Healthy Eating

If You Have Diabetes

Discussion Topics

• Why have a meal plan?

• Eating healthy with diabetes.
Your Meal Plan
You can keep your blood sugar
levels on target by
• Making wise food choices.
• Being physically active.
• Taking medicines, if needed.
Your Meal Plan

Your meal plan helps you choose …

• What to eat.
• How much to eat.
• When to eat.
Your Meal Plan

Your meal plan should be based on

• What you like to eat and drink.
• Your daily schedule.
• The number of calories you need to reach or
maintain your target weight.
• Your physical activity schedule and routine.
• The timing and type of any diabetes medicines
you may take.
Healthy Eating

Choose Your Plate.

• When eating a meal, a general guide is to fill
- Half of your plate with fruits and vegetables.
- One-quarter of your plate with a lean protein, such as
beans, or chicken or turkey without the skin.
- One-quarter of your plate with a whole grain, such as
brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.
• When eating out, share a meal with someone else or take
some home to eat at a later meal.
• Find out more at www.choosemyplate.gov.
Eat Less Fat

Look for ways to eat less fat

• Choose fewer high-fat foods and use less fat in
cooking.
- Bake, broil, or stew meats and fish instead of frying.
- Use nonfat or low-fat salad dressings, mayonnaise,
and margarine.
- Use nonfat or 1% milk and low-fat cheeses.
- Use low-fat flavorings, including spices and herbs.
Eat Less Fat

Limit foods that are high in saturated fats or

trans fats, such as
• Fatty cuts of meat.
• Fried foods.
• Whole milk and dairy products made from whole milk.
• Cakes, candy, cookies, crackers, and pies.
• Lard, shortening, stick margarine, and nondairy creamers.
Lower Fat and Calorie Substitutions
Instead of Fat (g) Calories Choose this Fat (g) Calories
this food: food:
Potato chips, 11 161 Pretzels, 1 108
1-ounce bag 1-ounce bag

Regular 4 34 Low-fat 2 17
margarine, margarine,
1 tsp 1 tsp
Roast beef 22 286 Roast beef 4 153
(chuck) (top round),
untrimmed, trimmed,
3 ounces 3 ounces

2 Tbsp sour 6 ( 56 2 Tbsp salsa 0 8

cream for topping for
topping for baked potato
baked potato
Chicken 24 439 Chicken 9 205
breast, with breast
skin, without skin,
breaded, grilled
fried
Eat More Fiber
Increase fiber by eating more whole-grain
foods
• Breakfast cereals made with 100% whole
grains.
• Oatmeal.
• Whole-grain rice and pasta.
• Whole-wheat bread, bagels, pita bread and
tortillas.
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day
• Fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit without added sugar.
• Dark green vegetables like broccoli, spinach and brussel
sprouts.
• Orange vegetables, including carrots, sweet potatoes,
pumpkin, and winter squash.
• Beans and peas (black beans, garbanzo beans,
pinto beans, split peas, lentils).
Eat Less Sugar

Eat less sugar by limiting foods such as

• Sugar-sweetened beverages.
• Fruit-flavored drinks.
• Tea or coffee sweetened
with sugar.
• High-sugar desserts such as
cakes, pies, or ice cream.
Eat Less Salt

Eat less salt by

• Using less salt in cooking and at the table.
• Eating fewer foods high in salt, such as─
- Canned and packaged soups.
- Canned vegetables.
- Pickles.
- Processed meats.
Use Label Nutrition Facts
Read the nutrition facts on labels for
• The number of servings in the can or package (often
more than one serving)
• The amount of the following in each serving
- Calories.
- Total fat, saturated fat, and trans fats.
- Sugar.
- Sodium (salt).
- Fiber.
Your Plan

What are two things that you can do to

eat healthier starting this week?

1. __________________________

2. __________________________
More Help

Remember that healthy eating, physical

activity, and diabetes medicines all help
to prevent diabetes problems.
More Help

Recipes and nutrition information

for people with diabetes
• Tasty Recipes for People With Diabetes
and Their Families.
• What I Need to Know About Eating
and Diabetes.
• Interactive Meal Planning Tutorial for People With Diabetes.
• Find information on carbohydrate counting and the exchange
method at www.diabetes.org.
Learning About Diabetes

Learn How to Manage Your Diabetes

• Ask your doctor for a referral to a diabetes self-
management education program recognized or
accredited by the American Diabetes Association or the
American Association of Diabetes Educators.

• Visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website to

find a nutrition professional who can help you develop
a healthy meal plan (www.eatright.org).
 www.diabetesatwork.org

For more information, call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636)

TTY 1-888-232-6348, or visit www.cdc.gov/info
To order resources, visit www.cdc.gov/diabetes/ndep