Healthy Eating

How can healthy eating and meal planning help my diabetes?

The most important thing you can do to balance your blood glucose is to eat the right foods. Having diabetes does not mean you will have to give up all the foods you now enjoy. However meal planning must become a big part of your diabetes treatment. All food you eat turns to glucose in your body and you must have enough insulin, either insulin you make or give, to use this food glucose for energy. When you are planning your meals, it will help your diabetes if you:

• Choose healthy foods such as foods high in fiber and low in fat.

• Eat the right amount of food at the right times, and don't skip meals.

• Use sugar and salt (sodium) in moderation.

How can I lose weight slowly and keep it off?

• Cut back 250-500 calories a day.

• Increase your daily activity.

• Avoid fad or crash diets.

What can I learn from the Food Guide Pyramid?

As you can see from the picture below, we should all eat more from the lower half of the pyramid than from the top. To balance your energy needs:

• If you are overweight, eat the smaller recommended amounts in each group.

• If you are very active and burn a lot of calories, eat the larger amounts.

Adapted from: American Diabetes Association and The American Dietetic Association. The First Step in Diabetes for Meal Planning. 1995.

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