Losing weight can be difficult if you have diabetes. Reducing your weight by just 5 to 10 percent, however, can improve your blood sugars, blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure while reducing your risk of suffering the long-term complications associated with diabetes. Following a meal plan that restricts carbohydrates to less than 10 percent of your calories, or about 45 g of carbohydrates based on a 1,800-calorie diet, appears to be an effective and safe way to lose weight with diabetes, according to the July 2005 issue of "Nutrition & Metabolism."
Carbohydrates
Many staple foods provide large amounts of carbohydrates, which can raise your blood sugar levels and hinder your weight loss. Grains, both whole and refined, are one of the main sources of carbohydrates, along with legumes, starchy vegetables, fruits, milk, yogurt and any sugar-containing foods or drinks. For example, a slice of bread, one-fourth of a bagel, 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 1/3 cup of cooked rice or pasta, one-fourth of a large baked potato, a small piece of fruit, 2/3 cup of plain yogurt or a serving of two small cookies each provide 15 g of carbohydrates. Keep your carbohydrates to about 15 g per meal for the best weight loss and blood sugar results. Non-starchy vegetables, cheese, meat, poultry, fish, nuts and oils do not contain significant amounts of carbohydrates.
Breakfast
To start the day off right, base your breakfast on non-starchy vegetables, protein and fats, while avoiding the traditional carbohydrate-rich breakfast foods like bread, bagels, breakfast cereals, muffins and pancakes. You could get a limited amount of carbohydrates, about 15 g, from a small serving of fruit. Your meal plan could have scrambled eggs prepared with onions, spinach and mushrooms sprinkled with grated cheese and accompanied by a small apple. Alternatively, you could have 1 to 2 oz. of cheese with red bell pepper slices, celery and cucumber sticks, with 1 oz. of nuts and 1/2 cup of grapes. Another good breakfast option would 1/2 to 1 cup of cottage cheese mixed with 1 cup strawberries and 1 to 2 tbsp. of peanut or almond butter.
Lunch
For a quick and healthy meal that will help you manage your diabetes while losing weight, salads make a convenient lunch option. Fill your plate with leafy greens, tomato slices, green onions and other non-starchy vegetables and top your salad with a serving of protein, such as a fillet of salmon, a chicken breast or slices of lean meat. Sprinkle with cheese or nuts if desired and drizzle with an olive oil-based salad dressings. This big salad does not contain any carbohydrates, but you can get your carbohydrate allowance of 15 g per meal by completing your meal with either a serving of fruit, 2/3 cup of plain yogurt or a mix of 1/2 cup berries and 1/2 cup plain yogurt.
Dinner
For dinner, base your meal on large quantities of non-starchy vegetables and a serving of protein. For example, your dinner could be a 4 to 6 oz. serving of lean steak, fish, pork or chicken with a mixture of 1 to 2 cups green beans, broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower or asparagus. Use olive oil or canola for cooking or drizzle it over your vegetables to get a good dose of healthy fats. You can use your 15 g budget of carbohydrates to add either a slice of whole grain bread, 1/3 cup of brown rice or one-half of a medium sweet potato to your meal or completing your dinner with a few squares of dark chocolate or two small cookies.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Carbohydrate Counting
- Joslin Diabetes Center: Carbohydrate Counting 101
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Nutrient Data Laboratory
- "Nutrition & Metabolism"; Low-Carbohydrate Diet in Type 2 Diabetes: Stable Improvement of Bodyweight and Glycemic Control During 44 Months Follow-Up; Jörgen V. Nielsen, et al.; May 2008
- "Nutrition & Metabolism"; The Case for Low Carbohydrate Diets in Diabetes Management; Surender K. Arora, et al.; July 2005
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