Sample Diabetic Diet - Diabetes Plate Method

A simple step to eat low carbohydrate and low fat diet is to follow Sample Diabetic Diet or Diabetes Plate Method. In order to follow the food guide pyramid for diabetes in all the meals it is essential to visualize the diabetes plate. A sample diabetic diet produces a picture in our brain for the ideal proportion of nutrient intake. This lies especially true for type 2 diabetics, who are in most cases overweight. The problem does not lie is what you eat but off course in the quantity you eat. The diabetes portion plate helps a diabetic to see how much quantity/space the particular food group should occupy on his meal plate. It is nothing but a balanced diabetes diet. This Diet can be used by all the individuals who are overweight and willing to keep diabetes and other heart problems at bay. How to make Diabetic Portion/Sample Plate 1. Divide your plate in , and the second half into two equal . 2. Fill the first half with your favorite non starchy Veggies like Lettuce, Broccoli, Spinach, Peppers, Carrots, Green beans, Tomatoes, Celery, Cabbage, and Mushrooms etc. (Note: Restrict the quantity of corn, peas, potatoes, yams and winter squash.) 3. The of plate with Meat/Protein like Chicken, Beef, fish, Eggs, Tofu, Cottage cheese, Lamb, Turkey etc.

4. The remaining with brown rice, bread, Potatoes, Crackers, Peas Soup, Cereal, Tortillas, Beans, Yams, Lentils etc. 5. One serving of non fat, sugar-free yoghurt or milk. 6. One serving of fruit like Guava, Apple, Berries or any Citrus.

Why Sample Diabetic Diet?

Even Distribution of carbohydrate throughout the day to maintain your blood sugar level in target range. It helps to lower down the intake of carbohydrate i.e starches, fat/cholesterol. Contains more Fibre, antioxidants, photochemical s and quality protein which are essential part of nutritionally sound diet. This would eventually show complete breakdown of starches. It is an easy way to promote weight loss with no extra efforts. Weight loss leads to increase insulin sensitivity.

Sample Diabetic Diet or Diabetes plate method can be beneficial for :

Working professionals with busy lifestyles. Adult or Senior citizens Newly diagnosed diabetics or diabetics with depression. Low literate diabetics who understand only thumb rule. A diabetic with uncontrolled or dancing blood sugar levels. Overweight, obese or anyone willing to loss body weight. Person with Cognitive difficulty or mentally challenged. Rigid or stubborn person who dont believe in diet planning.

The general guidelines on diet are:

In a typical days meals and snacks, you should have 1500-1800 calories with 60% contribution from the carbohydrate, 20% from fat and 20% from proteins. You may need extra weight reduction. If you are on calorie-restricted diet, make sure to take 50-60% of calories as complex carbohydrate (whole cereals) to prevent any feeling of weakness.

You should eat a variety of food items everyday. Do not skip meals. Avoid snacks, unless you are advised to (example during insulin treatment). Dont over eat. Eat fruits and vegetables. Use less oil in cooking. Avoid fried foods, milk cream or food items cooked in coconut milk. Avoid ready to eat food preparations, sweets and sugary drinks (canned beverages) that provide empty calories (no vitamin or essential minerals). Keep a regular check on your weight maintain it within the estimated limit. Check your hemoglobin and proteins in blood samples at 6 months or 1 years interval, Suitable correction in diet format or supplementation may become necessary. Despite a good control of blood glucose, if your blood lipids are high, you will need lipid lowering drugs regularly. Some times your doctor may advice you lipid-lowering drugs from the beginning of your diabetes treatment.

Match your mealtime to the form of insulin and insulin injection schedules as explained by your doctor or the diabetes nurse.

Diabetes Control

Whether your treatment consists of diet alone, diet and tablets or diet and insulin, you need regular blood tests to keep a check on your blood sugar. Urine sugar test is not a reliable indicator of diabetes control. When blood glucose remains higher than 200mg/dl for 8-10 weeks, the concentration of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) arises. A (HbA1c) measurement therefore reflects the blood glucose control over a preceding 2-3 months period, while the estimates of blood glucose indicate the glucose value at the time of blood test. HbA1c values between 6-7% indicate very

You should aim at keeping your blood glucose in the normal range i.e. between 90-130 mg/dl
good control on diabetes.

while fasting and less than 180 mg/dl after meals and HbA1c around 7%. Frequent tests for blood glucose are necessary when starting treatment with insulin.
If you are doing capillary blood glucose test using a hand held glucometer, do not squeeze the finger to bring out a sample after you have picked. This invariably gives a low glucose value. Ask your diabetes nurse for a demonstration of capillary blood glucose test. Urine test for sugar is not reliable indicator of diabetes control. Although spillage of sugar in urine occurs when the blood glucose exceeds 180 mg/dl in the majority of healthy persons, this is not always so in a patient with diabetes. Most patients with diabetes of many years acquire an increase in the renal threshold for glucose (capacity to prevent spillage of glucose into urine). Hence urine test for glucose is not helpful for assessing control of diabetes. In the presence of urinary infections, the bacteria eats up the sugar present in urine, thereby making urine test for sugar unreliable.

General recommendations

Patients with pre-diabetes or diabetes should consult a registered dietician who is knowledgeable about diabetes nutrition. An experienced dietician can provide valuable advice and help create an individualized diet plan.
Even modest weight loss can improve insulin resistance (the basic problem in type 2 diabetes) in people with pre-diabetes or diabetes who are overweight or obese. Physical activity, in addition to diet modification, is important. Some patients may benefit from weight-loss medications when used along with lifestyle changes. The ADA encourages consumption of healthy fiber-rich foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. But it is also important to monitor carbohydrate intake through carbohydrate counting, exchanges, or estimation. The glycemic index, which measures how quickly a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood sugar levels, may be a helpful addition to carbohydrate counting