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Diabetes: Using a Food Guide

Introduction

A food guide is a tool for planning a balanced diet. A healthy diet provides the nutrients your body needs and decreases your risk for heart disease and other conditions.

Key points

  • A food guide contains the same foods your family eats. You do not have to eat special foods.
  • You can successfully follow this method by:
    • Planning your family meals ahead of time so you can enjoy the same foods as other family members.
    • Providing lots of variety in the foods you eat so it's easier to follow your plan.
    • Testing your blood sugar after meals to see what effect different foods have on your blood sugar level.
  • Women with diabetes who are pregnant or breast-feeding need the same nutrition as pregnant or breast-feeding women who do not have diabetes. Pregnant women need more of all nutrients, but they especially need iron and folic acid and should get supplements of these. During the second and third trimester, you also need about 300 calories a day more than you did before pregnancy. Regular meals and snacks are important to prevent low blood sugar during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Talk to your registered dietitian or certified diabetes educator about changes you may need to make to your food plan.
What?
What is a food guide for people with diabetes?
 

A food guide is a way to plan a healthy diet.

  • Foods within each group have similar nutrient content. For example, the foods in the milk and milk products group have similar amounts of calcium, protein, vitamin D, and riboflavin.
  • Each group has a recommended number of servings.

Test Your Knowledge

A food guide for people with diabetes is used to:

  • Record my daily food intake.
    This answer is incorrect.

    A food guide for people with diabetes is not used to record your daily food intake. The correct answer is c. A food guide is a tool for meal planning for diabetes. People who have diabetes need to pay close attention to the amount of carbohydrate in their diet.

  • Choose special foods.
    This answer is incorrect.

    A food guide for people with diabetes is not used to choose special foods. The correct answer is c. A food guide is a tool for meal planning for diabetes. People who have diabetes need to pay close attention to the amount of carbohydrate in their diet.

  • Plan my diet.
    This answer is correct.

    A food guide is a tool for meal planning for diabetes. People who have diabetes need to pay close attention to the amount of carbohydrate in their diet.

  • Develop an exchange list.
    This answer is incorrect.

    A food guide is not used to develop an exchange list. The correct answer is c. A food guide is a tool for meal planning for diabetes. People who have diabetes need to pay close attention to the amount of carbohydrate in their diet.

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One of the advantages of using a food guide for people with diabetes is that you can eat the same food as everyone else in your family.

  • True
    This answer is correct.

    One of the advantages of using a food guide for people with diabetes is that you can eat the same food as everyone else in your family.

  • False
    This answer is incorrect.

    One of the advantages of using a food guide for people with diabetes is that you can eat the same food as everyone else in your family.

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Continue to Why?

Why?
Why use a food guide for diabetes?
 

Carbohydrate is the nutrient that most affects your blood sugar level. The more carbohydrate you eat at one time, the higher your blood sugar level will rise. Spreading carbohydrate intake throughout the day helps keep your blood sugar levels within your target range. A food guide for diabetes can help you plan your diet accordingly.

Eating the recommended number of servings from each food group every day gives you the proper amount of nutrients to meet your needs and reduces your risk for heart disease and other conditions. Eating regular meals can help you spread carbohydrate intake throughout the day.

Test Your Knowledge

A food guide for people with diabetes:

  • Lists special foods I should eat.
    This answer is incorrect.

    A food guide does not list special foods you should eat. You do not need to eat special foods if you have diabetes. The correct answer is c. A food guide helps you plan meals and snacks to spread carbohydrate throughout the day.

  • Outlines the way to count the nutrients in my diet.
    This answer is incorrect.

    A food guide does not outline the way to count nutrients in your diet. It is a guide for planning a balanced diet for people with diabetes. The correct answer is c. A food guide helps you spread carbohydrate throughout the day.

  • Guides the planning of daily meals and snacks.
    This answer is correct.

    A food guide helps you plan daily meals and snacks to spread carbohydrate throughout the day.

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Continue to How?

How?
How to use a food guide in your diet for diabetes
 

Here are some ways to start using a food guide for diabetes.

