Diabetes & Diet
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Whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, what, when, and how much
you eat all affect your blood glucose. Blood glucose is the main sugar
found in the blood and the body's main source of energy.
If you have diabetes (or impaired glucose tolerance), your blood glucose
can go too high if you eat too much. If your blood glucose goes too
high, you can get sick.
Your blood glucose can also go too high or drop too low if you don't
take the right amount of diabetes medicine.
If your blood glucose stays high too much of the time, you can get
heart, eye, foot, kidney, and other problems. You can also have problems
if your blood glucose gets too low (hypoglycemia).
Keeping your blood glucose at a healthy level will prevent or slow
down diabetes problems. Ask your doctor or diabetes teacher what a healthy
blood glucose level is for you.
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For most people, target blood glucose levels are
| Before meals |
90 to 130 |
| 1 to 2 hours after the start of a meal |
less than 180 |
|
Talk with your health care provider about your blood glucose target levels.
Ask your doctor how often you should check your blood glucose.
The results from your blood glucose checks will tell you if your diabetes
care plan is working. Also ask your doctor for an A1C test at least twice
a year. Your A1C number gives your average blood glucose for the past 3 months.
- Eat about the same amount of food each day.
- Eat your meals and snacks at about the same times each day.
- Do not skip meals or snacks.
- Take your medicines at the same times each day.
- Exercise at about the same times each day.
Your blood glucose goes up after you eat. If you eat a big lunch one
day and a small lunch the next day, your blood glucose levels will change
too much.
Keep your blood glucose at a healthy level by eating about the same
amount of carbohydrate foods at about the same times each day.
Carbohydrate foods, also called carbs, provide glucose for energy.
Starches, fruits, milk, starchy vegetables such as corn, and sweets are
all carbohydrate foods.
Talk with your doctor or diabetes teacher about how many meals and snacks
to eat each day.
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What you eat and when affects how your diabetes medicines work.
Talk with your doctor or diabetes teacher about the best times to take your
diabetes medicines based on your meal plan.
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What you eat and when also depend on how much you exercise. Exercise is
an important part of staying healthy and controlling your blood glucose.
Physical activity should be safe and enjoyable, so talk with your doctor
about what types of exercise are right for you. Whatever kind of exercise
you do, here are some special things that people with diabetes need to
remember:
- Take care of your feet. Make sure your shoes fit properly and your
socks stay clean and dry. Check your feet for redness or sores after
exercising. Call your doctor if you have sores that do not heal.
- Drink about 2 cups of water before you exercise, about every 20
minutes during exercise, and after you finish, even if you don't feel
thirsty.
- Warm up and cool down for 5 to 10 minutes before and after
exercising. For example, walk slowly at first, then walk faster. Finish
up by walking slowly again.
- Test your blood glucose before and after exercising. Do not exercise
if your fasting blood glucose level is above 300. Eat a small snack if
your blood glucose is below 100.
- Know the signs of low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) and how to treat
it.
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You should know the signs of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) such as
feeling weak or dizzy, sweating more, noticing sudden changes in your
heartbeat, or feeling hungry. If you experience these symptoms, stop
exercising and test your blood glucose. If it is 70 or less, eat one of
the following right away:
- 2 or 3 glucose tablets
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of any fruit juice
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of a regular (not diet) soft drink
- 1 cup (8 ounces) of milk
- 5 or 6 pieces of hard candy
- 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar or honey
After 15 minutes, test your blood glucose again to find out whether it
has returned to a healthier level. Once blood glucose is stable, if it
will be at least an hour before your next meal, it's a good idea to eat a
snack.
To be safe when you exercise, carry something to treat hypoglycemia,
such as glucose tablets or hard candy. Another good idea is to wear a
medical identification bracelet or necklace (in case of emergency). Teach
your exercise partners the signs of hypoglycemia and what to do about it.
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Eat a variety of food to get the vitamins and minerals you need.
Eat more from the groups at the bottom of the pyramid, and less from the groups
at the top.
Have about 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day if you are
- a small woman who exercises
- a small or medium woman who wants to lose weight
- a medium woman who does not exercise much
|
Choose this many servings from these food groups to have 1,200
to 1,600 calories a day:
| 6 starches |
2 milk and yogurt |
| 3 vegetables |
2 meat or meat substitute |
| 2 fruit |
up to 3 fats | |
Talk with your diabetes teacher to make a meal plan that fits the way
you usually eat, your daily routine, and your diabetes medicines. Then
make your own plan.
