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Eating with Prediabetes or Type 2 Diabetes
When people find out they have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, the first thing they want to know is what they can eat, when they can eat, and how much they can eat. In fact, studies show that people with diabetes find dealing with food the hardest part of their diabetes care.
Many people think that having diabetes means they can’t eat their favorite foods. But that’s just not true. You can still eat the foods you love. By working with your dietitian and by reading this book, you will know how to include your favorite foods and still keep your blood glucose levels on track. For more information on blood glucose goals, see Chapter 8.
For most of us, food means more than just getting full. Eating meals brings us together with family and friends. It brings comfort and pleasure. That’s why, for most people with diabetes, food is the toughest part. There’s no doubt about it. Changing the way you eat or the times you eat can be really tough. But keep in mind that you’re in charge—you can do it.
When you’re first told you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, you may not be able to meet with a dietitian right away. So what do you do? There are many ways to take on diabetes meal planning, so let’s talk about some of those ways. The first diabetes meal planning method I’ll talk about is called Rate Your Plate.
Rate Your Plate
Life isn’t easy, and having diabetes isn’t easy. But an easy first step in meal planning is to Rate Your Plate. With prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, the amount of food you eat affects your blood glucose. Rate Your Plate is a method that helps you judge your food portions. In fact, Rate Your Plate gives you portion power. For most people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, eating smaller portions makes their blood glucose go down. Here’s how Rate Your Plate works. After you’ve put your food on your plate, take a look:
• Is about one-fourth of your plate filled with starchy foods, such as noodles, rice, corn, peas, or potatoes?
• Is about one-fourth of your plate filled with main dish (protein) foods, like meat, poultry, fish, or meat substitutes, such as cheese, eggs, or tofu?
• Is at least half of your plate filled with cooked or raw vegetables, such as salad, or cooked vegetables like carrots, green beans, spinach, or sliced tomatoes?
• You may also want to add one or two side foods along with your meal, such as a dinner roll and a small piece of fruit.
Check your plate against the picture shown above. How did you do? What changes do you think you need to make?
• Do you need to work on including more vegetables or fruit?
• Do you need to cut back on starches?
Now you know how to Rate Your Plate. Other members of your family who don’t have diabetes but want to lose weight might want to rate their plates along with you. Your family is a key part of your diabetes team when it comes to food and meal planning. Lean on them. Ask them for help and support. You may also become a role model for your family and friends by rating your plate and using portion power. Rate Your Plate also works great when you’re eating out. For more on eating out, see Chapter 5.
Now let’s talk about another diabetes meal planning method you can use before you see a dietitian. It’s called Carbohydrate Counting.
Carbohydrate Counting
We’ve talked about portion power when you Rate Your Plate. Now we’re going to talk about portion power with a focus on carbohydrates.
Carbohydrate counting is also called by a shorter name, Carb Counting. By counting carbohydrates, or carbs, in the foods you eat, you’ll have another way to keep your blood glucose on track. All foods contain the nutrients that your body needs: carbohydrate, protein, and fat.
• Carbohydrate. Carbohydrate foods can be put into four groups:
1. Starches, such as crackers, cereal, corn, bread, rice, and tortillas
2. Fruits, such as apples, berries, cherries, mangos, and peaches
3. Milk products, such as milk, yogurt, or buttermilk
4. Sweets and desserts, such as cookies, cake, ice cream, and pastries. Some sugar-free and fat-free foods have carbohydrate, too.
• Protein. Protein foods can be put into two groups:
1. Meats, such as beef, pork, fish, or chicken
2. Meat substitutes, such as beans, cheese, eggs, or tofu
• Fat. Fats can be divided into four groups:
1. Unsaturated fats are found in canola oil, olive oil, avocado, and nuts like almonds and walnuts. They can protect your heart by lowering your blood cholesterol.
2. Saturated fats are found in high-fat meats, such as hot dogs, sausage, and in high-fat dairy products, like cheese, cream, and whole milk. They can raise your blood cholesterol level.
3. Cholesterol is found in foods from animals, such as egg yolks, liver, and high-fat meats and high-fat dairy products. Cholesterol in foods raises your blood cholesterol level.
4. Trans fats are found in baked goods made with hydrogenated oil. Trans fats can also raise your cholesterol level.
Carbs give you calories and energy. But they also raise your blood glucose more than anything else you eat. Protein and fat give you calories and energy, too, but they don’t raise your blood glucose. If you need to lose weight, though, using portion power for protein foods and fats will help you.
Most people I know are like me—they love carb foods. And many carb foods are healthy foods. Carbs provide good taste, pleasure, energy, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Even though carbs raise blood glucose more than other foods, it’s important for you to have some carbohydrates. For many reasons, then, “carbs count.” If you can get the right balance between the amount of carbs you eat and your insulin or diabetes pills, that will help keep your blood glucose in your target range.
The first thing many people ask me is: “How many carbs can I eat?” For many people, having:
• 3 or 4 carb choices at each meal and
• 1 or 2 carb choices at snacks
is about right. Then round out your lunch or dinner with:
• 1 serving of meat, fish, or poultry, about 3 ounces
• Plenty of colorful veggies, such as green beans, broccoli, red peppers, or cabbage
• Healthy fats, like canola or olive oil, nuts, seeds, or avocado
Here is a meal that has 4 carb choices (the carb choices are in bold print, so you can see them):
• 3 small corn tortillas (3 carb choices) with meat, salsa, lettuce, and chopped tomato
• 1/3 cup of rice (1 carb choice)
But what about portion sizes for carbs? Portion power with carbs helps keep your blood glucose in your target range. And by keeping your blood glucose levels in your target range, you can prevent or delay diabetes problems.
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