How do I Create a Diabetic Menu & Shopping Guide?

Diabetes is a disease that affects the pancreas, causing high or low blood sugar. It damages the eyes, nerves and pulmonary system. Problems can be averted by eating a diet high in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean meats. Reducing the amounts of refined sugars and carbohydrates improves a diabetic's blood sugar level dramatically. People can still eat regular foods, but planning the meals is important. Planning the menu, and buying the foods in advance keeps a person from making unhealthy choices in a diabetic diet.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil and paper or computer

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Instructions

• 1

  Figure in five small meals or snacks per day for the menu. Each meal should be about 300 calories each. Sugar levels stay better balanced with smaller, more frequent meals. Meals should be high in protein, vegetables and good carbohydrates. Good carbohydrates are things like beans, whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread. Stay away from white rice, and white flour. Limit amounts of corn, carrots, pineapple and watermelon because they cause your sugar to spike.

• 2

  Design a menu with a variety of foods. Add in a lot of vegetables and fruits to the menu. Diabetics tend to be low in magnesium, potassium and zinc. Some of the foods that are high in magnesium are black beans, peanuts, oysters, pumpkin seeds, spinach, and whole grains. These foods are high in potassium are apricots, avocados, bananas, beets, brussels sprout, cantaloupe, dates, figs, kiwi, lima beans, honeydew melons, milk, nectarines, oranges, pears, peanuts, potatoes, prunes, raisins, spinach, tomatoes, squash and yogurt. Foods high in zinc are oysters, wheat germ, roast beef, pumpkin seeds, cocoa powder, chocolate, peanuts, chicken, beans, cashews, pork, milk and cheese.

• 3

  Refrain from putting any pre-prepared foods on the menu that contain over 8 percent sugar. Foods that are under 8 percent sugar don't tend to make your sugar spike as badly.

• 4

  Keep away from pizza crusts. Pizza crust makes most diabetics sugar jump faster than eating a cup of pure sugar. Make whole wheat pizza crust or make a pizza on a whole wheat tortilla or a whole wheat pita. Whole wheat will raise your sugar level slightly, but it doesn't jump straight up like white flour.

• 5

  List menu items like: chicken parmesan with whole wheat noodles, taco salad without chips, spaghetti with whole wheat noodles, baked chicken with brown rice and green beans, lemon chicken with baked potato and salad, baked pork chop with whole wheat macaroni and cheese and a vegetable or turkey with baked sweet potato and beans. Add in snacks like: sugar free pudding, sugar free jello, sugar free ice cream, sugar free cookies, sugar free cake and sugar free chocolate candy. Remember items with sugar alcohols, like the chocolate, can cause diarrhea if you eat too much. The sugar free treats taste good, and satisfy the sweet tooth. Add sugar free drinks to the list. Items with sucralose taste more like regular sugar.

• 6

  Make a list of the items necessary to make the foods you have chosen for the menu. Make sure you add snacks and milk. Diabetics should drink one cup of milk a day because the potassium and zinc in the milk helps stabilize the sugar level. It doesn't matter if it's skim, 1%, 2% or whole milk.