes, such as tofu, should fill one-fourth of your plate. The remaining one-fourth of your plate should contain starchy foods such as whole-grain breads, rice or potatoes. From there, you can add a cup on low-fat or nonfat milk and a piece of fruit to create a healthy and well-balanced meal.
