Portions & Calories on a Diabetes Diet

For people dealing with chronic diabetes (type 1 or 2), characterized by high levels of sugar in the blood, it is important to choose meals including the healthiest possible foods, and, in the right amounts, to keep your blood sugar level within a target range. As a result, following a diabetes-tailored diet translates into controlling your weight and blood sugar through a reduced calorie menu full of nutrient-rich foods, in moderate portions, with consistent mealtimes.

Nutrient-Rich Foods

• A proper diet keeping both blood sugar and weight low can provide relief from the symptoms of diabetes as well as various diabetes-related complications. As such, it is essential to include all three food groups (fats, proteins, and carbohydrates), without overloading on sugar-rich carbs or other high-calorie options. A successful diabetes diet is reliant on low-fat, nutrient-rich and filling, fiber-full food options like vegetables, fruits, beans, low-fat cereal, fish, nuts, and yogurt.

Counting Calories and Carbs

• Food intake recommendations may differ if you're suffering from type 1 or type 2 diabetes and may vary depending on your age, sex, current weight, body type and lifestyle. That said, according to the experts at Endocrineweb, patients with type 1 diabetes, most concerned with matching food intake to insulin levels and personal metabolism, should have a diet that has approximately 16 calories per lb. of body weight per day. Alternatively, patients with type 2 diabetes generally adhere to a 1,500- to 1,800-calorie diet per day to promote weight loss or maintenance of an ideal body weight.

  As a general rule, carbohydrates should make up approximately 50 percent of these daily calories (with the accepted range 40 to 60 percent). Yet, benefits of lower carb consumption may be negated by a higher-fat diet taken in to compensate for the absence of this filling food group. As a result, people adhering to a diabetes diet should avoid substituting saturated fats for carbohydrate-heavy foods.

Balancing Sugar

• Most people with diabetes can eat foods containing sugar as long as the total amount of carbohydrates in those same foods remain consistent. Therefore, your best bet for a sweet treat is also a low-fat choice, such as low-fat frozen yogurt, nuts, or graham crackers, that also acts as a substitute for carbohydrates in your daily servings.

Moderate Portions

• Keeping track of serving sizes can lessen the deleterious effects of diabetes and even diminish your chances of developing diabetes in the first place. Begin by charting how much you eat over three days. Next, determine how much is actually appropriate to eat, cutting back, if necessary, by taking into consideration and comparing the following serving size guidelines: 3 oz. of meat, fish, poultry (about the size of the palm of your hand), 1 oz. of cheese (about the size of your thumb), 1 cup of milk, yogurt, fresh vegetables (about the size of a tennis ball), one slice of bread, 1/2 cup of rice or cooked pasta, 1/2 cup of potato or corn, and 3/4 cup of dry cereal.

Consistent Mealtimes

• Consistency is key when adhering to a diabetes diet as a diabetic's body responds to any excess calories and fat by creating an undesirable rise in blood sugar. Mealtime management and planning can mean fewer variations in what you eat --- especially when it comes to carbohydrates --- and an easier time controlling your blood sugar.