Whether you eat at home, bring your lunch to work or go out to eat, putting together a healthy diabetic lunch requires some planning. Choosing healthy foods and eating the appropriate serving size will help you keep your blood sugar levels on target. Your healthy lunch should also allow you to lose weight, if necessary, and get your blood cholesterol within the optimal range.
Amount of Carbohydrates
The most important element of your healthy diabetic lunch is the amount of carbohydrates in your meal. If you have too many carbohydrates, your blood sugar levels may soar too high. Ideally your carbohydrate intake should be kept between 45 and 60 g. Monitoring your blood sugar levels after eating is the best indicator of whether the amount of carbohydrate you ate is adequate for your body. Your blood sugar levels should not go above 180 mg/dL two hours after your lunch. If it does, reduce your carb intake. Carbohydrates are found in grains, legumes, fruits, some dairy products, such as milk and yogurt, as well as in sweetened beverages and sugar. A slice of bread, 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 4 to 6 crackers, 1/2 cup of beans, small piece of fruit, 2/3 cup of plain yogurt and 2 small cookies each contain 15 g of carbohydrate.
Type of Carbohydrates
You also need to select the best quality of carbohydrates; the glycemic index is a way to identify the healthiest sources. Foods with a low glycemic index raise your blood sugar levels at a slower pace, which prevent the spikes caused by high-glycemic foods. Choose low-glycemic carbohydrates such as sourdough bread, stone-ground whole-grain bread, beans, lentils, barley, quinoa, basmati rice, whole-grain pasta, temperate climate fruits, yogurt and milk. Avoid potatoes, white bread, white rice, bagels, soft drinks, candies and desserts.
Protein and Healthy Fats
Protein and fat also are important nutrients to include in your lunch. Protein is found in cheese, eggs, turkey, chicken, salmon, tuna, pork, lean beef, legumes, tofu and other soy-based vegetarian alternatives. Include at least 15 g of protein at lunch. Complete your meal with a healthy source of fats, especially monounsaturated fats, which can keep your blood cholesterol levels optimal. Healthy fats include avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds.
Examples
An easy diabetic lunch could be a sandwich made with sourdough bread, turkey slices and spread with guacamole, served with carrot and celery sticks, 1/2 cup of strawberries and 1/2 cup of plain yogurt. You might also have a lentil soup, containing plenty of vegetables and 1/2 cup of lentils, with 4 to 6 whole-grain crackers, 1 to 2 oz. of cheese and a small apple. If you have leftovers from the previous night, you can bring them to reheat for lunch. For example, 1 cup of whole-grain pasta with a tomato sauce and meatballs and a salad of leafy greens drizzled with a vinaigrette made with olive oil and balsamic vinegar constitutes another healthy lunch option. Each of these examples provide 45 g of carbohydrates. You can either increase or decrease the serving of carbohydrate-containing foods according to your own lunch carbohydrate target.
