DIABETES... CARE... PREVENTION... MANGEMENT

A PLAN FOR HEALTHY EATING

Shown above is an example of how your main meal of the day should look like.

1?2 of your plate should consist of at least 2 kinds of vegetables. Fresh vegetables are best. Frozen or canned vegetables are acceptable if that is all you have on hand.

1?4 of your plate as shown, should consist of starch foods such as potatoes, rice or pasta.

1?4 of your plate as shown should consist of protein such as fish, or lean meat, or chicken, or beans and lentils. Beans and lentils are a good substitute for meat.

Have a glass of milk and a piece of fruit to complete your meal.

Alcohol can affect blood glucose levels and cause you to gain weight. Talk to your healthcare professional about whether you can include alcohol in your meal plan and how much is safe.

YOU SHOULD ALSO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI)

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a scale, which ranks carbohydrate-rich foods by how much they raise blood sugar (glucose) levels compared to a standard food.  The standard food is glucose or white bread.

EATING FOODS WITH A LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX MAY HELP YOU:

• Control your blood sugar (glucose) levels
• Control your cholesterol level
• Control your appetite
• Lower your risk of getting heart disease
• Lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetes

A lot of starchy foods have a high Glycemic Index (GI).

Choose low and medium GI foods more often.

LOW GI FOODS (55 or less) *† Choose these most often???	MEDIUM GI FOODS (56-69) *† Choose these more often??	HIGH GI FOODS (70 or more) *† Choose these less often?
Breads: 100% stone ground whole wheat, Pumpernickel Heavy mixed grain	Breads: Whole wheat Rye Pita	Breads: White bread Kaiser roll Bagel, white
Cereal: All Bran™ Bran Buds with Psyllium™ Oatmeal, Oat Bran™	Cereal: Grapenuts™ Shredded Wheat™ Quick oats	Cereal: Branflakes Cornflakes Rice Krispies™, Cheerios™
Grains: Parboiled or converted rice Barley, Bulgar, Pasta/Noodles	Grains: Basmati rice Brown rice, Couscous	Grains: Short grain rice
Other: Sweet potato Yam Legumes Lentils, Chickpeas Kidney beans, Baked beans Split peas, Soy beans	Other: Potato, New/White Sweet corn, Popcorn Stoned Wheat Thins™ Ryvita™ (rye crisps) Black bean soup Green pea soup	Other: Potato, baking (Russet) French fries Pretzels Rice cakes Soda crackers
*Expressed as a percentage of the value of glucose  † Canadian values where available    Ref: Foster-Powell K., Holt S H A., Brand-Miller J C., International table of glycemic load values: 2002, Am J Clin Nutr. 2002; 76-5 –56    1111018 02-134 08/02 Q-2.5M Source: Canadian Diabetes Association: This publication was made available through an unrestricted grant from President’s Choice® Too Good To Be True®, registered Trademarks of Loblaws Inc.

Remember that checking your blood sugar (glucose) before and 1 to 2 hours after a meal is the best way to know how your body handles the meal.

It’s natural to have questions about what food to eat. A Registered Dietitian can help you include your favourite foods in a personalized meal plan.