Managing Diabetes: Steps Toward a Healthier Future
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Glucose is your body’s main source of energy. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that helps glucose get into your cells to be used for energy. If you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough—or any—insulin, or doesn’t use insulin properly. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells.
Diabetes raises the risk for damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart. Diabetes is also linked to some types of cancer. Taking steps to prevent or manage diabetes may lower your risk of developing diabetes related health problems.
Over time, high blood glucose can damage your heart, kidneys, feet, and eyes. If you have diabetes, you can take steps to lower your chances of developing diabetes related health problems by taking steps to improve your health and learning how to manage the disease. Managing your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels can help prevent future health problems.
Healthy living is a way to manage diabetes. To have a healthy lifestyle, take steps now to plan healthy meals and snacks, do physical activities, get enough sleep, and quit smoking or using tobacco products.
A meal plan is what you choose to eat, how much you eat, and when you eat. Having healthy foods and drinks can help keep your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels in the ranges your health care professional recommends
Plan how much to eat or drink
You may worry that having diabetes means giving up foods and drinks you enjoy. The good news is you can still have your favorite foods and drinks, but you might need to have them in smaller portions or enjoy them less often.
For people who have diabetes, carb counting and the plate method are two common ways to plan how much to eat or drink. Talk with your health care professional or health care team to find a method that works for you.
Carb counting
Carbohydrate counting , or carb counting, means planning and keeping track of the amount of carbs you eat and drink in each meal or snack. Not all people with diabetes need to count carbs. However, if you take insulin, counting carbs can help you know how much insulin to take.
Plate method
The Diabetes Plate is the easiest way to create healthy low-carb meals that can help you manage your blood glucose (blood sugar). Using the Diabetes Plate, you can create a meal with a healthy balance of vegetables, protein, and carbs—without any counting, calculating, weighing, or measuring. All you need is a plate!
To start out, you need a plate that is nine inches across. The size of our plate is what controls the size of our portions. If your dinner plates are larger than nine inches, try using a smaller salad or dessert plate for your meals. Or, if your dinner plates have a lip or artwork along the edge, use that as a border for filling your plate if the area inside the border is 9 inches across.
If you are not taking insulin, you may not need to count carbs when using the plate method. The plate method may help you control your blood glucose without counting carbs.
1. Fill 1/2 your plate with non-starchy vegetables.
Non starchy vegetables are lower in carbs, so they don’t raise your blood glucose very much. They are also higher in fiber, vitamins, and minerals—making them an important part of a healthy diet and what some people call “super foods.” Filling half your plate with non-starchy vegetables means you will get plenty of servings.
Examples of non-starchy vegetables:
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Asparagus
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Broccoli
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Cauliflower
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Brussels Sprouts
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Cabbage (green, red, napa, Chinese)
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Bok choy
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Carrots
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Cauliflower
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Celery
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Cucumber
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Eggplant
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Jicama
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Leafy greens such as kale, collards, mustard greens, and Swiss Chard
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Mushrooms
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Nopales (cactus)
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Okra
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Onions
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Leeks
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Green beans, pea pods, snow peas, and sugar snap peas
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Peppers such as bell peppers and hot peppers (jalapeño, poblano, and others)
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Salad greens such as lettuce, spinach, arugula, endive, and other salad mixes
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Squash such as zucchini, yellow squash, chayote, or spaghetti squash
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Radish or daikon
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Tomatoes
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Tomatillos
2. Fill 1/4 of your plate with lean protein foods.
Foods high in protein such as fish, chicken, lean beef, soy foods, and cheese are all considered protein foods.
Proteins foods (especially those from animal sources) usually contain saturated fat, which can increase your risk of heart disease. Lean proteins are lower in both fat and saturated fat, making them a healthier choice.
Keep in mind that some plant-based protein foods (like beans and legumes) are also high in carbohydrates.
Examples of lean protein foods include:
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Chicken, turkey, and eggs
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Fish like salmon, cod, tuna, tilapia, and swordfish
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Shellfish like shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, and lobster
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Lean beef cuts such as chuck, round, sirloin, flank, and tenderloin
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Lean pork cuts such as center loin chop and tenderloin
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Lean deli meats
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Cheese and cottage cheese
Plant-based sources of protein:
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Beans, lentils, hummus, and falafel
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Nuts and nut butters
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Edamame
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Tofu and tempeh
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Plant-based meat substitutes
3. Fill 1/4 of your plate with carbohydrate foods
Foods that are higher in carbs include whole grains, starchy vegetables, beans and legumes, fruit, yogurt, and milk. These foods have the largest effect on blood glucose.
Limiting your portion of carbohydrate foods to one-quarter of your plate can help keep blood glucose from rising too high after meals.
Examples of carbohydrate foods:
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Whole grains such as brown rice, bulgur, oats/oatmeal, polenta, popcorn, quinoa, and whole grain products (bread, pasta, and tortillas)
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Starchy vegetables such as corn, acorn squash, butternut squash, green peas, parsnips, plantains, potatoes, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes/yams
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Beans and legumes such as black, kidney, pinto, and garbanzo beans and lentils
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Fruits and dried fruit
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Dairy products like milk, yogurt, and milk substitutes (e.g., soy milk)
4. Choose water or a low-calorie drink
Water is the best choice because it contains no calories or carbs and has no effect on blood glucose. Other zero- or low-calorie drink options include:
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Unsweetened tea (hot or iced)
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Unsweetened coffee (hot or iced)
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Sparkling water/club soda
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Infused water or sparkling water without added sugar
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Diet soda or other diet drinks
Let put this into action! At the end of this article you will find a picture that shows you a sample plate applying the Diabetes plate plan: Lemon Chicken with Rosemary and Garlic. ;)
This perfect weeknight meal features Lemon Chicken with Rosemary and Garlic. Fill half your plate with a double serving of Collard Greens with Yellow Squash and complete your plate with half a roasted sweet potato topped with a little bit of olive oil and chopped herbs.
The Diabetes Plate breakdown:
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Lean protein: Chicken
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Non-starchy vegetables: Collards and yellow squash
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Carbohydrate food: Sweet potato
Work with your health care team to create a meal plan that works for you. You may want to have a diabetes educator or a registered dietitian on your team. A registered dietitian can provide medical nutrition therapy which includes counseling to help you create and follow a meal plan. Your health care team may be able to recommend other resources, such as a healthy lifestyle coach, to help you with making changes. Ask your health care team or your insurance company if your benefits include medical nutrition therapy or other diabetes care resources.
Looking for more ideas?
https://diabetesfoodhub.org/blog/create-your-plate-simplify-meal-planning-diabetes-plate
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/healthy-eating/diabetes-meal-planning.html