Eat regular meals

Eat 4 to 6 smaller meals and snacks throughout the day to spread your intake of food throughout the day. Plan several meals at a time. Plan to double some recipes and freeze the leftovers to use for other meals. Reuse menu plans.

Use the food guide

The food guide for diabetes can help you:

  • Become familiar with the different food groups. Post a copy of the groups in a food guide for diabetes in a convenient place, such as on your refrigerator door.
  • Plan meals to include food from all the groups. A registered dietitian can help you plan the food groups to include in each meal and snack.
    • Breakfast usually includes food from the milk, fruit, and grains food groups. Meat and vegetables also may be eaten at breakfast.
    • Lunch and dinner usually include foods from most or all food groups.
    • Snacks may include only one or two food groups (usually a fruit or bread).
    • Milk and milk products are a separate group. If you don't like or can't drink milk, you will need to find a way to add to your diet more calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients that milk provides. Talk with a registered dietitian about how to get enough calcium and other nutrients. If you are pregnant, you need extra calcium and may need to take supplements.
  • Eat standard portions. Sometimes what you may consider a serving is much larger than the recommended serving size. For example, if you eat a plateful of spaghetti (about 2 cups), you have eaten 6 servings from the grain group in a food guide. It's easy to eat more servings from a food group than are recommended for a balanced diet. You don't always need to measure and weigh the food you eat, but it may be helpful when you are first learning what makes a standard portion. It can also be helpful to know what a serving size looks like.

Other suggestions

Other suggestions for helping you be successful in using a food guide include:

  • Checking your blood sugar level before and 1 to 2 hours after a meal to see how food affects your blood sugar.
  • Recording what you eat on a food record form. Review your record with your registered dietitian or certified diabetes educator at each visit and whenever you think your plan needs adjusting. See an example of a food record form(What is a PDF document?).
  • Getting more help. The American Diabetes Association has information and a poster on the food guide for people with diabetes. See the Where to Go From Here section below for the address, phone number, and website of the American Diabetes Association. But you will still need to talk with a registered dietitian to set up a plan that fits your needs.

Test Your Knowledge

How many of the food groups are in a breakfast containing 2 ounces cold cereal, 8 ounces 1% milk, and 4 ounces orange juice? (You may need to review the food groups in a guide for diabetes.)

How many servings from each food group are in a breakfast containing 2 ounces cold cereal, 8 ounces 1% milk, and 4 ounces orange juice? (You may need to review the food groups in a guide for diabetes.)

  • The breakfast contains 1 grain, 2 milk, and 1 fruit.
    This answer is incorrect.

    The breakfast does not contain 1 grain, 2 milk, and 1 fruit. The correct answer is b. The breakfast contains 2 grains, 1 milk, and 1 fruit. Review the serving sizes in food groups in a guide for diabetes if you are having trouble with this question.

  • The breakfast contains 2 grains, 1 milk, and 1 fruit.
    This answer is correct.

    The breakfast contains 2 grains, 1 milk, and 1 fruit. Review the serving sizes in food groups in a guide for diabetes if you are having trouble with this question.

  • The breakfast contains 3 grains, 1 milk, and 2 fruits.
    This answer is incorrect.

    The breakfast does not contain 3 grains, 1 milk, and 2 fruits. The correct answer is b. The breakfast contains 2 grains, 1 milk, and 1 fruit. Review the serving sizes in food groups in a guide for diabetes if you are having trouble with this question.

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Continue to Where?

Where?
Where to go from here
 

Now that you have read this information, you may feel ready to start planning and eating regular meals using a food guide for diabetes.

Talk with your doctor, registered dietitian, or certified diabetes educator

If you have questions about this information, take it with you when you visit your registered dietitian or certified diabetes educator. He or she can explain a food guide for diabetes and help you plan meals.

If you would like more information on meal planning for people with diabetes, the following resource is available:

More information about diabetes can be found in these topics:

Credits

By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Adam Husney, MD, MD - Family Medicine
Last Revised July 19, 2011

Last Revised: July 19, 2011

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: Adam Husney, MD, MD - Family Medicine

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