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Meal Planning for Diabetics

Meal planning for diabetics is crucial to maintaining appropriate levels of insulin and sugar in the body. We cannot live without sugar. However, too much sugar in our bloodstream can be harmful. When sugar levels spike up and down out of control, you will feel miserable. Taking the time to learn meal planning for diabetics makes eating easier and help you feel better on a daily basis.

  1. Plan Small Meals

    • Many foods take various times to digest and affect our blood sugar levels. For example, proteins can take up to six hours to digest, while carbohydrates can digest in as quickly as 30 minutes. Small meals enable you to fuel the body and have a constant flow of nutrients throughout the day. Consider several healthy snacks and three small meals when meal planning for diabetics to reduce drastic changes in blood sugar levels and to properly calculate insulin dosages.

    Reduce Carbohydrates

    • Carbohydrates can be dangerous for diabetics since they break down into sugar in the body. A meal or snack high in carbohydrates can cause a sudden increase in over-all blood sugar levels. While our bodies need carbohydrates for fuel and for functioning, diabetics should reduce carbohydrates from simple foods. Simple foods would include things such as: white grains, white bread, whole milk, and even some cheese products. Switch to complex carbohydrates that are found in whole grains, raw vegetables and fruits when meal planning for diabetics.

    Sweets and Desserts

    • Ideally, you should avoid sweets and high carbohydrate desserts when diabetic. However, in your meal planning for diabetics you can substitute a special occasion dessert or sweet for the other carbohydrates for the day. You should plan ahead for special occasions to eat sweets or desserts by reducing the total number of carbohydrates in your other meals and snacks for the day. For example, if you are going to eat a slice of wedding cake at an evening reception, cut back on other carbohydrates during breakfast and lunch meals. Keep a small amount of carbohydrates in the morning and afternoon snack to maintain energy and not have a sudden drop in blood sugars.

    Balance

    • The best advice to follow for meal planning for diabetics is balance. There should be a balance between all the food groups throughout the day. Plan meals based on the total caloric intake recommended by a health care provider. Eat a variety of foods throughout the week and month to ensure the best balance and most nutrients.

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