Meal Planning for Managing Your Diabetes
The importance of meal planning when you have diabetes
You can control your blood sugar levels to a certain extent by eating a good diet,
exercising, and staying at a healthy weight. A healthy lifestyle can also help control
or lower your blood pressure and blood fats (cholesterol). This lowers your risk for
heart disease.
For steady blood sugar, space smaller meals throughout the day. That will help spread
out your carbohydrate intake. Eating a big meal only once or twice a day can cause
very high or low blood sugar levels.
Also, if your activity level has changed, you may need to change your diet as well.
This will help you stay at a healthy weight and control your blood sugar levels.
What is the MyPlate plan?
Whether you have diabetes or not, following the MyPlate guidelines is good for your
health. The MyPlate plan can help you eat a variety of foods while encouraging the
right amount of calories and fat. The USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services have prepared the following food plate to guide you in selecting foods.
MyPlate has 5 food group categories:
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Grains. Make at least half the grains you eat each day whole grains. Whole-grain foods include
oatmeal, whole-wheat flour, whole cornmeal, brown rice, and whole-wheat bread. Check
the food label on processed foods. The words “whole” or “whole grain” should be listed
before the specific grain in the product. Refined grain products can be enriched with
some of the nutrients that were lost in processing, though some nutrients, like fiber,
are not.
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Vegetables. Vary your vegetables. Choose a variety of vegetables, including dark green- and
orange-colored kinds, legumes (lentils, peas and beans), starchy vegetables, and other
vegetables. Healthier choices include buying fresh, low-sodium, or no-salt added canned
versions, or plain, frozen vegetables that have no added sauces or seasonings.
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Fruits. Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the fruit group. Fruits may be fresh,
canned, frozen, or dried. They may be whole, cut up, or pureed. Choose fruits without
added sweeteners or sugars.
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Dairy. Milk products and many foods made from milk are part of this food group. Focus on
fat-free or low-fat products, as well as those that are high in calcium. Milk is also
often fortified with vitamins A and D. Fortified soy milk and yogurt are also part
of this food group because they have nutrients similar to dairy milk and yogurt.
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Protein. Go lean with protein. Choose low-fat or lean meats and poultry. Vary your protein
routine. Choose more fish, nuts, seeds, peas, and beans.
Oils are not a food group. Yet some, such as nut and other plant oils, contain essential
nutrients and should be included in the diet.
The MyPlate Plan also advises eating and drinking less sodium, saturated fat, and
added sugars.
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Sodium. Limit your intake to 2,300 mg per day, or as directed by your healthcare provider.
Reduce the amount of sodium in your diet by choosing fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables
that are low-sodium, reduced sodium, or no-salt-added products and without added sauces.
Choose to cook more at home instead of eating out. And season your food with herbs
and spices instead of salt.
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Saturated fat. This type of fat is most often found in animal products such as beef and pork. Choose
leaner animal products, such as skinless chicken breasts or pork loin. They contain
less saturated fat. Foods that have more saturated fat are often solid at room temperature.
They are often called “solid” fats, such as butter.
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Added sugars. These are in many processed foods and drinks, including regular soda, energy drinks,
fruit drinks, sports drinks, flavored coffee beverages, cookies, cakes, pastries,
candy, ice cream, icing, jams, and syrups. Limit the amount of added sugars you eat
by choosing water or milk over sweetened beverages. You can have fruit for dessert
or share a sweet treat with a friend or family member. Or purchase products with no
added sugar like plain yogurt, unsweetened applesauce, or plain dried fruit.
Also include exercise and every day physical activity with a healthy dietary plan
as directed by your healthcare provider.
For more information about the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 and to find the right dietary advice for your age, sex, and physical activity level,
visit the Online Resources page for the links to the MyPlate.gov site and 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines site. Please note that the MyPlate plan is designed for people who don't have chronic
health conditions.
Although the MyPlate plan promotes health, including the prevention of diabetes and
its complications, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) advises individualized
meal plans for people with diabetes. People with diabetes should talk with their healthcare
providers and registered dietitians (RD) for guidance with meal planning and physical
activity.
The number of servings from each food group may differ for a person with diabetes,
based on their treatment plan, diabetic goals, calorie intake, and lifestyle. There
are many tools available to help you follow a diabetes meal plan, including MyPlate.gov,
exchange lists, and carbohydrate counting. Always talk with your healthcare provider
or dietitian for dietary recommendations and daily physical exercise needs for your
situation.
Food group
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Nutrition benefits
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Grains
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Grains provide the body with energy, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Although filled
with carbohydrates that raise blood sugar levels, grains are essential to a healthy
diet. Grains are divided into 2 subgroups: whole grains and refined grains. Whole
grains contain fiber and have less of an effect on blood sugar levels, compared to
refined grains. Examples of grains include:
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Bread
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Oatmeal
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Pasta
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Cereal
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Rice
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Cornmeal
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Tortillas
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Vegetables
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Vegetables contain vitamins and minerals essential to the body. Many vegetables also
contain fiber. Because they are low in calories when eaten raw or cooked, people with
diabetes are encouraged to eat plenty of vegetables. However, people with diabetes
may still need to count carbohydrates when they eat certain vegetables, because even
non starchy vegetables contain some carbohydrates.
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Fruits
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Fruit can provide energy, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fruit also contains natural
sugars, which can raise blood sugar levels. How and when to eat fruit or drink fruit
juices for a person with diabetes is very specific to that person. Certain fruits
can affect blood sugar levels differently in different people. Even 100% fruit juice
can raise blood sugar levels very quickly. This is because it doesn't contain the
fiber found in whole fruit. You may need to experiment to find how a certain fruit
affects your blood sugar.
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Milk and yogurt
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Fat-free and low-fat milk and yogurt provide energy, protein, calcium, vitamins, and
minerals. Fat-free milk is also a good food to treat low blood sugar levels, since
8 ounces contains around the same amount of carbohydrates as 1 serving of fruit or
starch.
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Protein
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Foods that contain protein help build muscles and body tissue, and provide vitamins
and minerals. Due to the increased risk of heart disease in people with diabetes,
the ADA recommends that people cut down on animal protein foods. Animal protein foods,
like meats, whole-milk products, and high-fat cheeses contain saturated fat. Other
examples of protein foods include poultry, eggs, fish, beans, nuts, and tofu.
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Fats
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The total fat and oil intake should be based on your cholesterol levels, blood sugar
control, and lifestyle. Limit the amount of saturated fats you eat and stay away from
trans fats. Trans fats are often found in processed foods likes pastries, cakes, cookies,
crackers, pies, shortening, and stick margarines.
Some examples of healthier fats and oils (lower in saturated fats and higher in mono-
and polyunsaturated fats) include fish, olive oil, olives, nuts, seeds, canola oil,
avocado oil, and avocados.
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Sugars
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Because diabetes is associated with glucose (sugar) levels in the blood, some people
think they should not eat any sugar at all. However, table sugar and other sugars
in your diet don't increase blood glucose levels any higher than other simple carbohydrates,
according to the ADA. Choose natural sugars (like those in milk and whole fruit),
when possible, and limit the amount of added sugars in your diet.
How much sugar you eat depends on your personal diabetes treatment and nutrition plan,
and how well you control your blood sugar levels and blood fats. Always talk with
your healthcare provider or registered dietitian for more specific recommendations.
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