Diabetes Patients: Plan Your Meal, Follow It

Filed in archive Diet , Information , Resources on November 26, 2007

The greatest challenge in the lives of people with diabetes is following a meal plan.

A person with diabetes must make food decisions quickly and accurately to maintain blood sugar control. Research has shown that those who follow a meal plan more than half the time have fewer blood sugars above the target range.

Meal planning is important to people with diabetes simply because they must make food decisions quickly and accurately to maintain blood sugar control. If they have nothing planned, then they might end up eating the wrong kinds and amounts of food.




The Pennsylvania State University has some recommendations in the meal planning in diabetics department:

Begin by setting up a daily meal plan as a guide for meals on typical days.

This is beneficial in a number of ways. First, it will assure that the more than 40 different necessary nutrients your body needs are included. Have you ever gone on a vacation and made a list of things to pack? Most times, the items forgotten are always those items that were not on the list. The same is true with a meal plan. Without a meal plan, many nutrients can easily be overlooked. A balanced meal plan should include high fiber grains, lean meats, fruit and vegetables, and low-fat dairy products.

A good meal plan will provide a strategy to prevent heart disease.

The risk of heart disease is a concern for all Americans because it is the leading cause of death in the United States, but it is particularly important for people with diabetes. They are two to four times more likely to develop heart disease than people without diabetes.

The foods you eat can prevent or promote the development of atherosclerosis - a build-up of plaque, a fatty-like substance that narrows the inner walls of heart arteries.

Foods to prevent heart disease are those rich in fiber, especially soluble fiber, found in legumes and soybeans, oats, brown rice, barley, fruit and vegetables. Research consistently supports the health benefits of consuming more soluble fiber. Mounting evidence has influenced the marketplace as we find many new foods manufactured with added fiber, like pastas.

Foods that promote the development of heart disease are those high in saturated fat and trans fatty acids.

Most often, the fat contained in food is not obvious because you can't see it. Some of the foods high in saturated fat include cheese, hot dogs, sausage, bacon, bologna, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, French fries, doughnuts, cookies, snack cakes, potato chips, cheese crackers, mayonnaise, creamy salad dressings, cream sauces, gravy, ice cream and whole milk.

A meal plan will help establish consistency of eating habits and balance the amount of carbohydrates consumed throughout each day.

This is essential in determining the amount of insulin required to keep blood glucose levels within range each day.
Studies reveal better metabolic control is directly related to regular meals. Irregular meals are the No. 1 contributor to poor metabolic control resulting in higher glycohemoglobin A1c levels. What, when and how much you eat directly affects blood sugar levels. Learning to balance food, insulin and activity helps keep the blood sugar stable and within target ranges and lowers the risk for long-term complications.

In general, a meal plan will include three meals and a bedtime snack.

Some meals are higher in carbohydrates than others. In general, breakfast is the highest carbohydrate meal, and dinner has the least amount of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates consumed at meals provide the energy the body needs each day to be active, to grow (in children and youth) and maintain health.

Read the full Penn State U report for examples of meal plans suited for people with diabetes.