What Is a Diabetic Diet?
Whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes — what, when, and how much you eat affect your blood glucose. Blood glucose is the main sugar found in the blood and the body’s main source of energy.
If you have diabetes (or pre-diabetes), eating too much can make your blood glucose too high. If your blood glucose goes too high, you can get sick. Your blood glucose can also go too high or drop too low if you don’t take the right amount of diabetes medicine. If your blood glucose stays high too much of the time, you can develop:
* Heart disease
* Eye problems
* Foot problems
* Kidney disease
* Other problems.
You can also have problems if your blood glucose gets too low (this condition is called hypoglycemia).
Because of all these reasons, keeping your blood glucose at a healthy level will prevent or slow down diabetes problems. One way of controlling your blood glucose level is by maintaining a diabetic diet. This diabetic diet begins by understanding the Diabetes Food Pyramid.
The Diabetes Food Pyramid
The Diabetes Food Pyramid is a general guide of what and how much to eat each day as part of your diabetic diet.
It is similar to the Food Pyramid you see on many food packages. The Diabetes Food Pyramid is divided into six groups. You should eat more foods from the largest group at the base of the pyramid and less from the smaller groups at the top of the pyramid.
The number of servings needed every day is not the same for everyone, so for a diabetic diet, a range of servings is given to ensure you get the foods you need for good health.
The food groups and suggested servings per day as part of this diabetic diet include:
* Grains, beans, and starchy vegetables: These are good source of B vitamins and fiber — 6 or more servings per day.
* Fruits: These contain vitamins C and A, potassium, folate, and fiber — 3 to 4 servings per day.
* Vegetables: These provide vitamins A and C, folate, and fiber — 3 to 5 servings per day.
* Milk: This is a source of calcium, protein, and vitamins A and D — 2 to 3 servings per day.
* Meats and meat substitutes: These are a source of iron, zinc, B vitamins, and protein — 2 to 3 servings per day.
* Fats, sweets, and alcohol: The foods at the tip of the pyramid should be eaten in small amounts. Fats and oils should be limited because they are high in calories. Sweets are high in sugar and should only be eaten once in a while.
How Much Should I Eat?
As stated, in a diabetic diet, the number of servings needed every day is not the same for everyone. The following presents some diabetic diet guidelines with regards to calories and number of servings based on your gender, body type, and fitness goals.
Have about 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day if you are:
* A small woman who exercises
* A small or medium woman who wants to lose weight
* A medium woman who does not exercise much.
Choose this many servings from these food groups to have 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day:
| 6 starches | –> 2 servings of milk or yogurt |
| 3 vegetables | –> 2 meat or meat substitutes |
| 2 fruits | –> Up to 3 fats |
Have about 1,600 to 2,000 calories a day if you are:
* A large woman who wants to lose weight
* A small man at a healthy weight
* A medium man who does not exercise much
* A medium to large man who wants to lose weight.
Choose this many servings from these food groups to have 1,600 to 2,000 calories a day:
| 8 starches | –> 2 servings of milk or yogurt |
| 4 vegetables | –> 2 meat or meat substitutes |
| 3 fruits | –> Up to 4 fats |
Have about 2,000 to 2,400 calories a day if you are:
* A medium to large man who does a lot of exercise or has a physically active job
* A large man at a healthy weight
* A large woman who exercises a lot or has a physically active job.
Choose this many servings from these food groups to have 2,000 to 2,400 calories a day:
| 11 starches | –> 2 servings of milk or yogurt |
| 4 vegetables | –> 2 meat or meat substitutes |
| 3 fruits | –> Up to 5 fats |
For whatever category you fit into, ask your healthcare provider or dietician to create a diabetic diet meal plan that fits:
* The way you usually eat
* Your daily routine
* Your diabetes medicines.
Starches
Starches are:
* Bread
* Grains
* Cereal
* Pasta
* Starchy vegetables like corn and potatoes.
They give your body energy, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Whole-grain starches are healthier because they have more vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Eat some starches at each meal. People might tell you not to eat starches as part of a diabetic diet, but that is not correct. Eating starches is healthy for everyone, including people with diabetes.
Examples of starches that may be part of a diabetic diet include:
* Bread
* Pasta
* Corn
* Potatoes
* Rice
* Crackers
* Tortillas
* Beans
* Yams.
Starch Serving Size
If you have more than one serving at a meal, you can choose several different starches or have two or three servings of one starch.
Starch Suggestions
Here are some healthy ways to eat starches as part of your diabetic diet:
* Buy whole-grain breads and cereals.
* Eat fewer fried and high-fat starches, such as regular tortilla chips and potato chips, French fries, pastries, or biscuits. Try pretzels, fat-free popcorn, baked tortilla or potato chips, baked potatoes, or low-fat muffins.
* Use low-fat or fat-free yogurt or fat-free sour cream instead of regular sour cream on a baked potato.
* Use mustard instead of mayonnaise on a sandwich.
* Use the low-fat or fat-free substitutes such as low-fat mayonnaise or light margarine on bread, rolls, or toast.
* Eat cereal with fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1 percent) milk.
