Go to the American Diabetes Association website for more information.
Confused about how much you can eat when you have diabetes? First you need to know how much food is in a serving. It may be different from what you expect.
(3) Fruits: 1 Serving
1/2 banana
1 small apple, orange, or pear
1/2 cup chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
(3) Bread, Cereal, Rice, Starchy Vegetables, and Pasta: 1 Serving
1 slice of bread
1/2 English muffin, bun, small bagel, or pita bread
1 6-inch tortilla
4-6 crackers
2 rice cakes
1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal
1/2 cup cooked cereal, pasta, or bulgur
1/3 cup cooked rice (say it ain’t so…)
1 small potato or 1/2 large potato
1/2 cup sweet potatoes or yams
1/2 cup corn kernels or other starchy vegetables such as winter squash, peas, or lima beans
(2) Nuts, Poultry, Fish, Eggs, Dry Beans, Cheese, and Meat: 1 Serving
2-3 ounces cooked lean beef, veal, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, or fish
2-3 ounces low-fat natural cheese (such as Swiss, cheddar, Muenster, parmesan, mozzarella, and others)
1/2 cup cooked dry beans
1/4 cup tofu ( not in my house)
1 egg (or an equal serving of egg substitute)
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 ounces processed American cheese
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup canned tuna (packed in water) (Better tasting in oil though)
(1) Vegetables: 1 Serving
1 cup raw leafy vegetables
1/2 cup other vegetables cooked, raw (chopped), or canned
1/2 cup vegetable juice
The Diabetes Plate Method is the easiest way to create healthy meals that can help manage blood sugar. Using this method, you can create perfectly portioned meals with a healthy balance of vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates—without any counting, calculating, weighing, or measuring. All you need is a plate! The size of our plate usually determines the size of our portions, so you want to start with a reasonably sized plate—we recommend about 9 inches across.
- Fill half your plate with nonstarchy vegetables.
- Fill one quarter of your plate with lean protein foods.
- Fill one quarter of your plate with carbohydrate foods
- Choose water or a low-calorie drink
I have a number of their cookbooks and meal planners, and they have been very helpful.