If you’re one of the nearly 38 million Americans diagnosed with diabetes, chances are your doctor has recommended adopting a healthy-eating plan to help manage your symptoms and control risk factors like high blood pressure that can lead to heart disease and other complications.
By eating nutrient-rich foods and sticking to regular mealtimes, you can take control of your blood sugar levels, manage your weight and lead an overall healthier life.
What Does a Healthy-Eating Plan Look Like?
- Three regular meals a day at set times. This helps your body better use the insulin it produces naturally or gets from medication.
- Including more healthy carbohydrates and fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans and peas), nuts and whole grains as well as heart-healthy fish like salmon.
- Avoiding animal proteins and highly-processed foods with added fats, sugars, refined grains and sodium like butter, beef, sausage, processed snacks, baked goods, white bread, rice and pasta.
The Plate Method
The American Diabetes Association recommends the Plate Method – a simple, visual way to plan your meals using the following guidelines:
- Fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables like salad, green beans, spinach, cauliflower, tomatoes or carrots.
- Fill one quarter of your plate with heart-healthy protein like chicken, turkey, tuna, tofu or salmon.
- Fill the final quarter of your plate with healthy carbohydrates like grains, starchy vegetables (potatoes and peas), whole grain rice or pasta and fruit.
- Drink with water or a low-calorie option like unsweetened iced tea.
Nutrition Services at Lane
Lane is pleased to offer both inpatient and outpatient nutrition services for numerous health conditions, including diabetes. Our team of licensed and registered dietitians provides individualized nutrition plans and can give you the tools and motivation needed to help manage your diabetes through nutrition.
