Meal Planning

The importance of meal planning in diabetes management:

Blood sugar levels can be controlled to a certain extent with proper diet, exercise, and healthy weight maintenance. A healthy lifestyle can also help control or lower blood pressure and control blood fats, thus reducing the risk for heart disease.

Proper meal planning should include spacing out smaller meals throughout the day to maintain steady blood sugar levels. Eating a big meal only once or twice a day can cause extreme high or low blood sugar levels. In addition, if the exercise regimen is changed, changes should be made to the diet accordingly, to maintain weight control and to control blood sugar levels.

What is the healthy food pyramid?

The Food Guide Pyramid makes diabetes meal planning easy! It shows the different food groups and the number of servings you should consume from each food group for good health. Whether you do or do not have diabetes, following the food pyramid guidelines, created by the US Department of Agriculture, for proper nutrition is beneficial to your health. The food pyramid is constructed as a pyramid to demonstrate a foundation of grains - bread, cereal, rice, and pasta (which our bodies need the most of) - with fats, oils, and sweets at the peak of the pyramid, demonstrating our body''s need for only limited quantities. According to the food pyramid, daily intake of food should include the following*:

• 6 servings of starchy vegetables, grains, and beans
  •  A serving can be:
    • 1 slice bread
    • 1/2 small bagel or English muffin (1 oz.)
    • 1 small tortilla
    • 1 small potato or 1/2 cup sweet potato
    • 1/3 cup cooked rice
    • 3/4 cup dry cereal
    • 1/2 cup beans, peas, corn
    • 4-6 crackers
• 3 - 5 servings of vegetables
  • A serving can be:
    • 1 cup raw vegetables
    • 1/2 cup cooked vegetables
    • 1/2 cup tomato juice 
• 2 - 4 servings of fruits
  • A serving can be:
    • 1 small fresh fruit
    • 1/2 cup canned fruit (juice packed)
    • 1/2 cup fruit juice
• 2 - 3 servings of milk and yogurt
  • A serving can be:
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1 cup low-fat yogurt (plain) 
• 2 - 3 servings of meat and protein
  • A serving can be:
    • 1 egg
    • 2-3 oz. cheese
    • 2-3 oz. cooked lean meat, poultry or fish 
• small amounts of fats and oils
  • A serving can be:
    • 1 tablespoon cream cheese
    • 1 tablespoon salad dressing
    • 1 teaspoon butter, margarine, oil, or mayonnaise
    • 10 peanuts 
• small amounts of sugary foods
  • A serving can be:
    • 1/2 cup ice cream
    • 1 small cupcake/muffin
    • 2 small cookies 

*The number of servings from each food grouping may differ for a person with diabetes, based on his/her recommended treatment plan, diabetic goals, calorie intake, and lifestyle. Always consult your physician or a registered dietitian (RD) for dietary recommendations.

Helpful Hints for Determining Portion Size:

Knowing portion size helps us control the amount of food we eat. It can help with weight reduction and compliance to your diabetic diet. Measuring your food tells you exactly how much food you are eating. When measuring tools are not available, you can use these simple guides to estimate portion size:

• 3 ounces of meat = the size of a deck of cards
• 1 medium piece of fruit or 1/2 cup potato or pasta = the size of a tennis ball
• 1 ounce of cheese = the size of 4 stacked dice
• 1 teaspoon of butter or salad dressing = the size of the tip of your thumb
• 1 cup cooked vegetable = the size of your fist
• 1 ounce of nuts = one small handful

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