Diabetes is a chronic condition characterized by high blood sugars. Food effects blood sugar, making diet an important part of your diabetes treatment plan. Controlling the amount you eat by following a calorie-controlled diet can help you better manage blood sugars and may also help you get to a healthier weight. A 1,400-calorie diabetic diet is a low-calorie diet plan that can help overweight men and women lose weight and women of small stature maintain a healthy weight.
Carbohydrate Choices
Foods containing carbohydrates --- starchy vegetables, grains, fruits, milk, yogurt and sweets --- raise blood sugar levels. Eating the same amount of carbohydrates at each meal can help you control your blood sugars. The amount of carbohydrates you need depends on your blood sugars. A balanced diabetic diet should contain about 50 percent of its calories from carbohydrates, or about 180 g on a 1,400-calorie diet, with each meal containing 60 g. One serving of a carbohydrate food contains 15 g of carbohydrate. Carbohydrate choices and serving sizes include 1/2 cup of peas, corn or potatoes, 1/3 cup of cooked rice or pasta, 3/4 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, one slice of bread, a small piece of fruit, 2 tbsp. of dried fruit, 1 cup of milk or 6 oz. of sugar-free yogurt.
Noncarbohydrate Choices
Noncarbohydrate food choices contain little or no carbohydrates, such as nonstarchy vegetables, meat and meat alternatives and fats. To make sure you meet your nutrient needs, you need to include these foods in your meal plan. Each day you should have 5 oz. of meat or meat alternatives, three servings of nonstarchy vegetables --- one serving is equal to 1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw vegetables --- and 3 tsp. of fat.
Breakfast
For breakfast on your 1,400-calorie diabetic diet, you can have a scrambled egg with two slices of whole-wheat toast with 1 tsp. of margarine, a small banana and 1 cup of nonfat milk. This meal contains 440 calories and 60 g of carbohydrates.
Lunch
For lunch, try 2 cups of mixed greens topped with 2 oz. of diced turkey and 1 tbsp. of reduced-fat salad dressing, 1 cup of chicken noodle soup, five whole grain crackers, a 6-oz. container of nonfat, sugar-free yogurt and 1/2 cup of unsweetened canned fruit. Lunch contains 505 calories and 60 g of carbohydrates.
Dinner
A carbohydrate-controlled dinner may include 2 oz. of London broil, a 6-oz. baked potato with 1 tsp. of margarine, 1/2 cup of cooked peas, 1 cup of mixed greens with 1 tbsp. of fat-free salad dressing and a small orange. Dinner contains 460 calories and 60 g of carbohydrates.
