Welcome to gulfMD.com - The world of Health, Progress and Hope

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.

How much should I eat each day?

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.

Starches

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

bread potatoes tortillas

pasta rice beans

corn crackers yams

What are healthy ways to eat starches?

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.

Vegetables

Vegetables give you vitamins, minerals, and fiber, with very few calories

Examples of vegetables include

lettuce peppers salsa

broccoli carrots chilies

vegetable juice green beans greens

What are healthy ways to eat vegetables?

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.

Fruit

Fruit gives you energy, vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Examples of fruit include

apples bananas mango

fruit juice raisins guava

strawberries oranges papaya

If you have more than one serving at a meal, you can choose different types of fruit or have two servings of one fruit.

What are healthy ways to eat 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

Milk and yogurt give you energy, protein, fat, calcium, vitamin A, and other vitamins and minerals.

What are healthy ways to have milk and yogurt?

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.

Meat and Meat Substitutes

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

chicken eggs cheese

fish peanut butter ham

beef tofu pork

What are healthy ways to eat meat or meat substitutes?

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.

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.

Fats and Sweets

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

salad dressing margarine olives

oil butter avocado

Examples of sweets include

regular soda cake pie

ice cream cookies candy

Previous 1 2 3
Next