Diabetic Meal Plan
If you have diabetes you should follow a special diet. Here’s a sample diabetic meal plan that is about 1,600 calories and 220 grams of carbohydrates. Remember to drink two 8-ounce glasses of water with each meal.
Forming and sticking to a flavorful and well-balanced diabetic meal plan should be a priority for diabetics. Eating a healthy combination of foods can help control diabetes and prevent weight gain. This in turn helps prevent strokes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
What Makes a Diabetic's Diet Different?
In truth, eating well to control your diabetes is not much different from the diet non-diabetics should be eating to remain healthy. A diabetic diet consists of foods low in sugar, fat and salt. Also similar to regular healthy diets, the diabetic diet should consist of about one third fruits and vegetables, one third cereals, breads and potatoes and one third from meat, fish and dairy products.
Additionally, diabetics and non-diabetics alike should strive to eat foods that do not cause a high glycemic response – or foods that do not quickly raise blood sugar levels. However, this aspect of healthy eating is especially important for diabetics and a good diabetic meal plan will include foods low on the glycemic index chart.
Sample Diabetic Meal Plan
Here is a sample meal created by diabetic experts at the Cleveland Clinic. It contains 1,600 calories and 220 grams of carbohydrates. Remember to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day along with any meal plan.
Breakfast
- 1 slice toasted whole wheat bread with 1 teaspoon margarine
- 1/4 cup egg substitute or cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 1/2 small banana
Lunch
- 1 cup vegetable soup with 4-6 crackers
- 1 turkey sandwich (2 slices whole wheat bread, 1 ounce turkey and 1 ounce low-fat cheese, 1 teaspoon mayonnaise)
- 1 small apple
Dinner
- 4 ounces broiled chicken breast with basil and oregano sprinkled on top
- 2/3 cup cooked brown rice
- 1/2 cup cooked carrots
- 1 small whole grain dinner roll with 1 teaspoon margarine
- Tossed salad with 2 tablespoons low-fat salad dressing
- 4 unsweetened canned apricot halves or 1 small slice of angel food cake
Snacks (pick only two snacks per day)
- 16 fat-free tortilla chips with salsa
- 1/2 cup artificially sweetened chocolate pudding
- 1 ounce string cheese plus one small piece of fruit
- 3 cups "lite" popcorn
Breakfast
(360 calories, 52.5 grams carbohydrate)
- 1 slice toasted whole wheat bread with 1 teaspoon margarine
- 1/4 cup egg substitute or cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 1/2 cup skim milk
- 1/2 small banana
Lunch
(535 calories, 75 grams carbohydrate)
- 1 cup vegetable soup with 4-6 crackers
- 1 turkey sandwich (2 slices whole wheat bread, 1 ounce turkey and 1 ounce low-fat cheese, 1 teaspoon mayonnaise)
- 1 small apple
Dinner
(635 calories, 65 grams carbohydrate)
- 4 ounces broiled chicken breast with basil and oregano sprinkled on top
- 2/3 cup cooked brown rice
- 1/2 cup cooked carrots
- 1 small whole grain dinner roll with 1 teaspoon margarine
- Tossed salad with 2 tablespoons low-fat salad dressing
- 4 unsweetened canned apricot halves or 1 small slice of angel food cake
Snacks
(Each has 60 calories or 15 grams carbohydrate. Pick two per day.)
- 16 fat-free tortilla chips with salsa
- 1/2 cup artificially sweetened chocolate pudding
- 1 ounce string cheese plus one small piece of fruit
- 3 cups "lite" popcorn
The best way to ensure success is to sit down and plan out suitable meals like the ones above, meals that you enjoy, for the entire week. Then go grocery shopping for everything you need and buy only those foods that are good for you and that you'll use in your meal plan.
Diabetes and Eating Out
Restaurants can pose a real challenge to diabetics. Most restaurants value taste over health and as a result fill their food with saturated and trans-fats, hydrogenated oils and tons of sugar and salt. Luckily, most restaurants do have a selection of healthy choices on the menu and you can typically make them even healthier by asking for the right substitutions. For instance, if you're plate comes with a vegetable helping and fries; ask for a double order of vegetables.
As a diabetic it's also important to ask exactly what's in the food. All decent restaurants can tell you the ingredients and nutritional information of their dishes.
Here are some additional tips for eating out if you are diabetic:
- Ask for fish or meat broiled with no extra butter
- Do not order fried or breaded foods because they're extremely high in fat
- Steer clear of all fast food in general
- Limit alcohol and sodas; they're empty calories
- Ask for sauces and gravy on the side so you can control how much you use
- Eat the same portion size you would at home; if you have food left over save it for later
- Eat slowly
Controlling what you eat is one of the best ways to control your diabetes. Furthermore, being diabetic does not mean you cannot enjoy flavorful and appetizing foods at home and at restaurants; just remember planning ahead is your best tool for success.
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