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Diabetic Daily Diet Intake Food Portions

There is no such thing as a diabetic diet. Managing your diabetes depends on portion control and carbohydrate counting. There are three main types of nutrients in food: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. A healthy meal will include all three types, but counting carbohydrates (carbs) is the most important part of diabetes meal planning because carbohydrates affect blood sugar levels. Portion control is an essential.

  1. 15 Grams

    • One carbohydrate serving equals 15 grams. A carb choice or serving may be one slice of bread, a small piece of fruit or one-third cup of cooked pasta. The total amount of carbohydrates you need at each meal is dependent upon your weight, age, activity level and eating habits. You can find lists of 15 g carbohydrate portions on many websites to help with meal planning. See the Resource section for information on carbohydrate portion sizes. "No carb" diets are not an option for diabetic; diabetics must have portion-controlled meals including carbohydrates.

    Men and Women

    • Men and women have different portion needs per meal. An example for a woman who is active is 45 to 60g of carbohydrate or three to four carb choices. For an inactive woman, only two to three carb servings per meal are required or 30 to 45g. Men have a larger carbohydrate count per meal 60 to 75g (four to five carb servings). Inactive men should plan for three to four servings or 45 to 60g of carbs.

    Timing

    • When you eat is just as important as what and how much you eat. A diet plan for a diabetic includes spacing your portions. Spacing meals four to six hours apart with 15g carb snacks between will keep your blood sugars level. Skipping meals will spike your blood sugar levels or cause a drastic drop that is not healthy. Balance and moderation are important to keep your glucose on even throughout the day.

    Plating

    • Plating your food will help you see balanced and controlled portions. Divide your plate visually into four sections. For lunch or dinner, fill half the plate with non-starchy vegetables (green beans, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage); one-quarter should contain lean meat or other protein (fish, eggs, low-fat cheeses, cottage cheese, beans or legumes); the remaining one-quarter should contain a starch serving (such as a potato or whole-grain bread).

    Free Food

    • No food is "bad" food, not even sugar as long as it fits into your healthy diabetic diet. Some foods you can east as much as you want, whenever you want because of these foods contain a low carbohydrate count and have little effect on your blood sugar. Some of these foods include asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, celery, greens, green beans, okra, onions, spiach, squash, tomatoes and zucchini. The ingredents used to prepare these "free foods" must be counted in your meal plan, but using these foods will keep you satisifed longer. The American Diabetes Association has an excellent tool for helping you count your carbs called "My Food Advisor." See the Resources section below for a link.

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