Controlling Diabetes with Diet

Your doctor has likely told you that you can control your Diabetes with diet. But what does “diet” really mean?

Taking on a new diet, or nutritional habit, means that you must learn about foods that are nutritious for your body and the portion sizes that are necessary for your blood sugar control.

You probably know that some foods raise blood sugar more than others. The foods that turn into sugar in your body are called carbohydrates. Carbohydrates include: starches (bread, cereal, rice, pasta, grains, crackers), fruits and fruit juice, milk and yogurt, starchy vegetables (corn, peas, beans, potatoes and sweet potatoes), sweets and sugar.

Carbohydrates

Dieting doesn’t mean that you cannot eat the foods you like. Instead, you need to limit some foods and spread other foods out during the day (such as carbohydrate-rich foods), thereby, not eating large portions all at one time. Eating too many portions of carbohydrate-rich foods at one time will lead to high blood sugar levels.

For example: instead of eating a plate of spaghetti with garlic bread, and a glass of milk (all carbohydrates); make ¼ of your plate spaghetti, add a salad with raw vegetables, a grilled chicken breast, and a glass of water with lemon.

Eating just a spaghetti meal with the bread and milk causes the blood sugar level to rise drastically after the meal. People with Diabetes cannot process all of the carbohydrates in order to bring the blood sugar down to a normal level. However, by choosing the second spaghetti meal, the blood sugar does not go up as high because there is are less carbohydrates to process and it is easier for the body to bring the blood sugar level back down.

Think of food portions this way…

Your 9 inch plate should be ½ vegetables, ¼ lean meat or meat substitute, and ¼ grains/starch. Add a small piece of fruit and 8 ounce glass of low-fat milk and you have a very nutritious, balanced meal that will help control your blood sugar.