Meal plan

By Susan B. Sloane, BS, RPh, CDE

One of the most important, yet often perplexing aspect of Diabetes Management is meal planning. Often people leave a doctor’s office with a large stack of papers/instructions and among the confusing array of literature are suggested methods of healthy eating. In an effort to simplify what it means to eat a healthy diet, we will provide basic instructions that you can implement right away, taking into account your busy lifestyle.
The American Diabetes Association lists some basic components of a healthy diet plan which seem logical, but often get forgotten in today’s fast paced world. Take a step back and realize that healthy eating is composed of three basic segments. (1)

1. The timing of your meals

Keep to a regular eating pattern to allow blood sugars to stay stable; consuming a balanced meal consisting of carbs, healthy fats, protein, and fiber. Try to give yourself eat last two hours between meals/snacks to stabilize blood sugars (Unless you need to treat a low blood sugar of course). (2)

2. The portions in your meals

Be careful to practice portion control. This can be done by simply choosing a small plate size so that you are not tempted to eat large quantities.

Recommended portion sizes: (Unless you are on a diet related to a health condition such as kidney failure which limits protein, for example)

Meat/Fish -opt for 3-4oz for meats; trying to incorporate fish into your meal at least twice weekly where you can.

Complex carbs- Try to make your bread, rice or pasta whole grain and consider 1/2c per meal or one slice of bread as a reasonable portion size.

Dairy – From the choosemyplate.gov website 3 cups of dairy per day is recommended for most adults. Foods made from milk are a part of this food group if they retain their calcium. Cream cheese, cream, and butter are not considered part of this food group as they have a high fat/low nutritional value.

3. What foods to choose.

A good guide as to what foods to choose for a healthy meal pan can be found at choosemyplate.gov This provides a simple view of how your plate should look and what types of foods work best in a healthy meal plan. It’s important to note that half of your plate should include fibrous vegetables or fresh fruit at about a one cup serving size (Fig.1). This is because fiber will slow down the absorption/digestion of your meal, helping to avoid blood sugar spikes.

The ADA recommends 25g of fiber per day as a good intake for a woman and 38g of fiber for most men. More than half of the fiber would be in the form of whole grains. Keep in mind to avoid saturated fat as much as possible such as that found in red meats and lard products. Less than ten percent of your calories should come from saturated fats-keeping in mind that around 30 percent of your calories can be from fats (2).

Figure 1: Estimation of food portion sizes by Canadian Diabetes Association

Our bodies actually do need some fat and some examples of healthy fats are those containing omega 3’s and consist of fats found in avocados, salmon and other fatty fish.
Protein is included in each meal and makes for a good snack choice, as protein will help keep you full and works to stabilize blood sugars.
Be sure to always read your food labels carefully!!