Planning
healthy meals
1
Diabetes and healthy eating
ood diabetes self-care includes following a healthy
G
eating plan. Try to:
• Eat a variety of foods in the right amounts
”Every time I prepare
• Check food labels for calorie, carbohydrate, total my foods now
fat, and sodium amounts
I think of my health
• Eat regularly (small portions several times a day)
• Match how much you eat with your activity level
beforehand.”
• Eat fewer foods high in calories, cholesterol, – NovoCare® Education &
saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium Resources Member
Talk with your diabetes care team if you have any
questions about your healthy eating plan.
Making healthy food choices
•L
ots of nonstarchy vegetables • Liquid oils for cooking
• Whole-grain foods instead of solid fats
• Fish at least 2 times a week – Limit quantities
• Lean cuts of beef and pork • Choose whole foods
over processed foods
• Remove skin from chicken and turkey whenever possible
• Non-fat or low-fat dairy products
• Water, unsweetened tea, coffee,
and calorie-free “diet” drinks instead Ask your diabetes care team
of drinks with sugar how many fruits a day are
right for you
Tips for dining out with diabetes
• If you don’t know what’s in a dish or how it’s prepared, ask
• Ask for salad dressing, sauces, and gravy on the side
• Estimate your normal portion and put the extra in a container to go
• Try to limit alcohol and sugary drinks, or avoid them
• Don’t rush! Eat slowly and really enjoy your meal
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Estimating portion sizes
When you can’t measure, you can estimate! A loose fist equals
about 1 cup
Keep in mind that all hands are different
(milk, yogurt, dry cereal, etc.)
sizes. Before you estimate, compare your
fist size to a measuring cup.
A palm equals about 3 ounces
Portion size is the amount of a food (cooked, boneless meat)
you choose to eat at any one time.
Serving size is a set, measured A thumb equals about
amount of food as shown on the label 1 ounce or 1 tablespoon
below. (peanut butter or salad dressing)
Reading a Nutrition Facts label
Use it to compare foods and to help you make decisions about the foods you choose to eat.
Check serving size. Information on the
label is based on 1 serving. Keep in mind
that packages often contain more than
1 serving. This example shows that the
package contains 8 servings. But the food
facts given are for only 1 serving.
Look at the amount of fat. Try to limit
saturated fats and avoid trans fats.
Check how many grams of total carbs are
in each serving. This number is important if
you are counting carbs.
Notice how many grams of fiber are
in each serving. Dietary fiber has many
benefits on your body, such as helping to
lower cholesterol. Therefore, try to choose
foods with the most fiber.
Look at how many grams of added
sugar the food contains. This is sugar that
has been added as the food is made. Try to
choose foods with less added sugar.
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Know your nutrients and
create your plate
4
2
1 3
1. Nonstarchy 2. Protein Foods 3. Carbohydrate 4. Water or a
Vegetables Foods 0-calorie drink
Fill one quarter of your
Fill half your plate with plate, about 3 ounces, with Fill one quarter of your Choose a drink without
nonstarchy vegetables lean protein foods. Fish, plate with carbohydrate calories or carbs like
such as salad greens, chicken, lean beef, soy foods like whole grains, water or unsweetened
broccoli, cauliflower, products, and cheese are starchy vegetables, tea or coffee (hot
or squash. all foods that are high in fruit, or dairy. or iced).
protein.
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Protein Carbohydrate
Foods Foods
Size of a Size of a
deck of cards computer mouse
Each carb serving listed contains
15 grams of carbs.
I need ___________ grams
of carbs per meal.
A
sk your diabetes care
team what the right
amount of carbs is
2 3
for you.
