What is a diabetic diet?
A diabetic diet is a way of eating that helps people with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels.
Why is it Important?
When you have diabetes, eating too many calories and carbohydrates makes your blood sugar go up. If you don’t control your blood sugar it can cause serious problems. One problem is high blood sugar, called hyperglycemia. If your blood sugar stays high for a long time, it can damage your nerves, kidneys and heart.
The best way to keep your blood sugar safe is by making healthy food choices, keeping track of what you eat, and checking your blood sugar levels.
Benefits of a diabetic diet
- Helps control your blood sugar (blood glucose)
- Helps manage your weight
- Helps control heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol
How to follow a diabetic diet
Balance your plate: It’s important to eat a mix of different foods, like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, proteins and healthy fats (like nuts, olive oil, and avocados).
- Fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, carrots, green beans)
- Fill one-quarter with lean protein (fish, chicken, beans, eggs or tofu)
- Fill one-quarter with carbohydrate foods (brown rice, whole wheat bread, or starchy vegetables like potatoes)
Count carbs: Carbohydrates (carbs) are found in foods like bread, rice, pasta, and sweets. People with diabetes need to keep track of how many carbs they eat because carbs affect blood sugar levels.
Read food nutrition facts labels: check food labels on packaged foods to see how much sugar and carbs they have.
Eat regular meals: Eating at regular times each day helps keep blood sugar levels steady. Skipping meals can make blood sugar levels go too high or too low.
Make healthy choices: Choose foods that are low in sugar and fat, and high in fiber. Fiber helps keep blood sugar levels in check and can be found in veggies, fruits and whole grains.
Avoid unhealthy fats: Protect your heart by avoiding saturated fats like butter, cream, bacon and sausage. Avoid trans fats which are foods with “partially hydrogenated oil” as an ingredient.
Watch your portions: Eating too much at once can make blood sugar levels go too high. Use smaller plates and watch your portion sizes.
Limit sugary drinks: Drinks like soda and juice can make blood sugar levels spike. It’s better to drink water, carbonated or seltzer waters, unsweetened tea and coffee. Artificially sweetened or diet drinks are okay if they have zero calories – be sure to read the labels.
How to count carbs
- First, find out which foods you eat have carbs.
- Read Food Nutrition Labels to see how many carbs are in the foods you eat.
- For diabetic meal planning, 1 serving of a food with carbohydrate is about 15 grams.
- Use measuring cups, spoons or a food scale when you start counting to learn about the portion sizes you usually eat.
- Check your blood sugar after meals to know if you need to change when, what, or how much you eat.
Other helpful tips
- Try to eat every 3-4 hours.
- Avoid skipping meals, this can make your blood sugar rise.
- Aim for 3-4 carb servings per meal (45-60 grams); 1-2 carb servings per snack (15-30 grams).
- Avoid meals/snacks that are made up of only carb sources.
- Fasting blood sugar range (2 hours no eating): 70-120 mg/dL.
- Blood sugars 1-2 hours following a meal should be less than 180 mg/dL.
- Count 1 cup raw vegetables or ½ cup cooked non-starchy vegetables as zero (0) carbohydrate servings or “free” foods.
- Foods that have less than 20 calories in each serving can also be counted as zero carbohydrate servings or “free” foods.
Key take away
Following a diabetic diet means eating healthy foods, counting carbs, managing your weight, and keeping track of your meals to control your blood sugar. This helps you stay healthy and avoid serious problems. It also helps control heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
