Diabetic Diet

Eating a well balanced diabetic diet is key to achieving diabetic health and wellness. This can easily be done by using the American Diabetes Association (ADA) plate method. The plate method uses 6 simple steps when creating one’s plate of food.



According to the ADA the steps are as follows:
Put an imaginary line down the middle of your plate. On one side, cut that in half. Your plate will have three sections in it.

Fill the largest side (1/2 of the plate) with NON-STARTCHY VEGETABLES such as:
• spinach, carrots, lettuce, greens, cabbage, bok choy green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, vegetable juice, salsa, onion, cucumber, beets, okra, mushrooms, peppers, turnips. 

In one of the small sections (1/4 of the plate), place GRAINS and STARCHY FOODS such as:
• Whole grain breads (such as whole wheat or rye)
• Whole grain high-fiber cereal, cooked cereal such as oatmeal, grits, hominy or cream of wheat.
• Rice, pasta, dal, tortillas
• Cooked beans and peas, such as pinto beans or black-eyed peas
• Potatoes, green peas, corn, lima beans, sweet potatoes, winter squash low-fat crackers, snack chips, pretzels and light popcorn.

Then in the remaining small section (1/4 of the plate), place your PROTEIN such as:
• Chicken or turkey without the skin
• Fish such as tuna, salmon, cod or catfish
• Other seafood such as shrimp, clams, oysters, crab or mussels
• Lean cuts of beef and pork such as sirloin or pork loin tofu, eggs, low-fat cheese. 

Add a small serving of fruit, a serving of dairy, or both as your meal plan allows.
To complete your meal add a LOW-CALORIE DRINK like water, unsweetened tea, or coffee.


Tutorial video on how to set up your plate. 

Eating healthy when dining out.



Counting carbohydrates. 

Many foods contain carbohydrates (carbs), including:

• Fruit and fruit juice
• Cereal, bread, pasta, and rice
• Milk and milk products, soy milk
• Beans, legumes, and lentils
• Starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn
• Sweets like cookies, candy, cake, jam and jelly, honey, and other foods that contain added sugar
• Snack foods like chips and crackers

Your body quickly turns carbohydrates into a sugar called glucose. This raises your blood sugar, or blood glucose level.

Most foods that contain carbohydrates are nutritious and are an important part of a healthy diet. The goal is not to limit carbohydrates in the diet completely, but to make sure that you are not eating too many. Eating a regular amount of carbohydrates throughout the day can help keep your blood sugar level steady.

People with diabetes can better control their blood sugar if they count how many carbohydrates they eat. People with diabetes who take insulin can use carb counting to help them determine the exact dose of insulin they need at meals.

Your dietitian will teach you a technique called "carb counting."

Types of Carbohydrates

Your body turns all carbohydrates into energy. There are 3 major types of carbohydrates:

• Sugars
• Starches
• Fiber

Sugars are found naturally in some foods and added to others. Sugar occurs naturally in these nutrient-rich foods:

• Fruits
• Milk and milk products

Many packaged and refined foods contain added sugar:

• Candy
• Cookies, cakes, and pastries
• Regular (non-diet) carbonated beverages, such as soda
• Heavy syrups, such as those added to canned fruit

Starches are found naturally in foods. Your body breaks them down into sugar after you eat them. The following foods have a lot of starch. Many also have fiber. Fiber is the part of food that is not broken down by the body. It slows digestion and helps you feel fuller. This includes:

• Bread
• Cereal
• Legumes, such as beans and chickpeas
• Pasta
• Rice
• Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes

Counting Your Carbs

Some foods, such as jelly beans, contain only carbohydrates. Other foods, such as animal proteins (all kinds of meat, fish, and eggs), have no carbohydrates.

Most foods, even vegetables, have some carbohydrates. But most green, non-starchy vegetables are very low in carbohydrates.

Most adults with diabetes should eat no more than 200 carbohydrate grams per day. The daily recommended amount for adults is 135 grams per day, but each person should have their own carbohydrate goal. Pregnant women need at least 175 grams of carbohydrates each day.

Packaged foods have labels that tell you how many carbohydrates a food has. They are measured in grams. You can use food labels to count the carbohydrates that you eat. When you are carb counting, a serving equals an amount of food that contains 15 grams of carbohydrate. The serving size listed on a package is not always the same as 1 serving in carbohydrate counting. For example, if a single-serving package of food contains 30 grams of carbohydrate, the package actually contains 2 servings when you are carb counting.

The food label will say what 1 serving size is and how many servings are in the package. If a bag of chips says that it contains 2 servings and you eat the entire bag, then you will need to multiply the label information by 2. For example, let's say the label on a bag of chips states that it contains 2 servings, and 1 serving of chips provides 11 grams of carbohydrate. If you eat the entire bag of chips, you have eaten 22 grams of carbohydrates.

Sometimes the label will list sugar, starch, and fiber separately. The carbohydrate count for a food is the total of these. Use only this total number to count your carbs.

When you count carbs in foods that you cook, you will have to measure the portion of food after cooking it. For example, cooked long grain rice has 15 grams of carbohydrate per 1/3 cup. If you eat a cup of cooked long grain rice, you will be eating 45 grams of carbohydrates.

Here are some examples of foods and servings sizes that have approximately 15 grams of carbohydrate:

• Half cup (107 grams) of canned fruit (without the juice or syrup)
• One cup (109 grams) of melon or berries
• Two tablespoons (11 grams) of dried fruit
• Half cup (121 grams) of cooked oatmeal
• One-third cup of cooked pasta (44 grams) (can vary with the shape)
• One-third cup (67 grams) of cooked long grain rice
• One-fourth cup (51grams) of cooked short grain rice
• Half cup (88 grams) cooked beans, peas, or corn
• One slice of bread
• Three cups (33 grams) popcorn (popped)
• One cup (240 milliliters) milk or soy milk
• Three ounces (84 grams) of baked potato

Adding up Your Carbohydrates

The total amount of carbohydrates you eat in a day is the sum of the carbohydrate counts of everything you eat.

When you are learning how to count carbs, use a log book or sheet of paper to help you track them. As time passes, it will get easier to estimate your carbohydrates.

Plan to see a dietitian every 6 months. This will help you refresh your knowledge of carb counting. A dietitian can help you determine the right amount of carbohydrate servings to eat each day, based on your personal caloric needs and other factors. The dietitian can also recommend how to spread out the carbohydrates you eat in your meals and snacks.

Alternative Names

Carb counting; Carbohydrate-controlled diet; Diabetic diet; Diabetes-counting carbohydrates

References

American Diabetes Association website. Get smart on carb counting. www.diabetes.org/nutrition/understanding-carbs/carb-counting. Accessed August 13, 2019.

Dungan KM. Management of type 2 diabetes. In: Jameson JL, De Groot LJ, de Kretser DM, et al, eds. Endocrinology: Adult and Pediatric. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 48.

Evert AB, Boucher JL, Cypress M, et al. Nutrition therapy recommendations for the management of adults with diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2014;37 Suppl 1:S120-S143. PMID: 24357208 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24357208.

Additional information on creating a diabetic appropriate plate   http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/create-your-plate/?loc=ff-slabnav