Healthy Eating for Diabetes
The Plate Method
Eating healthy is one of the most important things you can do to lower your risk for diabetes or to manage the diabetes you may already have. Taking small steps to ensure you are eating right is a giant leap toward lowering your diabetes risk.
It is helpful to use this simple and popular meal planning process called the Plate Method. For lunch and dinner, simply divide your plate into three sections like this:
- Vegetables and fruits (50%) such as grapes, tomatoes, pumpkin, cucumber, strawberry, zucchini and avocado, representing a balanced diet rich in vitamins and nutrients.
- Whole grain foods (25%) such as potatoes, pasta, brown rice and quinoa, promoting a healthy source of carbohydrates and fiber.
- Protein (25%) such as fish, egg, cheese, shrimp, chicken, beans and mushrooms, providing essential building blocks for a well-rounded meal.
The Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet should really be called a “healthy lifestyle” rather than a diet! It is the regular way of life in Crete, other parts of Greece and Southern Italy. It includes physical activity (walking and cycling to get around) and promotes plant foods like vegetables and fruits; fish and poultry; and it encourages olive oil as the main source of fat. This way of life suggests very little red meat and “low to moderate” amounts of wine.
The Mediterrenean Diet emphasizes:
- olive oil (a monounsaturated fat) canola oil, and avocado; avoid butter/margarine (saturated fats)
- fresh vegetables and fruit
- beans – fresh and dried (good source of protein),
- nuts and seeds
- whole grain cereal, pasta, bread and crackers; brown rice
- small to medium portions of poultry and dairy (fat-free milk, low-fat goat cheese or part-skim mozzarella, and fat-free or low-fat plain yogurt)
- small to medium portions of fish and shellfish (rich in omega-3 fatty acid)
- small portions of red meat
- moderate wine intake (red), no more than 1 for women or 2 for men in a day (a serving=5 oz)
- fresh herbs and spices instead of salt
- small portions of fresh fruit and nuts instead of sweets and rich desserts
Healthy habits
Use less sugar
Consider some use of sugar substitutes for part of the sugar in recipes.
Use less fat
Consider substituting about 1/3-1/2 of the fat in the recipe with applesauce or pureed or canned vegetables; limit sauce, cheese, creamed and gravy-type foods.
Use less butter, margarine, cream and mayo
Consider substituting margarine for butter (and tub spreads or olive oil for margarine or at least part of it); consider substituting hummus for mayo if used as a spread.
Avoid/use less sour cream, cream cheese, half & half, whipping cream, etc.
Consider substituting non fat Greek yogurt for these foods and low fat/non fat cottage cheese for the cream cheese; choose low fat or non fat milk; choose smaller amounts of cheese in food preparation; consider low fat cheese eg Swiss or Mozzarella having about 3 g of fat or less per oz.
Consume fewer breaded/fried foods
Use more roasted, grilled, broiled, poached, boiled foods. Trim the fat, remove the skin; avoid hot dogs, bacon (Canadian Bacon is okay), bologna and sausage.
Consider fruit and nuts for dessert
Eat smaller portions of meat, fish, chicken
Most of us eat 2 - 3 x what is recommended; it is suggested to eat about 3-4 oz at lunch and at dinner.
Consider smaller portions of starchy foods
For example, potatoes, peas, corn, pasta, rice; choose small potatoes with the skin, whole grain pasta, brown rice.
Offer larger servings of vegetables
For example, salad, tomatoes, squash, asparagus, broccoli, beets, eggplant, etc; raw, salad, cooked, or in soups.
Limit or avoid added salt
Try these healthy snacks, about 15 grams of carbohydrates each. If you are trying to lose weight, you may want to have less of the amounts suggested.
If you have diabetes, check your blood glucose before the next meal to see the effect of the snack you chose. Enjoy!
- 4-5 whole-grain crackers with small amount (less than 1 ounce) of low-fat cheese or less than 1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 4-5 whole-grain crackers with small amount of peanut butter (less than 1 tbsp.)
- 3 cups air-popped popcorn, raw veggies with plain yogurt + cottage-cheese dip
- ½ whole-grain sandwich with low-fat ham, grilled chicken or fish; avoid bologna or hotdogs
- 1 cup vegetable/low-sodium broth soup
- ½ cup low-fat or non-fat plain or flavored yogurt with artificial flavors or no sugar added (try Greek yogurt), add a few fresh blueberries or unsalted nuts
- 2 tbsp. unsalted nuts + 2 tbsp. raisins
- 3 gingersnaps or 5 vanilla wafers or 8 animal crackers
- Less than 12 baked tortilla chips and salsa