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Eating healthy is key to managing your diabetes. But how can you make sure you’re eating a healthy diet?
The Diabetes Food Guide can help you figure out how many servings of grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, protein, and fats you should eat each day. Make sure you limit alcohol. The number of servings you need depends on how many calories are right for you. This is based on your age, sex, size, and activity level.
Healthy eating basics
This information corresponds to the Diabetes Food Guide.
| Type of food | Tips |
Grains, beans, and starchy vegetables
Daily servings: About six a day |
- Choose whole grains, such as whole wheat or rye bread, brown or bulgur rice, that are high in fiber.
- Choose beans as a good source of fiber.
- Eat low-fat breads, such as bagels, English muffins, pita bread, and corn tortillas.
- For snacks, try pretzels or low-fat crackers.
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Vegetables
Daily servings: Three to five
Vegetables are low in fat and provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber. |
- Choose fresh or frozen vegetables without added sauce, fat, or salt.
- Choose more dark green and deep yellow vegetables, like spinach, broccoli, romaine, carrots, chilies, and peppers.
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Fruits
Daily servings: Two to four
Fruits and fruit juices are low in fat and provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber. |
- Choose whole fruits more often than juices for the fiber.
- Choose citrus fruits, like oranges, grapefruits, or tangerines.
- Choose juices without added sweeteners.
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Milk
Daily servings: Two to three
Choose low-fat or nonfat milk, and yogurt. These are good sources of calcium. |
- Choose low-fat or nonfat milk, or yogurt.
- Yogurt has natural sugar. It may also have added sugar or sugar substitutes. Choose the yogurt with sugar substitutes. It has fewer calories.
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Meat and other protein
Daily servings: Two to three
Poultry, fish, dry beans, meat, eggs, cheese, and nuts are sources of protein. |
- Choose fish and skinless poultry more often.
- Broil, bake, or roast, instead of frying.
- Select lean meats and trim off fat.
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Fats, sweets, and alcohol
Eat sparingly
This group includes fats and oils, sweets, and alcohol. Fats and oils include salad dressings, cream, butter, or margarine. Sweets include sugars, soft drinks, candies, and sweet desserts. Alcohol includes wine, beer, and liquor. |
- Choose sweets less often because they are high in fat and sugar.
- If you choose alcohol, drink it with a meal. Also, ask your doctor about a safe amount for you.
- Eat less saturated (solid) fats, such as butter and cheese.
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Section your plate
When you sit down for a meal, draw an imaginary line through the center of your plate. Draw a line to divide one section into two:
- About one fourth of your plate should be filled with grains or starchy foods, such as rice, pasta, potatoes, corn, or peas.
- Another fourth should be protein (foods, like meat, fish, poultry, or tofu).
- For the other half of your plate, you can fill it with non-starchy vegetables, like broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, salad, tomatoes, and cauliflower.
- Then, add a glass of nonfat milk, and a small roll or piece of fruit and you are ready to eat!
You may need to count the carbohydrates or exchanges in your meal, so you can be sure your insulin and exercise are on target.
How much to eat
To lose weight:
- Most women should eat about 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day.
- Most men should eat about 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day.
One way you can plan a balanced diet is to count carbohydrates. In general, a serving contains 15 grams of carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates affect your blood sugar more than other foods. When you know how many carbohydrates you eat, you can help control high blood sugar after meals.
Make a habit of checking food labels on packaged and canned food. They’ll give you portion sizes for that food and tell you how many carbohydrates are in each portion. Use this information when planning meals and snacks.
Your doctor can show you how to count carbohydrates. He or she can also refer you to a dietitian. Always follow the advice of your doctor when planning your meals.
Also of Interest
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