When it comes to managing your diabetes, diet is one of the most important factors. People with diabetes have elevated blood sugars due to an inability to make or use insulin, the hormone that moves sugar from your bloodstream into the cell. The food you eat contributes to your blood sugar. A diet for diabetes aims to control your food intake for better blood sugar management. A calorie-controlled diet, such as the 1,800-calorie diet, can make it easier for you to plan your meals and control your intake.
Purpose
Limiting your calorie intake to 1,800-calories a day can help inactive women over the age of 51 maintain their weight, and help active women of any age and most men lose weight. Consult your physician to determine if the 1,800-calorie diet is appropriate to meet your needs.
Diet Guide
When following a calorie-controlled diet to manage your diabetes, you can use the American Diabetes Association exchange diet as a guide. It divides foods into groups based on similarities in nutrient composition. On your 1,800-calorie diet you are allowed to eat a specific number of servings from each of the food groups. This is based on your food preferences and nutrient needs. A dietitian can help you plan a diet for you. A sample 1,800-calorie exchange diet may include seven starch exchanges, four fruit exchanges, three milk exchanges, four vegetable exchanges, seven meat exchanges and five fat exchanges.
Breakfast
For better blood sugar control, try to eat the same amount of food at around the same time each day. For example, at breakfast include two starch exchanges, one fruit exchange, one milk exchange, one meat exchange and one fat exchange. A breakfast meal may consist of a 2 oz. whole wheat bagel toasted with 1 tbsp. of cream cheese, 1/4 cup of cottage cheese with 3/4 cup of pineapple and 1 cup of nonfat milk.
Lunch
A balanced lunch meal on your 1,800-calorie diet should include two starch exchanges, one fruit exchange, one milk exchange, two vegetable exchanges, three meat exchanges and one fat exchange. A sample lunch includes a tuna sandwich made with 3 oz. of canned tuna mixed with 1 tbsp. of reduced fat mayonnaise on two slices of whole grain bread, 2 cups of mixed greens with fat-free salad dressing, a small orange and a 6 oz. container of nonfat, sugar-free yogurt.
Dinner
Your dinner meal should include two starch exchanges, one fruit exchange, two vegetable exchanges, three meat exchanges and two fat exchanges. For dinner, you can make a healthy stir fry with 3 oz. of sliced chicken breast sauteed with 2 cups of mixed vegetables -- broccoli, carrots, Chinese cabbage, onions -- in 2 tsp. of oil, ginger and low-sodium soy sauce, served with 2/3 cup of cooked brown rice and two small plums.
Snack
Including a snack in your meal plan can help with hunger control. A healthy snack should include one starch exchange, one fruit exchange, one meat exchange and one fat exchange. A sample snack may include two rice cakes with 1 tbsp. of peanut butter and a small apple.
