How to Eat a Diabetic Diet

Knowing how to eat a diabetic diet can save your life if you have diabetes. Diabetes can affect your entire body. Diabetics should eat healthy food such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. Plan your meals ahead of time so that you are not tempted to snack on improper foods.

Instructions

1

PORTIONS - Plan each meal so that it is made up of 50% non-starchy vegetables, 25% whole grains or starches, and 25% lean meat, low in saturated fat. This is called the plate method because you can easily glance at your plate and see if you have the proper portions.

2

SERVING SIZES - Learn appropriate serving sizes. Your clenched fist is about one cup. The palm of your hand is about the size of three ounces of meat, your thumb is about 2 tablespoons and your cupped hand will hold about one ounce of nuts or seeds.

3

CARBOHYDRATES - Check with your doctor to find out how many carbohydrates and calories you should eat in a day. Generally speaking men can eat 60-75 grams of carbohydrates per meal and women can eat 45-60 grams of carbohydrates per meal.

4

FOODS TO EAT - Eat healthy foods every day, such as 9 or more servings of fruits and vegetables. Whole grains such as brown rice, whole grain bread and whole grain pasta. Lean meats such as turkey and fish. Yogurt, cottage cheese, and nuts are also excellent snacks for individuals with diabetes. You can learn to eat the right foods for your diabetic diet.

5

FOODS TO AVOID - Avoid foods that are high in sugars or carbohydrates that become sugar. Foods such as candy bars, alcohol, cereal, white rice and peanut butter should be avoided. Eat brown rice, vegetables and fruit and fish. Steam your vegetables with garlic to give them added flavor.

6

FIBER - Eat plenty of fiber each day. If you have diabetes it is recommended that you consume 25-30 grams of fiber each day. Get your fiber naturally by eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.

Now you know how to eat a diabetic diet.