Is there an American Diabetes Association diet that I can follow?
Is there a diet plan I can follow?
Controlling your blood glucose levels can be a tiring task and many people are too worn out when they get home from work to think about cooking a well balanced meal. Don't let your health go to waste because you think it is too hard to keep your diet in check. The American Diabetes Association has guidelines to help you set up a diet plan that is tailored to your needs, desires and time.
Where to begin:
You be the manager of what you eat. Keep some of the same food you love and enjoy but change the portion size. The American Diabetes Association diet plan recommends a neat way to control your portion sizes which will in return help you manage your diabetes and live a healthier life. Portion sizes are key in controlling the amount of calories and carbohydrate that you eat.
- Think of your plate as a pie chart. Divide it in half and then take one of those halves and divide it again, ending with three sections to work with, that are 50%, 25% and 25%.
- Place non-starchy vegetables in the largest portion (50%). In one of the smaller portions (25%) put starchy foods such as potatoes, rice, corn or other grains and beans that you may enjoy more, but also raise your blood sugar.
- In the last small portion of your plate (25%), place a meat or a meat substitute that is around 3 ounces.
- To finish, add a glass of milk or a cup of yogurt to add a few more carbohydrates and make it a well balanced meal.
How does this benefit you?
Now that you have boundaries to work within you can plan out what you want to eat every meal and know that you have to fill each section of your plate. Try some new colorful non-starchy vegetables because that is your largest space to fill, and then also include some of the food that you used to eat in larger portions and that you love, but kept at a healthy amount.
When you go to the grocery store you can mix up what you eat every night and you know what your boundaries are. Also, this can help with planning. You know the spaces that you have to fill and you aren't walking around the market looking for something that will be beneficial for you to eat that night. Find the right portion sizes, right foods and those that have less starch to keep your diabetes under control.
This is a simple way of keeping yourself in check of what you are consuming. If you don't have the money or time to get a full meal planner then let the American Diabetes Association diet plan help you.
Save yourself some time during the week and go ahead and plan out what you are going to eat for the week. Think of all the different vegetables you can eat or want to eat and make a list of them. Find different starches to compliment those veggies, and then a meat to go along with them all. Once you have done that then you can piece together your diet for the week. The American Diabetes Association diet plan is realistic and helpful to keep your weight and diabetes at a recommended level.
Are you looking for an easy way to follow a diabetic diet meal plan and keep on track? Following some guidelines is important, especially what your dietitian says, but when you realize that your time is more valuable a you would rather have a professional plan drawn up look into our meal plans made for 1400, 1800, 2200, and gestational diabetes diets.
