For people with diabetes, controlling blood glucose levels with diet and exercise is crucial to their overall health and well-being. The amount of carbohydrates and total caloric intake varies from person to person with gender, age, height and weight playing an important role in determining a diabetic meal plan. A registered dietitian can help give you the tools to develop a diabetic diet specific to your individual needs.
Breakfast
For adults on a 2,000 calorie diabetic diet, breakfast should contain about four servings of carbohydrates, or about 60 g, one protein food and a fat. For individuals whose blood sugars tend to run high in the morning, decreasing total carbohydrate at breakfast to no more than three servings of carbohydrates may help control these levels. An example of a breakfast on a 2,000 calorie diet is a scrambled egg or egg substitute with 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 1 tbsp. of low-fat margarine and sugar-free jelly, 1 cup of skim milk and a half of a banana. For diabetics that prefer a cold breakfast, another option contains 1 ½ cups of unsweetened ready-to-eat cereal topped with 1 cup of skim milk, 1/2 cup of blueberries and 6 almonds, chopped or slivered.
Lunch
Because carbohydrate consistency is a key component to controlling blood glucose levels, lunch should contain roughly the same amount of carbohydrates as breakfast with about 4 servings, or 60 g. In addition, incorporate two meat exchanges, two vegetable exchanges and two fats. A sample lunch menu may consist of a sandwich on whole wheat bread with 1 oz. each of turkey and cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard and 1 tbsp. low-fat mayonnaise. Add a side salad with 1 tbsp. low-fat dressing and a medium apple to round out the meal.
Dinner
Like breakfast and lunch, dinner should contain 4 servings of carbohydrates and 2 servings of vegetables and fats. Increase the meat or protein serving to 3 meat exchanges, or roughly 3 oz. A sample dinner includes 3 oz. grilled salmon, 1 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of cooked green beans and 2 tbsp. of low-fat margarine. Add ½ cup of unsweetened fruit cocktail for dessert to complete the meal. Another dinner option is 1 cup of cooked spaghetti in a marinara sauce with 3 small meatballs topped with 2 tbsp. of low-fat grated Parmesan cheese, a small dinner roll and 1 cup of cooked broccoli.
Snacks and Beverages
You can include snacks in a 2,000 calorie diabetic diet. Your physician or dietitian may recommend having a protein-based snack before bed. Examples of snacks for diabetics include 1 tbsp. of peanut butter with 5 low-fat wheat crackers or ½ cup of low-fat cottage cheese with ½ cup of canned peaches packed in water. Staying adequately hydrated throughout the day is another important component to the diabetic diet. Water and other non-caloric beverages are considered free-foods.
