Diabetes occurs when your body is not able to properly control your blood sugar levels, and if you have diabetes, it is important to follow an appropriate diet. Your menu should include the right amounts and types of foods to reduce spikes in your blood sugar levels, and it should be nutritionally adequate. Work with a nutritionist and follow your doctor's medical advice to help treat your diabetes.
Menu Planning Help
To make it easier for you to plan meals, use the food exchange lists from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. These lists include groups of foods with similar amounts of calories, carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and the theory is that each of the foods on a particular list has a similar effect on your blood sugar levels. On a diabetes diet, you can substitute a serving of any food on the list for a serving of another food on that same list.
Criteria
Your menu should provide the proper number of calories, because too many calories leads to a rise in your blood sugar levels, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you have type 2 diabetes and are overweight, losing weight may help you regulate your blood sugar. Choose unsaturated fats, such as nuts, olives and flax seed oil, and high-fiber sources of carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Limit saturated fat, trans fat and sodium.
Daily Totals
You may need about 1,200 to 1,600 calories per day if you are a small female, or a female who needs to lose weight, according to the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. A sample menu includes six servings of starch, three servings of vegetables, two fruits, two milk servings, 4 oz. to 6 oz. of meat and up to three fat servings per day. If you are a physically active man, you may be on a 2,000-calorie or 2,400-calorie diet, with 10 starches, four fruits, four vegetables, two milk servings, 5 oz. to 7 oz. of meat and up to five fat servings.
Sample Menu
To control your blood sugar levels, eat smaller meals and snacks instead of three larger meals, according to the Mayo Clinic. Your breakfast might have a whole grain, fruit and dairy serving, and lunch might include a lean protein such as chicken or fish, cooked vegetables, a starch and juice. For dinner, you could have whole-grain pasta with vegetables and cheese sauce and milk, and snacks could include crackers, vegetables and low-fat dip. Have a moderate amount of carbohydrates, fat and protein at each meal and snack.
