Eating the right foods at each meal is essential to maintain your blood sugar levels throughout the day. Your body breaks down the foods you eat into glucose, or blood sugar, which is the primary source of energy. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose most efficiently. Eating the wrong types of carbs or eating too much at once can cause a sudden spike in your blood sugar. Meals should include carbohydrates, protein and fat, to keep your blood sugar stable. Drinking water with each meal can help fill you up so you are less likely to overeat.
Exchange Diet
You can consume about 45 to 60 g of carbohydrates at each meal, explains the American Diabetes Association. Using the exchange system diet is a way for you to count the carbohydrates you consume so that your blood sugar stays at a stable level. Foods are broken down into starches, fruits, non-starchy vegetables, meats and milk foods. A serving from one group can be exchanged for something else within the same group and both foods will have the same effect on your blood sugar. For example, at breakfast, you can have either half an English muffin or 1 slice of whole-wheat toast. Both foods have about the same amount of carbohydrates, fat and protein, and will have similar effects on your blood sugar.
Breakfast
Including all of the food groups in your first meal of the day can be challenging. Omelets are an easy way to sneak in some vegetables first thing in the morning. Make an egg-white omelet with two egg-whites, add in 1 cup of spinach and sprinkle 1/2 oz. of feta on top. This omelet provides 110 calories, 5 g of carbs, 12 g of protein and about 4 g of fat, according to the American Dietetic Association. In addition to the omelet, you can have a 1/2 cup of canned pineapple and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. This combination has 105 calories, 15 g of carbs, 7 g of protein and approximately 2 g of fat. A slice of dry whole-wheat toast on the side contains 80 calories, 15 g of carbs, 2 g of protein and less than 1 g of fat.
Lunch
At lunchtime, get all of the nutrients you need by enjoying a salad. A mixture of 2 cups of baby spinach, 1/2 cup of red onions, 1/2 cup of diced cucumbers and 1/3 cup of mandarin slices, provides 105 calories, 22 g of carbohydrates, 6 g of protein and 0 g of fat. Top it off with 3 oz. of grilled chicken, which has 135 calories, 0 g of carbs, 7 g of protein and 5 g of fat. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top for added flavor. Have a glass of skim milk at lunch. An 8 oz. serving contains 100 calories, 12 g of carbohydrates, 8 g of protein and no fat.
Dinner
At dinner, fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli or pea pods. A 1-cup serving of these veggies provides 50 calories, 10 g of carbohydrates, 4 g of protein and no fat. For a starch side, enjoy 1/3 cup of brown rice, which has 80 calories, 15 g of carbs, 2 g of protein and less than 1 g of fat. Or you can exchange the rice for 1/2 cup of mashed sweet potato, which has the same amount of nutrients. As your main course, grill 3 oz. of skinless chicken breast, beef sirloin, cod or trout. Each of these provides 135 calories, no carbs, 21 g of protein and less than 9 g of fat.
References
- American Dietetic Association; Choose Your Foods: Exchange Lists for Diabetes; 2008
- American Diabetes Association; Carbohydrate Counting
- MayoClinic.com; Your Diabetes Diet: Exchange Lists; May 2010