Have about 1,600 to 2,000 calories a day if you are
- a large woman who wants to lose weight
- a small man at a healthy weight
- a medium man who does not exercise much
- a medium to large man who wants to lose weight
|
Choose this many servings from these food groups to have 1,600
to 2,000 calories a day:
| 8 starches |
2 milk and yogurt |
| 4 vegetables |
2 meat or meat substitute |
| 3 fruit |
up to 4 fats | |
Talk with your diabetes teacher to make a meal plan that fits the way
you usually eat, your daily routine, and your diabetes medicines. Then
make your own plan.
Have about 2,000 to 2,400 calories a day if you are
- a medium to large man who does a lot of exercise or has a physically
active job
- a large man at a healthy weight
- a large woman who exercises a lot or has a physically active job
|
Choose this many servings from these food groups to have 2,000
to 2,400 calories a day:
| 11 starches |
2 milk and yogurt |
| 4 vegetables |
2 meat or meat substitute |
| 3 fruit |
up to 5 fats | |
Talk with your diabetes teacher to make a meal plan that fits the way
you usually eat, your daily routine, and your diabetes medicines. Then
make your own plan.
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Starches are bread, grains, cereal, pasta, or starchy vegetables like
corn and potatoes. They give your body energy, vitamins, minerals, and
fiber. Whole grain starches are healthier because they have more vitamins,
minerals, and fiber.
Eat some starches at each meal. People might tell you not to eat
starches, but that is not correct. Eating starches is healthy for
everyone, including people with diabetes.
Examples of starches include
If you have more than one serving at a meal, you can choose several
different starches or have two or three servings of one starch.
- Buy whole grain breads and cereals.
- Eat fewer fried and high-fat starches such as regular tortilla chips
and potato chips, french fries, pastries, or biscuits. Try pretzels,
fat-free popcorn, baked tortilla or potato chips, baked potatoes, or
low-fat muffins.
- Use low-fat or fat-free yogurt or fat-free sour cream instead of
regular sour cream on a baked potato.
- Use mustard instead of mayonnaise on a sandwich.
- Use the low-fat or fat-free substitutes such as low-fat mayonnaise
or light margarine on bread, rolls, or toast.
- Eat cereal with fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk.
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Vegetables give you vitamins, minerals, and fiber, with very few
calories.
Examples of vegetables include
- lettuce
- broccoli
- vegetable juice
|
- peppers
- carrots
- green beans
|
|
If you have more than one serving at a meal, you can choose a few different
types of vegetables or have two or three servings of one vegetable.
- Eat raw and cooked vegetables with little or no fat, sauces, or
dressings.
- Try low-fat or fat-free salad dressing on raw vegetables or salads.
- Steam vegetables using a small amount of water or low-fat broth.
- Mix in some chopped onion or garlic.
- Use a little vinegar or some lemon or lime juice.
- Add a small piece of lean ham or smoked turkey instead of fat to
vegetables when cooking.
- Sprinkle with herbs and spices. These flavorings add almost no fat
or calories.
- If you do use a small amount of fat, use canola oil, olive oil, or
soft margarines (liquid or tub types) instead of fat from meat, butter,
or shortening.
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Fruit gives you energy, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Examples of fruit include
- apples
- fruit juice
- strawberries
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|
|
If you have more than one serving at a meal, you can choose different
types of fruit or have two servings of one fruit.
- Eat fruits raw or cooked, as juice with no sugar added, canned in
their own juice, or dried.
- Buy smaller pieces of fruit.
- Eat pieces of fruit rather than drinking fruit juice. Pieces of
fruit are more filling.
- Drink fruit juice in small amounts.
- Save high-sugar and high-fat fruit desserts such as peach cobbler or
cherry pie for special occasions.
Milk and yogurt give you energy, protein, fat, calcium, vitamin A, and
other vitamins and minerals.
Note: If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have four to five
servings of milk and yogurt each day.
- Drink fat-free (skim or nonfat) or low-fat (1%) milk.
- Eat low-fat or fat-free fruit yogurt sweetened with a low-calorie
sweetener.
- Use low-fat plain yogurt as a substitute for sour
cream.
