Diabetes diet: Create your nutritious, healthy-eating meal plan.
A good diabetes meal plan is simply a healthy-eating routine that will help you keep control of your blood sugar. Finding the right help to get started, from meal planning to balancing carbohydrates, proteins and fats, can be frustrating, but do not give up.
Just because you were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, does not mean that you have to give up everything you love to eat. Nor does it mean you have to start eating special expensive diet foods or even follow a complicated diabetes diet plan.
For most people, a diabetes diet simply translates into eating a variety of foods, balanced in a way that keeps the blood sugar from spiking. By eating the proper amounts of good carbohydrates, proteins, and limiting the bad fats, you can have really delicious tasting healthy meals and never feel hungry or cheated.
If you actually took the time to study elite athletes healthy eating habits, you may find they follow a very similar meal plan. A "diabetic" diet is a very natural and healthy way to eat for just about anyone. It is a healthy way to lose unwanted excess weight and to maintain vibrant energy.
Choosing a diet that emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins in the right proportions is important. By balancing your meals with the right combination of carbohydrates to proteins, and keeping excess fats to a minimum, you can keep your blood sugar levels on an even keel.
The carbohydrates on your plate should be of the low glycemic variety. The Glycemic Index is a great tool to help you pick what carbohydrates have the least effect on raising blood sugar. The proteins you pick should be of the leanest cuts of meat, or better yet, be from plants like legumes, beans, or quinoa.
A good rule of thumb is to fill your plate with ¼ proteins, ¼ carbohydrates, and ½ vegetables. Just make sure you pick lean proteins and low-glycemic carbohydrates. You can come up with all kinds of healthy delicious combinations of meals this way.
One very helpful tip: Eat a very healthy breakfast every day. Make sure it is well thought out nutritionally, maybe organic, and eat it with reverence. If you consciously think about the healthfulness of that breakfast, you are less likely to screw up later by eating un-healthy stuff and undo all the healthy eating you already started. It works.
It is helpful if you eat meals consistently throughout the day. Instead of eating 3 big meals, try breaking it into smaller meals 5-6 times a day. Two of those "meals" could actually be healthy snacks with the right carbohydrate / protein combination, like an apple with a handful of walnuts.
Now, about those snacks you love. If you need to eat a high carb snack, be sure to include a protein with it. Maybe even eat some healthy fiber, that way you slow down the absorption of the sugars and it helps minimize the sugar spikes. Just try to limit the amount of high carb snack to a couple bites, and eventually you may get over the sweet cravings naturally.
Rather than a boring restrictive diet, a diet plan for diabetics can be a healthy-eating plan that's naturally rich in nutrients and flavor, and low in calories and fats. It is arguably the best and healthiest eating plan for most people. Try it, you will see and feel the difference a healthy meal plan will make on your blood sugar level, your energy level, your waistline, and your overall feeling of good health.