A diabetes meal plan is a diet that helps control your blood glucose level and choose foods that are good for you. Patients with diabetes have to balance their insulin intake and oral medications with the food they eat. They must eat a balanced diet and always follow the nutritionist or doctor’s advice.
The Diabetes Food Pyramid has six groups for this special diet. The largest group is grains, beans and starchy vegetables. Food is grouped according to how much carbohydrates and proteins they have. The next level has fruits and vegetables which are low in fat. Then you have milk products and meat and other protein foods. The very last category or smallest category is fat, sweets and alcohol. A good diabetes meal plan will involve plenty of beans, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, low fat protein and dairy products and some fat. Another important aspect of the diet is exercise and losing weight.
Counting carbohydrates is important because this is what makes your blood sugar go up. If you know how much you ate then you can monitor the level. Most of the food high in carbohydrates is starch, fruit and milk. Often recording the amount is the best way to keep a records of the amount you eat. The labels on food are the best place to get the information about carbohydrates and the amount you are eating. Read the food labels carefully.
A good way to start the day with a diabetes meal plan is eat a piece of fruit, a high fiber cereal and skim milk. Lunch might be a low cal chicken, turkey, or a roast beef sandwich on whole wheat bread with a tossed salad and piece of fruit. Snacks ideas for diabetics are cheese and crackers, yogurt, a small piece of fruit, or a peanut butter sandwich cut in half. Avoid eating too much sugar and carbs and establish a regular eating schedule when on the diet. Don’t skip healthy snacks.
There are three common meal plans in diabetic meal plans used. One is the exchange meal plan that divides food into six categories. Another is counting carbohydrates which are the only food you need to monitor. Any plan that you use must include some type of exercise to work well. It can be walking, swimming, aerobics, running or biking. Choose and exercise you are comfortable with.
