Planning Your Plate: Managing Your Diabetes with Food Choices Handout

Making Healthy Choices: Fruits

Fruits have antioxidant properties and taste great! Consider having a serving of fruit as
a snack or as a side item to a meal.

Making Healthy Choices: Vegetables

Most of us don’t eat enough vegetables. Try adding vegetables like peppers, onion, and
garlic when cooking meals to enhance flavor. If you don’t enjoy cooking, steaming
frozen vegetables is a quick and easy way to add color to your plate. For snack ideas,
carrots dipped in hummus are healthy and convenient.

Making Healthy Choices: Grains

The quality of grains is important when it comes to diabetic maintenance. Simple
switches you can make include eating whole wheat bread instead of white, brown rice
instead of white, and popcorn instead of potato chips.

Making Healthy Choices: Dairy

Dairy foods and/or dairy substitutes are important for getting enough calcium. Try to
make dairy choices that are lower in saturated fat, like low-fat yogurt and skim milk. This
is not to say you have to give up butter, but do be mindful of portions.

Making Healthy Choices: Proteins

Some protein foods can be high in saturated fat and/or cholesterol. Making the right
protein choices can help manage your diabetes. Leans meats are a good choice and
fatty fish like salmon and tuna contain much-needed omega-3 fatty acids. Plant-based
proteins like beans, nuts, and tofu are all low in saturated fat and free of cholesterol.

Let’s Talk About Macronutrients

One gram of carbohydrate and one gram of protein contain 4 calories each, while one
gram of fat contains 9 calories.
Let’s Talk About Macronutrients: Carbohydrates
It’s a good idea to keep your carb intake around 45-60 grams per meal. To put that into
perspective, one cup of rice contains 45 grams of carbohydrate. Be mindful that there
are other sources of carbohydrates besides grains, so if you’re having a glass of sweet
tea (22 grams of carbohydrates) with your dinner, that might put you over your
recommended amount.
Snacks are recommended to have roughly 15 grams of carbohydrates. This does not
have to limit the types of food you eat. Some examples of snack foods that about 15
grams of carbohydrates include half a banana, a cup of carrots, a slice of bread, half a
cup of yogurt, and a handful of peanuts.

This glycemic index chart (sourced from healthiack.com) shows the glycemic index
number for various foods. It’s important to note that the GI number doesn’t necessarily
indicate how healthy a food is, as ice cream should not be considered healthier than
oatmeal.

Avocado Toast with Turkey Bacon and Tomato

Serving Size: 1 avocado toast
Calories: 230; Fat: 130g; Carbohydrate: 20g; Protein: 8g
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
2 slices lean turkey bacon
1 ripe avocado
2 slices whole-wheat bread
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 plum tomato
Coat a medium skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place it over medium heat until
hot. Add the turkey bacon and cook until crispy, 8 minutes, flipping the slices over
halfway through. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate.
Scoop out the flesh from each avocado half onto a slice of toasted bread. Mash the
avocado with a fork until flattened. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.
Top each avocado toast with 1 slice of turkey bacon and half of the tomato slices.

Asparagus Frittata
Serving Size: 1/6 of frittata
Calories: 85; Fat: 4.5g; Carbohydrate: 3g; Protein: 11g
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 bunch thin asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups egg or egg substitute
2 tablespoons skim milk
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon trans-fat-free margarine
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, toss asparagus with olive oil.
Place on baking sheet and bake in oven for about 12 minutes. Chop cooked asparagus
into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together the egg substitutes, milk, salt, pepper and red pepper
flakes. Set aside and prepare broiler.
Spray a 9 1/2-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet with cooking spray. Add
margarine to skillet and melt over medium heat. Add asparagus to skillet and pour the
egg mixture over the asparagus. Cook for a few minutes until the eggs start to set.
Add the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until
the frittata is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes.
Place the skillet under the broiler. Broil until the top is set and golden brown on top,
about 2-4 minutes. Let the frittata stand 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the
frittata from skillet and slide the frittata onto a plate. Cut frittata into 6 equal slices and
serve.

Turkey and Mozzarella Snack Skewers

Serving Size: 3 skewers
Calories: 110; Fat: 7g; Carbohydrate: 4g; Protein: 9g
Ingredients:
4 ounces low sodium turkey breast
¼ English cucumber
12 cherry tomatoes
24 (about 2 ounces) fresh mozzarella balls
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Cut the turkey into 12 (1-inch) cubes.
Thread each skewer with 1 slice of cucumber, 1 turkey cube, 1 tomato, and 2
mozzarella pearls.
Place the skewers in a single layer on a large plate. Drizzle with the olive oil and
balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with the salt and black pepper.
Asian Pork Chops
Serving Size: 1 pork chop and ½ cup of broccoli
Calories: 235; Fat: 13g; Carbohydrate: 5g; Protein: 23g
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 clove minced garlic
2 cups broccoli florets
1 pound pork loin boneless chops
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, water, 1 tablespoon canola oil,
crushed red pepper, and garlic. Add the pork chops and marinate them in refrigerator
for 20 minutes or longer.
Steam the broccoli for 5 minutes; until tender.
Add 1/2 tablespoon canola oil to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork
chops and sear for about 5 minutes per side or until done. (Reserve marinade for later).
Place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer
about 2 minutes. Place the pork chops on serving platter and pour the cooked marinade
over them.
Top the pork chops with chopped cilantro and serve with the steamed broccoli.

Sources Cited
“Diabetes Diet: Create Your Healthy-Eating Plan.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for
Medical Education and Research, 19 Feb. 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-diet/art-20044295.
“Diabetes and Carbs | Eat Well with Diabetes.” Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 Sept. 2019,
www.cdc.gov/diabetes/managing/eat-well/diabetes-and-carbohydrates.html.
“About Glycemic Index.” Glycemic Index Foundation, www.gisymbol.com/about-
glycemic-index/.
Lehman, Shereen. “Know How Much Protein You Can Eat With Diabetes.” Verywell
Health, Verywell Health, 24 June 2019, www.verywellhealth.com/how-much-protein-
should-a-person-with-diabetes-eat-2506615.
“Dietary Fats.” Www.heart.org, www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-
smart/fats/dietary-fats.
Intechnic, www.intechnic.com. “Diabetes Food Hub.” Diabetes Food Hub,
www.diabetesfoodhub.org/.
The Create-Your-Plate Diabetes Cookbook. “Avocado Toast with Turkey Bacon and
Tomato.” Diabetes Food Hub, www.diabetesfoodhub.org/recipes/avocado-toast-with-
turkey-bacon-and-tomato.html?home-category_id=5.
Recipes for Healthy Living. “Asparagus Frittata.” Diabetes Food Hub,
www.diabetesfoodhub.org/recipes/asparagus-frittata.html.
The Create-Your-Plate Diabetes Cookbook. “Turkey and Mozzarella Snack
Skewers.” Diabetes Food Hub, www.diabetesfoodhub.org/recipes/turkey-and-
mozzarella-snack-skewers.html.
American Diabetes Association. “Asian Pork Chops.” Diabetes Food Hub, 6 Jan. 2019,
www.diabetesfoodhub.org/recipes/asian-pork-chops.html.
Gololicic, Matej. “Glycemic Index Chart.” Healthiack, 18 Nov. 2019,
healthiack.com/health/glycemic-index-chart.