Nonstarchy Vegetables
• Do not raise blood glucose very much
• High in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, making them an important part of any healthy eating plan
• 1 cup raw or ½ cup cooked = 5 grams of carbohydrates
Artichoke hearts Carrots Mixed vegetables (without Sauerkraut
corn, peas, or pasta)
Asparagus Cauliflower Soybean sprouts
Mushrooms, all kinds,
Baby corn Celery Spinach
fresh
Bamboo shoots Okra
Cucumber Squash (summer,
Bean sprouts Onions crookneck, zucchini)
Eggplant
Beans (green, wax, Italian) Pea pods
Green onions or scallions Tomato
Broccoli Peppers (all varieties)
Leafy greens (collard, kale, Turnips
Brussels sprouts Radishes
mustard, turnip)
Cabbage (green, bok choy, Salad greens (lettuce,
Chinese) Leeks arugula, endive) Water chestnuts
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Noncarbohydrates
Protein Foods
• Protein foods do not raise blood glucose significantly Protein Fat
• Try to choose lean proteins and bake, grill, or broil them Lean meat 7g 0–3 g
• Each serving size of protein foods listed below = 0 grams of carbs Medium-fat meat 7g 4–7 g
• A portion on your plate may be 3 oz of cooked meat or 3 servings High-fat meat 7g 8+ g
• Your number of servings per day will depend on your eating plan
SERVING SERVING
Meat SIZE Meat Substitutes SIZE
Beef Lean—Ground round, roast, round, sirloin, steak, tenderloin 1 oz Beef jerky (lean) ½ oz
Medium-fat—Corned beef, ground beef, prime rib, short ribs 1 oz Cheese
Chicken Lean—Without skin 1 oz Lean—Cottage cheese ¼ cup
Medium-fat—With skin 1 oz Medium-fat—Feta,
mozzarella, reduced-fat 1 oz
Fish Lean—Smoked: herring or salmon (lox) 1 oz
cheeses, string
Medium-fat: Any fried product 1 oz 1 oz
High-fat—American,
Lamb Lean—Chop, leg, or roast 1 oz bleu, brie, cheddar, queso,
Medium-fat—Ground, rib roast 1 oz and Swiss
Pork Lean—Canadian bacon, rib or loin chop/roast, ham, tenderloin 1 oz Egg (medium-fat) 1
Medium-fat—Cutlet, shoulder roast 1 oz
Egg substitutes, plain (lean) ¼ cup
High-fat—Ground, sausage, spareribs 1 oz
Egg whites (lean) 2
Sandwich Lean—Chipped beef, deli thin-sliced meats, turkey ham 1 oz
meats High-fat—Bologna, pastrami, hard salami 1 oz Hot dog
Lean—3 grams of fat or 1
Sausage Medium-fat—With 4–7 grams of fat per oz 1 oz less per oz
High-fat—Bratwurst, chorizo, Italian, knockwurst, Polish, smoked 1 oz 1
High-fat—Beef or pork
Shellfish Lean—Clams, crab, imitation shellfish, lobster, scallops, shrimp 1 oz
Sardines, canned (lean) 2 small
Veal Lean—Loin chop, roast 1 oz
Medium-fat—Cutlet (no breading) 1 oz Tofu ½ cup
Fats
SERVING
• Do not raise blood glucose significantly Saturated Fats SIZE
• Use sparingly and limit saturated fat
• Will help slow the rise of blood glucose after meals Bacon 1 slice
• Each serving size of fats listed below = 5 grams of fat Butter
SERVING Reduced-fat 1 Tbsp
Polyunsaturated Fats SIZE Stick 1 tsp
Whipped 2 tsp
Margarine
Lower fat spread (30%–50% 1 Tbsp
Cream
vegetable oil, trans fat-free) Half and half 2 Tbsp
Unsaturated Fats SERVING
Stick, tub (trans fat-free), or 1 tsp
(Monounsaturated) SIZE Heavy 1 Tbsp
squeeze (trans fat-free) Light 1½ Tbsp
Avocado 2 Tbsp Mayonnaise Whipped, pressurized ¼ cup
Reduced-fat 1 Tbsp
Nut butters (trans fat-free) 1½ tsp Cream cheese
Regular 1 tsp 1½ Tbsp
Nuts Reduced-fat
Oil: corn, cottonseed, flaxseed, 1 tsp Regular 1 Tbsp
Almonds 6
grape seed, safflower, soybean,
Cashews 6 sunflower Lard 1 tsp
