Ask The Expert
Eating Well

Your question is one of the most frequently asked, both on this site and at our call center. While I will provide some general guidelines to get you started, it is important to know that there is no "one size fits all" diabetic meal plan. I hope you will learn from this answer and from the related questions and resources that it is important to develop a healthy eating plan that provides you with the flexibility to enjoy your favorite foods while still controlling your diabetes.

Get Help From a Dietitian

The National Standards for Diabetes Care recommend that all people with diabetes should have a consultation with a registered dietitian who will:

• Conduct an individualized assessment of your height, weight, activity level, and laboratory values.
• Review your eating habits, including your likes and dislikes. This is best accomplished if you can keep a food record for 3-7 days to bring to your dietitian appointment.
• Advise you on the specific recommended amounts of carbohydrate, protein, and fat you should have.
• Provide you with tools and information to meet your needs, such as carbohydrate counting, the food guide pyramid, reading food labels, understanding the glycemic index, and using the plate method to estimate portion sizes.

So start by asking for a referral to a dietitian. If your healthcare team cannot find one in your area, you can search by using either the "Find an Educator" from the American Association of Diabetes Educators, or "Find a Nutrition Professional" from the American Dietetic Association resource links at the end of this answer. Most insurance companies, as well as Medicare, will cover some level of diabetes education.

Basic Tips for Healthy Food Choices

Here are some general tips from the American Diabetes Association to get you started:

• Healthy eating includes eating a wide variety of foods including vegetables, whole grains, fruits, non-fat dairy products, beans, and lean meats, poultry and fish.
• There is no one perfect food so including a variety of different foods and watching portion sizes is key to a healthy diet.
• Eat vegetables and fruits. Try picking from the rainbow of colors available to maximize variety. Focus on eating more non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or green beans with meals.
• Choose whole grain foods over processed grain products. Try brown rice with your stir fry or whole wheat spaghetti with your favorite pasta sauce.
• Include dried beans (like kidney or pinto beans) and lentils into your meals.
• Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week.
• Choose lean meats like cuts of beef and pork that end in "loin" such as pork loin and sirloin. Remove the skin from chicken and turkey.
• Choose non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese.
• Choose water and calorie-free "diet" drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
• Choose liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats. Remember that fats are high in calories. If you're trying to lose weight, watch your portion sizes of added fats.
• Cut back on high calorie snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream.
• Eating too much of even healthful foods can lead to weight gain. Watch your portion sizes.
• It takes some planning but you can fit your favorite foods into your meal plan and still manage your blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol.

Other Tips and Tools

• Space foods containing carbohydrate throughout the day with at least three or four meals and/or snacks, depending on the amount of time between meals and the type of diabetes medications you are taking. The amount of carbohydrate you need is based on a number of factors, but in general, according to the Diabetes Care and Education Practice Group (DCE), adult women should eat 45-60 grams per meal and 15 grams per snack, and adult men, 60-75 grams per meal and 15-30 grams per snack.
  • You can read more about carb choices and portions sizes from the DCE resource link below, by looking at educational handouts under the DCE publications, titled " Ready, Set, Start Counting" and "Carbohydrate Counting: Focus on Consistency."
• Learn more about carb counting, label reading, dining out, recipes, and making healthy food choices by using the My Food Advisor™ tool, available on the Nutrition page of the American Diabetes Association web site.
• Create a balanced plate of food by using the "Plate Method" on the Meal Planning page of the American Diabetes Association site.
• Check out the interactive tools, meal planner, and meal tracker on MyPyramid from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) web site listed below.
• Obtain the free booklet "What Can I Eat: The Diabetes Guide to Healthy Food Choices" by calling the American Diabetes Association (ADA) at 1-800-342-2383. This booklet includes information on basic meal planning, using the plate method, carb counting, the glycemic index, best food choices from each food group, handling sweets, eating out, snack ideas, and on-the-go meals.
• Obtain other meal planning, weight loss, and exercise guides from the Diabetes Center section of RD411 listed in the reference below.
• Learn more about meal planning from the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC). There are a variety of free booklets available in both English and Spanish.

Remember:
While there are many tools and resources available to help you understand meal planning, this can seem overwhelming. Start by making an appointment with a dietitian who is preferably a certified diabetes educator to help you sort this all out and develop a healthy eating plan that will be practical and enjoyable for you and your family.