Diabetes Meal - Meal Planning for Diabetes

By Tjahyo Sukmono

Meal planning takes on a new significance for person with diabetes. Because food what you eat has a important effect on your health now and future. You can reduce type of foods that contribute to or get worse your diabetes with eating a suitable diet.

Path your food intake also your activity levels to see how its affect your blood sugar levels. This is one of the first things you can do it.

Your final goal is to develop a meal plan that ensures you regularly eat well-balanced meals on a standard schedule.

With doing path food intake and activity, you will help by controlling your blood sugar levels, fulfilling nutritional need, leveling your blood pressure, reducing your cholesterol and maintaining a healthy body weight.

Good meal plan, what is this?

More awareness should be paid by diabetic to reducing carbohydrates in their diet since these affect in blood sugar more than other foods.

You can read product label that you buy to see how many grams of carbohydrates are in serving. With this, limit your serving size for that food.

Carbohydrates come in form are:

• Starchy vegetables like potatoes, beans, corn peas and others.
• Dairy product likes ice cream, milk and yogurt.
• Baked goods like cereals, bread and crackers.
• Pasta, rice, grains
• Fresh fruits, fruit juices and canned fruits.
• Sugary foods like cake, soft drinks, pies, candy, cookies.
• 
  

Food Exchange Method

Food exchange is one of technique that will help ensure to get adequate nutrition. The six exchange groups are:

1. starches and breads
2. meat and meat by-products
3. milk
4. fats
5. fruits
6. vegetables

You can exchange any food serving in one group for another.

For example, in category meat and meat by-product, you can switch one meat for non-fat cottage cheese or white skinless chicken or turkey.

Avoid the following foods:

Salt; Surplus salt can cause high blood pressure which damages blood vessels. Cheese, canned goods, soy sauce, fast foods are the foods that contain hidden and often high quantities of salt.

Sugar; Foods containing sugar usually contain huge quantities of fats and carbohydrates. To minimize your sugar and carbohydrates intake, simply keep our portion small.

Alcohol; Alcohol is one of you must avoid, because it can trigger a drop in blood sugar and cause hypoglycemia.