Diabetes Mellitus Diet Plan

Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases characterized by abnormalities in the processing of blood glucose, or blood sugar. As a result of these abnormalities, diabetics are sensitive to the effects of many common foods, and must work to maintain their bodies at an adequate functional level. Learning the basics of an appropriate diet plan may be helpful in avoiding some of the potential pitfalls of living with diabetes.

Basic Goals of a Diabetes Diet

• If you are diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor will lay out some essential dietary goals to help you maintain good health. The main overall goal of your diet will be to provide you with proper nutrition while allowing for the best possible control of your blood glucose. This second factor is affected not only by the foods you eat, but by the times of day you eat them. You can eat foods that are perfectly healthy for you, but if you wait too long between meals or eat your meals too close together, you can cause disruptions to your blood sugar that can endanger your well-being.

A General Diabetes Diet Plan

• The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse has issued general guidelines for a healthy diabetes diet.

  If you are a woman of small or medium build who needs to lose weight, a small woman who regularly exercises or a woman of medium build who does not exercise, aim for a daily food intake of between 1,200 and 1,600 calories. In order to ensure proper nutrition, make sure your diet contains a number of different foods, including: 6 servings of starches (whole grain breads and cereals), 3 servings of vegetables, 2 servings of fruit, 2 servings of milk, 4 to 6 ounces of meat or a meat substitute (peanuts, tofu, cheese) and as many as 3 servings of fat. Consult your doctor or nutritionist to learn the details of appropriate serving size.

  If you are a large woman who needs to lose weight, a small man at a good body weight, a medium-sized or large man who needs to lose weight or a physically inactive medium-sized man, aim for a daily intake between 1,600 and 2,000 calories. Increase your starch intake to 4 servings a day, your vegetable intake to 4 servings a day and your fruit intake to 3 servings a day. You may also have 4 daily fat servings.

  If you are a large man at a good body weight, a physically active large or medium-sized woman or a physically active large or medium-sized man, aim for a daily intake of 2,000 to 4,000 calories. Increase your starch intake to 10 servings, your fruit intake to 4 servings and your fat intake to 5 servings. You may also increase your meat intake to 5 to 7 ounces.

  You will need to divide your daily diet into main meals and snacks that you eat between meals to maintain a proper blood sugar level. Talk to your doctor and nutritionist about an appropriate eating schedule for your particular circumstances, as well as any adjustments required by allergies or other considerations.