If you have type 2 diabetes—the most common form of diabetes—eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is critical to controlling your weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. By creating a meal plan tailored to your personal preferences and lifestyle, you'll be able to enjoy the foods you love while minimizing complications and reducing further risk.
Creating a Diabetes Meal Plan
There isn't a one-size-fits-all diabetes meal plan. It's important to work with your doctor, dietician, or diabetes educator to create a meal plan that fits with your schedule and eating habits, while effectively managing your diabetes. Some methods recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) include controlling portions and counting carbohydrates. The ADA recommends utilizing the glycemic index (GI) for "fine-tuning" carbohydrate counting.
The Plate Method
This method is fast and easy and doesn't require any special tools or counting. It focuses on portion sizes, more non-starchy vegetables and high-fiber foods, and less starchy foods and meats. To create your plate, follow these steps:
1. Draw an imaginary line down the middle of your plate.
Then divide your plate into three sections or use a plate or container with the sections already built in.
Then divide your plate into three sections or use a plate or container with the sections already built in.
2. Fill the largest section of the plate with non-starchy vegetables.
Examples include:
Examples include:
- Spinach
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Greens
- Cabbage
- Bok choy
- Green beans
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Beets
- Onions
- Okra
- Peppers
- Turnips
3. In one of the smaller sections, put starchy foods.
Examples include:
Examples include:
- Whole grain, high-fiber breads
- Cooked cereal (oatmeal, grits, hominy, and cream of wheat)
- Rice and pasta, particularly brown rice and whole wheat or brown rice pasta
- Beans, potatoes, green peas, corn, lima beans, sweet potatoes, and winter squash
- Low-fat crackers, snack chips, pretzels, and fat-free popcorn
4. In the remaining (small) section, put your meat or meat substitute.
Examples include:
Examples include:
- Skinless chicken and turkey
- Fish, like tuna, salmon, cod, and catfish
- Other seafood, like shrimp, clams, oysters, crab, and mussels
- Lean cuts of beef and pork, such as sirloin and pork loin
- Eggs
- Low-fat cheese
- Tofu
5. Add an 8 oz. glass of non-fat or low-fat milk or a 6 oz. container of light yogurt.
6. Top off your meal with a piece of fruit or one-half cup of fruit salad.
Counting Carbs
There are three types of carbohydrates: simple (sugars), complex (starches), and fiber. Foods that contain carbohydrates impact glucose levels in your blood. Carbohydrate counting is a method of meal planning that keeps track of the amount of total carbohydrates that you eat each day in order to manage your blood sugar levels. A typical plan includes three to four carbohydrates at each meal and one to two servings as snacks.
Using the Glycemic Index
Because each type of carbohydrate has a unique effect on blood glucose, the Glycemic Index (GI) can be a helpful fine tuning tool. The GI measures the rate at which foods containing carbohydrates raise blood glucose. For instance, a food with a high GI raises blood glucose more than a food with a medium or low GI. Eating fat and fiber at the same time tend to lower the GI of a food. A good diabetes meal plan focuses on foods with low or medium GI.
Top 10 Superfoods for Diabetes
Whichever method you choose, these foods should be part of most meals:
- Beans
- Dark green leafy vegetables
- Citrus fruit
- Sweet potatoes
- Berries
- Tomatoes
- Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids
- Whole grains
- Nuts
- Fat-free milk and yogurt
Foods to Avoid
Foods that are processed, enhanced, flavored, preserved, and packaged contain ingredients that can affect diabetes adversely. These include:
- Foods made with white flour or white sugar, such as pasta, white rice, and white breads
- Refined carbohydrates like baked goods, candy, ice cream, and prepared breakfast cereals (unless they're whole grain)
- Soft drinks, sweetened iced tea, sports drinks, lemonade, and fruit juice
- Salt and high-salt foods and condiments, such as canned soup, lunch meat, soy sauce, gravy, ketchup, and mustard
Additionally, you should avoid:
- Foods with trans-fats and saturated fats
- Dry fruits, such as raisins and dried apricots
- Drinking more than two alcoholic drinks a day for men or one for women