Nutrition
Building a Healthy Meal
The Diabetes Plate
Even if you are not diabetic, this tool can be used as a guide to create healthy meals that can also help manage blood sugar. With the diabetes plate, you can create well portioned meals with a healthy balance of vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates—without any counting, calculating, weighing, or measuring.
Nonstarchy Vegetables
Nonstarchy vegetables are lower in carbohydrates and cause less of a spike in blood sugar than starchy vegetables. They are high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Aim to fill half of your plate.
*American Diabetes Association, diabetesfoodhub.org
Nutrition Facts Label
Serving Size
The serving size is important to keep in mind, because all of the nutrition information listed is based on one serving.
Calories
Calories are the amount of energy in a food. The number of calories we eat each day impacts our body weight, so it is important to keep in mind your calorie needs when choosing foods.
Saturated & Trans Fat
Saturated fats are fats that remain solid at room temperature and can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Saturated fats are not a necessary part of the diet and should be limited.
Sodium
Sodium is a necessary nutrient in our diet, but high intake can increase risk for high blood pressure and other chronic diseases. Most Americans get more than enough sodium, so it should be limited in the diet.
Added Sugar
Added sugars are sugars that are not naturally occurring in the food. They are simple sugars that do not come with the fiber and nutrients of naturally occurring sugars and have the biggest impact on blood sugar. Added sugars should be limited in the diet.