A healthy diet is essential for someone with diabetes. With type 2 diabetes a person who keeps to the right diet can begin to feel better as their blood sugar levels are kept under control. The question they might have is exactly what should be on a diabetes menu and in what amounts?

Carbohydrates are an important source of nutrition, especially for people with Type 2 diabetes. Carbohydrates provide fuel for the body in the form of glucose. There are two ways to classify carbohydrates both simply and complex. Simple carbs are sugars like sucrose and lactose. Complex carbs are starches found in beans and grains. These are considered a healthier meal because they take longer to digest and give a steadier source of energy. They also contain fiber. Complex carbs belong on a diabetes menu.

Sources of complex carbohydrates are fruit, milk and yogurt, breads, cereal, rice, pasta, and starchy vegetables like potatoes. That does not mean you can have as many of these goodies as you might want. A doctor will give a patient a guideline of 16000 calories with 220 grams of carbohydrates, for example. This would mean a balanced meal could be around 300-370 calories with 50-55 grams of carbohydrates.

An example of this would be a breakfast of 1 slice of toasted whole wheat bread with 1 teaspoon margarine, 1/4 cup egg substitute or cottage cheese,1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup skim milk, and a ? small banana. Lunch could include 1 cup vegetable soup with 4-6 crackers, two slices of chicken on whole wheat bread, 1 ounce low-fat cheese, 1 teaspoon mayonnaise, and a small apple. Dinner might be a broiled chicken breast with rosemary, lemon, or basil sprinkled on top, cooked brown rice at 2/3 a cup, 1/2 cup cooked carrots or broccoli, 1 small whole grain dinner roll or piece of bread with margarine. With dinner there can also be a tossed salad with 2 tablespoons of low-fat salad dressing and 4 unsweetened canned fruit halves or 1 small slice of angel food or pound cake. A good snack might be some fat free chips, 1/2 cup artificially sweetened chocolate pudding, 1 ounce string cheese plus one small piece of fruit, 3 cups of ‘lite’ (or non-fat buttered) popcorn.

Portion size is another importing thing to understand when putting together a diabetes menu. Once you have measured something once it is often a good idea find a way to remember that measurement if possible so that it can be spotted on sight rather having to be weighed or measured. For instance, the proper serving size for baked sweet potato is 1/2 or about the size of a computer mouse. A serving size of a 1 coup of raw leafy greens is equal to a baseball. If you have these in mind you can make it through a serving line at a restaurant or church picnic without going off the diabetes menu, and you can use any item which size you are sure of such as your own hand.

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