Diabetes Diet

All of us know that a healthy diet helps contribute to proper weight management, our health as well our overall sense of well-being. If you have been diagnosed with any type of diabetes, a meal plan is a must for you. A carefully thought out meal plan will not only help control your weight (a critical factor for those dealing with diabetes) but will also assist you in maintaining your glucose levels at normal or nearly normal levels. Your overall meal plan should also take into consideration factors such as your activity levels, when you take your diabetes medications and what your weight goals might be (whether that is gaining or losing weight).

As a general rule, your meals plans should be based on the following guidelines:

• Grains, beans, and starchy vegetables: 6 or more servings/day. One serving: 1 slice bread; 1/2 small bagel; 1/2 cup cooked cereal, pasta, rice; 3/4 cup ready-to-eat cereal; 1/2 cup cooked beans, corn, peas
• Fruits: 2-4 servings daily. One serving: 1 medium-size fresh fruit; 1/2 cup canned fruit; 1/2 cup fruit juice
• Vegetables: 3-5 servings a day. One serving: 1 cup raw vegetable; 1/2 cup vegetable juice
• Meat, Fish, Cheese: 2-3 servings/day. One serving: 2-3 ounces cooked lean meat, skinless poultry, or fish; I egg; 2 tablespoons peanut butter; 2-3 ounces cheese.
• Milk and Yogurt: 2-3 servings daily. One serving: 1 cup (8 ounces) milk or yogurt
• Fats, Sweets, and Alcohol: eaten in small amounts. One serving: 1 teaspoon butter, margarine, or mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon cream cheese or salad dressing; 1/2 cup ice cream

People with diabetes should follow these alcohol consumption guidelines:

• Do not drink more than two drinks of alcohol in a one-day period. (Example: one alcoholic drink = 5-ounce glass of wine, 1 1/2-ounce "shot" of liquor or 12-ounce beer)
• Drink alcohol only with food
• Drink slowly
• Avoid "sugary" mixed drinks, sweet wines, or cordials
• Mix liquor with water or diet soft drinks
• While moderate amount of alcohol can cause blood sugar to rise, excess alcohol can actually decrease your blood sugar level causing it to drop into dangerous levels.
• Beer and sweet wine contain carbohydrates and may raise blood sugar
• Alcohol stimulates your appetite, which can cause you to overeat and may affect your blood sugar control
• Alcohol can interfere with the positive effects of oral diabetes medicines or insulin
• Alcohol may increase triglyceride levels
• Alcohol may increase blood pressure
• Alcohol can cause flushing, nausea, increased heart rate, and slurred speech

It is important to maintain a well balanced diet which should include whole grains, lean meat, fish, and vegetables which will not only control your blood sugar and but will also reduce your risk for possible complications from diabetes. It is important that you include all three major nutrient groups (carbohydrates, protein and fat) in your diet, but it is very important to the management of your diabetes that you have the right amounts of carbohydrates spread out evenly over the day because of the effects they have on your blood sugar levels.

Most often people with diabetes do not require any special foods so you can plan your family meals to enjoy the same foods the rest of your family enjoys. If you provide variety in your meals and be sure to test your blood sugar levels after meals (to see what effect varied foods have on your blood sugar) that will help you stick with your food plan.