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.
1400 Calorie Diabetic Diet
If you’re looking for the perfect 1400 calorie diabetic diet there are certainly handy sample plans to try, but remember; each person is an individual and because of this a specific diet may work better for one person than another. You can try any 1400 sample plan but personalized adjustments may be necessary.
Why A 1400 Calorie Diabetic Diet
If you have diabetes and your doctor recommends that you try a 1400 calorie diet plan it could be for a number of reasons.
- A diet plan with 1400 calories offers enough calories to meet nutritional needs when planned in a well-balanced manner, and still is low enough in calories to assist an individual who needs to lose weight. Even with minimal exercising effort it’s likely that someone eating 1400 calories will lose weight.
- If your current diet is not working you may be on the path of needing medication to help control your diabetes. A much easier plan is that you control your diabetes with diet and exercise if possible. Many doctors suggest that a patient (who is not in dire need of medication) attempt to control their diabetes with diet and exercise before moving on the medications.
- 1200 – 1800 is a typical healthy caloric intake range with 1400 calories being lower than what the normal American eats but a good goal to shoot for. Each person should consume calories needed based on personal body size combined with personal energy expenditure. However, it’s difficult to offer sample diet plans based on obscure calorie amounts like 1234, 1457, or 1603. It’s much simpler for a doctor or health guide to offer suggestions for a 1200, 1400 or 1600 calorie plan. This is one major reason people are often directed to say, a 1400 calorie diet plan, because they’re easy to find and easy to plan.
Find Sample Plans
The first place to find plans for a good 1400 calorie diabetic diet plan will be with your doctor. Better yet you are also working with a nutrition specialist. If not have your doctor refer your to one. The importance of personalized support and planning for your experience with diabetes cannot be understated. People with superior support plans and a team of helpers to back them up succeed at managing their diabetes far better than someone trying to plan their diet and care on their own. That said it’s highly suggested that you work closely with your support team to plan a diet that’s right for you.
However, if you are already working with a team and need fresh ideas for your 1400 calorie diabetic diet then these resources may help:
- First you’ll want to do some pre-planning and this handy guide from the Mayo Clinic; Diabetes diet: Create your healthy-eating plan can help. This will direct you as to what parts of your diet to concentrate on such as carbohydrate counting and also offers ideas on the the diabetic exchange system, consistency and diet variation.
- The National Diabetes Education Program offers a wealth of diet planning support including a sample diabetic diet planmeals for a day, nutrition information, some handy thoughts about the diabetic food pyramid, and more.
- Many of the healthier online 1400 calorie diet plans are not specifically related to a diabetic plan. That doesn’t mean they won’t work for you though. The following plans offer ideas about what to eat to add up to 1400 calories. Free dieting 1400 plan, Weight loss resources’ 1400 calorie plan in the UK, and one more 1400 calorie diet variation.
- Once you have a good idea of what belongs on a 1400 calorie diet plan skip back over to the Mayo Clinic for some amazing recipes. The clinic’s healthy diabetic recipe section not only offers seriously delicious food choices but a complete calorie, carbohydrate, protein, and more breakdown of the recipe so you can be sure you’re getting the right amount of calories and nutrients. If that doesn’t convince you, listen to some of these recipes; southwestern potato skins, blackberry iced tea with cinnamon and ginger, cookies and cream milkshake, barbecue chicken pizza, and many more. A diabetic diet can be fun… or at least tastier than you thought.
- You also may be interested in diabetic cookbooks, diabetic food list, and learning about the basics of the diabetic diet.
Don’t forget to always run any sort of diet plan or diet changes past your health care provider before you start..
Recipes
Pasta with Broccoli and Chicken
Ingredients:
4 ounces whole wheat spaghetti or 2 cups ziti 2 cups broccoli florets, coarsely chopped 1 cup sliced cooked chicken breast 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 4 teaspoons olive oil Pinch of red-pepper flakes (optional) Instructions:
Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the liquid. Return the liquid to the pot. Place the pasta in a bowl and cover to keep warm. Bring the liquid to a boil. Add the broccoli, cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until soft, but not soggy. Add the pasta, chicken, cheese, oil, and pepper flakes (if using). Toss well.
Diet Plan 1 |
Diet Plan 2 |
| Breakfast | Breakfast |
| Cantaloupe - 1 cup Scrambled Eggs - (1/2 cup egg substitute or 1 egg and 1 egg white 1 teaspoon butter). English Muffin (dry, whole-wheat) |
Fat-Free Milk - 1 cup Strawberries - 1/2 cup English Muffin (with butter and jam) - wholewheat or oatbran + 1 teaspoon butter |
| Snack | Snack |
| Mug of Granola (2 tbsp. granola + 1/4 cup fat-free milk) | Graham Crackers (1) Chocolate Milk - 1 cup fat-free milk + 2 tbsp chocolate syrup. |
| Lunch | Lunch |
| Fat-Free Milk - 1 cup Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich (2 tbsp peanut butter 2 tbsp jelly or jam 2 slices whole wheat bread) Celery Sticks (1/2 cup) and Baby Carrots (1/2 cup) |
Small Roll - 2 1/2 inches in size. Satisfying Veggie Salad - (1 cup mixed greens 1/3 cup carrots 1/3 cup tomatoes 1/3 cup cucumbers 1/2 cup canned chickpeas 2 tablespoons chopped eggs 2 tablespoons reduced-calorie dressing) |
| Dinner | Dinner |
| Mixed Greens (2 cups + 1 tbsp reduced-calorie dressing) Spaghetti (1 cup whole wheat spaghetti 1/4 cup meatless pasta sauce 2 tablespoons Parmesan 2 teaspoons chopped basil) |
Pasta with Broccoli and Chicken (see below) |
| Treat | Treat |
| Ginger Snaps (3) | Frozen Fruit Bar - no more than 80 calories. |
Ensure you drink plenty of water - aim for 8-10 glasses per day.