One of the main goals of a diabetes diet is to help stabilize your blood glucose levels and keep them within a healthy range. Unlike protein and fat, carbohydrates affect your blood glucose levels. For this reason, it is important to follow the guidelines for healthy carbohydrate intake.
Recommendations
According to the American Diabetes Association, you should consume approximately 45 g to 60 g of total carbohydrate per meal. This adds up to 135 g to 180 g of carbohydrates for three meals. A healthy diabetes diet also includes snacks. In general, keep carbohydrates for your snacks between 5 g and 30 g each. If you ate breakfast, lunch and dinner and two snacks, your total carbohydrate intake should range between 145 g and 240 g.
Types of Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates include three types: sugar, starch and fiber. Together, these three categories constitute your total carbohydrate intake. Keep in mind that glucose is not the only type of sugar carbohydrate found in food. Other types of sugar include fructose, lactose and maltose. Fiber is an unusual carbohydrate because, unlike sugar and starch, it does not cause your blood glucose levels to rise. During digestion, sugars pass through the lining of your stomach and immediately enter your bloodstream. Starch gets broken down and converted to sugar so that it, too, can get absorbed into your bloodstream. In contrast, fiber passes through your body undigested.
Healthy Choices
In terms of sugar carbohydrates, choose foods that contain naturally occurring sugars, such as fruit, nonfat or 1 percent milk, and plain nonfat yogurt. Avoid processed foods that contain added sugars, such as baked goods, pastries, desserts, candy and sugar-sweetened beverages. Even salad dressing, condiments, breakfast cereal and juice may contain added sugars, so check the labels. In terms of starch, focus on whole grains, such as whole grain pasta, whole grain bread, wild rice and whole oats. Other healthy starches include beans, corn, sweet potato, lentils and peas. Fiber is found in a variety of plant foods, such as nuts, legumes, fruits and vegetables with edible seeds and skins, and whole grains.
Balanced Meal
A diabetes diet contains significantly fewer carbohydrates than a typical healthy diet. A diabetes diet limits carbohydrates to no more than 240 g, but persons without diabetes can consume up to 325 g of carbohydrates, based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. So make your carbohydrates count and include them in meals that also include healthy amounts of protein. The American Diabetes Association recommends that your breakfasts include 1/2 starchy foods, 1/4 fruit and 1/4 lean protein. Your lunch and dinner meals should include 1/2 non-starchy vegetables, 1/4 lean protein and 1/4 starchy foods.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Sugar and Desserts
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Snacks: Snacking Smart with Diabetes
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Carbohydrates
- MayoClinic.com; Nutrition and Healthy Eating -- Glycemic Index Diet: Losing Weight with Blood Sugar Control; Nov. 24, 2009
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Making Healthy Food Choices
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Whole Grain Foods
