Building Balanced Meals
Following your diet plan can greatly reduce the risk of complications from your disease and allow you to live a long and healthy life. A balanced diet--one that provides the right amount of carbohoydrates (not too much or too little) along with appropriate amounts of protein and fat--will help you manage your blood sugar and weight.
Learning to build balanced meals and snacks will help keep your diet on track and your blood sugar levels steady throughout the day. Here are some guidelines that can help make meal planning easier:
Space your carbohydrates evenly throughout the day. Most diabetics do best eating three moderately sized meals meals plus two or three small snacks throughout the day. For best blood sugar control, plan to spend about 20 to 25% of your carbohydrate "budget" at each meal, and 10-15% at each snack.
Balance carbohydrate foods with protein and fat. Eating some protein and/or healthy fats along with carbohydrates helps modulate the effect of the carbohydrates on your blood sugar. It will also keep you from getting hungry again so quickly, which can help prevent over-eating.
Don’t skip meals or snacks: Eating well-balanced and right-sized meals and snacks at regular intervals helps prevent major dips and surges in blood sugar. Meals should not be skipped, particularly for those who are on insulin. Skipping meals can upset the balance between food intake and insulin and also can lead to weight gain if one eats extra food later on.
Here's an example of a balanced meal plan
Breakfast: ½ cup of oatmeal, 1 cup of milk, 1 hard boiled egg
Mid-morning Snack: 5 whole grain crackers, 1 ounce low-fat string cheese
Lunch: 3 oz turkey breast, 2 slices of whole grain bread, lettuce, tomato, 10 baby carrots
Mid-afternoon Snack: 1 apple, 2 tablespoons peanut butter
Dinner: 3 oz. of baked flounder, 2/3 cup cooked quinoa, 1 cup of steamed spinach
Evening Snack: 1/2 cup low-fat ice cream, 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts
Next Step: Create your diet plan
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