The meat and meat substitutes group includes meat, poultry, eggs,
cheese, fish, and tofu. Eat small amounts of some of these foods each day.
Meat and meat substitutes help your body build tissue and muscles. They
also give your body energy and vitamins and minerals.
Examples of meat and meat substitutes include
*Two to three ounces of meat (after cooking) is about the size of a
deck of cards.
- Buy cuts of beef, pork, ham, and lamb that have only a little fat on
them. Trim off extra fat.
- Eat chicken or turkey without the skin.
- Cook meat or meat substitutes in low-fat ways:
- broil
- grill
- stir-fry
- roast
- steam
- stew
- To add more flavor, use vinegars, lemon juice, soy or teriyaki
sauce, salsa, ketchup, barbecue sauce, and herbs and spices.
- Cook eggs with a small amount of fat or use cooking spray.
- Limit the amounts of nuts, peanut butter, and fried chicken that you
eat. They are high in fat.
- Choose low-fat or fat-free cheese.
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Limit the amounts of fats and sweets you eat. They have calories, but
not much nutrition. Some contain saturated fats and cholesterol that
increase your risk of heart disease. Limiting these foods will help you
lose weight and keep your blood glucose and blood fats under control.
Examples of fats include
Examples of sweets include
It's okay to have sweets once in a while. Try having sugar-free
popsicles, diet soda, fat-free ice cream or frozen yogurt, or sugar-free
hot cocoa mix.
Other tips:
- Share desserts in restaurants.
- Order small or child-size servings of ice cream or frozen yogurt.
- Divide homemade desserts into small servings and wrap each
individually. Freeze extra servings.
- Don't keep dishes of candy in the house or at work.
Remember, fat-free and low-sugar foods still have calories. Talk with
your diabetes teacher about how to fit sweets into your meal plan.
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Alcohol has calories but no nutrients. If you drink alcohol on an empty
stomach, it can make your blood glucose level too low. Alcohol also can
raise your blood fats. If you want to drink alcohol, talk with your doctor
or diabetes teacher about how it fits into your meal plan.
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To make sure your food servings are the right size, use
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- a food scale
Also, the Nutrition Facts label on food packages tells you how much of
that food is in one serving.
Weigh or measure foods to make sure you eat the right amounts.
These tips will help you choose the right serving sizes.
- Measure a serving size of dry cereal or hot cereal, pasta, or rice
and pour it into a bowl or plate. The next time you eat that food, use
the same bowl or plate and fill it to the same level.
- For one serving of milk, measure 1 cup and pour it into a glass. See
how high it fills the glass. Always drink milk out of that size glass.
- Meat weighs more before it's cooked. For example, 4 ounces of raw
meat will weigh about 3 ounces after cooking. For meat with a bone, like
a pork chop or chicken leg, cook 5 ounces raw to get 3 ounces cooked.
- One serving of meat or meat substitute is about the size and
thickness of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards.
- A small fist is equal to about 1/2 cup of fruit, vegetables, or
starches like rice.
- A small fist is equal to 1 small piece of fresh fruit.
- A thumb is equal to about 1 ounce of meat or cheese.
- The tip of a thumb is equal to about 1 teaspoon.
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It's important to take care of your diabetes even when you're ill. Here
are some tips on what to do:
- Even if you can't keep food down, keep taking your diabetes
medicine.
- Drink at least one cup (8 ounces) of water or other calorie-free,
caffeine-free liquid every hour while you're awake.
- If you can't eat your usual food, try drinking juice or eating
crackers, popsicles, or soup.
- If you can't eat at all, drink clear liquids such as ginger ale. Eat
or drink something with sugar in it if you have trouble keeping food
down, because you still need calories. If you don't have enough
calories, you increase your risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
- Make sure that you check your blood glucose. Your blood glucose
level may be high even if you're not eating.
- Call your doctor right away if you throw up more than once or have
diarrhea for more than 6 hours.
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- What, when, and how much you eat all affect your blood glucose
level.
- You can keep your blood glucose at a healthy level if you
- Eat about the same amount of food each day.
- Eat at about the same times each day.
- Take your medicines at the same times each day.
- Exercise at the same times each day.
- Every day, choose foods from these food groups: starches,
vegetables, fruit, meat and meat substitutes, and milk and yogurt. How
much of each depends on how many calories you need a day.
- Limit the amounts of fats and sweets you eat each day.
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