Peanuts 10
Pecans 4 halves Salad dressing Oil: coconut, palm, palm kernel 1 tsp
Pistachios 16 Reduced-fat 2 Tbsp
Regular 1 Tbsp Shortening, solid 1 tsp
Oil: canola, olive, peanut 1 tsp
Seeds: flaxseed (whole), 1 Tbsp Sour cream
Olives, Black 8 large pumpkin, sunflower, sesame Reduced-fat or light 3 Tbsp
Olives, Green, stuffed 10 large Walnuts 4 halves Regular 2 Tbsp
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Carbohydrate Foods Dairy
SERVING
• Most of the carbohydrates we eat quickly turn Milk and Yogurts SIZE
into blood glucose
Chocolate milk, fat-free or whole ½ cup
• There are 3 main types of carbohydrates in
the foods you eat, sugar, starch, and fiber Evaporated milk (all kinds) ½ cup
• When you look at food labels, “total Ice cream, light, no sugar added, or regular ½ cup
carbohydrate” includes all 3 types Milk or buttermilk, fat-free, low-fat (1%), reduced-fat (2%), or whole 1 cup
• A serving size of carbs listed =
Soy milk, light or regular, plain 1 cup
15 grams of carbs
Yogurt, plain, whole 1 cup
Starch/Grains Fruit
SERVING
SERVING Fruits SIZE
Cereals and Grains SIZE
Apple, unpeeled, small 1 (4 oz)
Bran, dry, wheat ½ cup
Applesauce, unsweetened ½ cup
SERVING Cereals
Bread SIZE Apricots, whole 4 (5½ oz)
Cooked (oats, oatmeal) ½ cup
Bagel, large (about 4 oz) ¼ (1 oz) Puffed 1½ cups Banana ½ (4 oz)
Shredded wheat, plain ½ cup Blackberries ¾ cup
Bread, reduced-calorie 2 slices
Sugar-coated ½ cup Blueberries ¾ cup
Bread, white, whole-grain, 1 slice Unsweetened,
pumpernickel, rye (1 oz) ¾ cup Cantaloupe, small 1/ 3 melon or
ready-to-eat
1 cup
English muffin ½ Couscous / cup
1 3
Cherries 12 (3 oz)
Hot dog or hamburger bun ½ (1 oz) Granola, low-fat or regular ¼ cup
Pancake, 4 inches across 1 Dates 3
Grits, cooked ½ cup
Pita, 6 inches across ½ Dried fruits 2 Tbsp
Pasta, cooked / cup
1 3
Roll, plain, small 1 (1 oz) Figs (fresh or dried) 1½
Rice, white or brown, cooked / cup
1 3
Taco shell, 5 inches across 2 Fruit juice ½ cup
Wild rice, cooked / cup
1 3
Tortilla, corn or flour, 6 inches 1 Grapefruit, large ½ (11 oz)
Waffle, 4-inch square 1
SERVING Grapes, small 17 (3 oz)
Starchy Vegetables SIZE
SERVING Honeydew melon 1 slice or
Crackers and Snacks SIZE 1 cup
Baked beans / cup
1 3
Animal crackers 8 Beans, cooked (black, ½ cup Kiwi 1 (3½ oz)
Cookies, Chocolate chip garbanzo, kidney, lima, Mango, small ½ fruit
2 cookies
navy, pinto, white) (5½ oz) or
Crackers ½ cup
Corn on cob, large ½ cup
Round, butter type 6 Nectarine, small 1 (5 oz)
Saltine-type Lentils, cooked ½ cup
6 Orange, small 1 (6½ oz)
Sandwich-style, cheese 3 Mixed vegetables with corn, 1 cup
or peanut butter filling peas, or pasta Papaya ½ fruit or
Whole-wheat 1 cup
2–5 Peas, green ½ cup
Peaches, medium 1 (6 oz)
Graham cracker, 2½-inch 3 Potato
square Pears ½ cup (4 oz)
Baked with skin ¼ large (3 oz)
Oyster crackers 20 Boiled, all kinds ½ cup Pineapple ¾ cup
Popcorn Mashed, with milk ½ cup Plums, small 3
3 cups and fat
Pretzels Prunes 2 (5 oz)
¾ oz French fried (oven-baked) 1 cup (2 oz)
Raspberries 1 cup
Rice cakes, 4 inches across 2 Pumpkin, canned, no sugar 1 cup
added Strawberries, whole 1¼ cups
Snack chips
Fat-free or baked Squash, winter (acorn, 1 cup Tangerines, small 2 (8 oz)
15–20
(tortilla, potato, pita) butternut)
Watermelon 1 slice or
Regular (tortilla, potato) 9–13 Yam, sweet potato, plain ½ cup 1¼ cups
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