What To Eat When You Have Type 1 Diabetes
It's important to eat a healthy diet when you have type 1 diabetes. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy tasty food, including some of your favorites. With type 1 diabetes, your body stops making insulin. So you take insulin every day either through shots or a pump. It’s also key to track your blood sugar levels. Insulin is only part of the picture. Diet and exercise also play important roles in helping keep your blood sugar levels stable. When you make healthy food choices and eat consistent amounts through the day, it can help control your sugars. It can also lower your chance of diabetes-related problems like heart disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage. Some experts used to think there was a "diabetes diet." They thought people with diabetes had to avoid all foods with sugars or stop eating certain other foods. But when you have type 1, you can eat the same healthy diet as everyone else. Follow some general guidelines: Eat less unhealthy fat. Cut back on the saturated fats you find in high-fat meats like bacon and regular ground beef, as well as full-fat dairy like whole milk and butter. Unhealthy fats raise your chance of heart disease. With diabetes, you face higher-than-average odds of getting heart disease. Make smart food choices to lower that risk. Get enough fiber. It may help control your blood sugar. You can get fiber from whole grains, beans, and fruits and vegetables. Try to get 25-30 grams a day. Those high-fiber foods are always better choices than low-fiber carbs such as refined 'white' grains and processed sugary foods. Carbohydrates are your body's main source of energy. You get them from many foods, like grains (pasta, bread, crackers, and cookies), fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and sugars. Carbs raise your blood sugar levels faster than Continue reading >>
Diabetic Meal Plan For Type 1 Diabetes
Diabetes, or as it's fully called Diabetes Mellitus, is in fact two completely different diseases type 1 and type 2, and from a nutritional point of view each should be treated differently, therefore we have a plan for both. Blood sugar (glucose) levels are controlled by a hormone called insulin, produced by the pancreas. Glucose comes from the digestion of starchy foods, such as bread and potatoes, from sugar and naturally sweet foods, and the liver where it is made and passed into the blood. In diabetes glucose cannot be used effectively as a fuel by the body, leading to increased levels in the blood, and the excess glucose passes over into urine making the patient pass more urine and feel thirsty. Other symptoms include tiredness, blurred vision and disorientation. Type 2 diabetes is a disease caused by the inability of insulin to act properly on tissues, see our meal plan (coming soon). In type 1 diabetes the pancreas produces no insulin at all, so the patient has to be treated with injections of insulin as well as a suitable diet. There are a number of different types of insulin which your doctor will put you on. Older insulin regimens were a lot stricter and diabetics had to follow very strict eating times. Newer regimens encourage the patients themselves to take more control over their own nutrition and they can do this by having one injection of long acting insulin per day and an appropriate dose of super-fast acting insulin prior to a meal. However, regular meals and snacks are still encouraged, especially in respect of carbohydrate foods. Diabetics should aim for slow-released low glycaemic carbs as the basis of each meal and snack. See our Glycaemic Index Tables for GI values of foods. It's important that diabetics follow a suitable diet because: What you eat Continue reading >>
Meal Plans And Diabetes
en espaolLos planes de alimentacin y la diabetes Kids with diabetes benefit from a healthy diet the same as everyone else. Although kids with diabetes don't have to follow a special diabetes diet, they may need to pay more attention to when they eat and how much is on their plates. Meal planning goals for kids with diabetes often are the same as those for other kids: They need foods that help them have overall good health, normal growth , and a healthy weight . But kids with diabetes also have to balance their intake of carbohydrates (carbs)with their insulin and activity levels to keep blood sugar levels under control, and they should eat foods that help keep the levels of lipids (fats like cholesterol and triglycerides) in the blood in a healthy range. Doing socan help prevent some of the long-term health problems that diabetes can cause. Kids with diabetes face the same food challenges as everyone else mainly, sticking with healthy eating habits. You need to know what's in the foods you're serving and eating. It's easy to guess what some foods contain, but others are more of a challenge. So look to food labels to find a food's ingredients, nutritional information, and calories. Be sure tolook for information oncarbs, which can affect blood sugar levels. Usually, they're clearly listed on food labels in grams. The two main forms of carbs are sugars and starches. Types of sugars include fructose (sugar found in fruit and some baked goods), glucose (the main sugar in our bodies that's also found in foods like cake, cookies, and soft drinks), and lactose (sugar found in milk and yogurt). Starches include vegetables like potatoes, corn, and peas; grains, rice, and cereals; and breads. The body breaks down or converts most carbs into glucose, which is absorbed into the bl Continue reading >>
The Best 7-day Diabetes Meal Plan
This 1,200-calorie meal plan makes it easy to follow a diabetes diet with healthy and delicious foods that help to balance blood sugar. The simple meals and snacks in this 7-day plan feature complex carbohydrates (think whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables), lean protein and healthy fats. We limited refined carbohydrates (like white bread, white pasta and white rice) as well as added sugars, which can spike your blood sugar quickly. We've also cut back on saturated fats and sodium, as they can negatively impact your health if you eat too much. The carbohydrates are balanced throughout the day with each meal containing 2-3 carb servings (30-45 grams of carbohydrates) and each snack containing around 1 carb serving (15 grams of carbohydrates). The calorie and carbohydrate totals are listed next to each meal and snack so you can swap foods with similar nutrition in and out as you like. Eating with diabetes doesn't need to be difficult—choose a variety of nutritious foods, as we do in this meal plan, and add in daily exercise for a healthy and sustainable approach to managing diabetes. Day 1 Breakfast (294 calories, 41 g carbohydrates) • 1/2 cup oats cooked in 1/2 cup each 2% milk and water • 1 medium plum, chopped • 4 walnut halves, chopped Top oats with plum and walnuts. A.M. Snack (96 calories, 18 g carbohydrates) • 3/4 cup blueberries • 1/4 nonfat plain Greek yogurt Top blueberries with yogurt. Lunch (319 calories, 37 g carbohydrates) Turkey & Apple Cheddar Melt • 2 slices whole-wheat bread • 2 tsp. whole-grain mustard, divided • 1/2 medium apple, sliced • 2 oz. low-sodium deli turkey • 2 Tbsp. shredded Cheddar cheese, divided • 1 cup mixed greens Top one slice of bread with 1 tsp. mustard, apple, turkey and 1 Tbsp. cheese. Top the other Continue reading >>
Newly Diagnosed Meal Plan
Note:By providing a place for the community to share real life experiences we hope you find inspiration and new ways of thinking about management. We encourage you to approach these offerings as you would a buffet review the options, maybe try a few new things and come back for what works best for you. Bon Appetit! Check out our libraryof resources on Food . For the last couple months we have been working with Finger Prickin Good to create a 1-week meal plan for a newly diagnosed family. Every time we hear from a newly diagnosed family, we want to have plenty of material at Beyond Type 1 to help navigate the tough early weeks. We have specifically wanted something to direct families toward that will help them get back on their feet and learn how to prepare meals for their Type 1 child. This plan features some favorite family recipes from Finger Prickin Good, with a focus on balancing low carbohydrate options with super kid-friendly foods, as this will likely be a new way of eating for many kids. This plan contains options for a homemade breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner, every day for one week. If this is an overwhelming amount of cooking for you, feel free to pick and chose from the recipes provided- you can completely cater it to your own family. The plan is merely meant as a sample week. Here are 4 of the most popular recipes that are included in the plan, with descriptions from Finger Prickin Good: Over the years these Breakfast Burritos have become a favorite at our house! Theyre so easy to make and so delicious! I promise you wont even miss the tortilla! Unwrapped Sandwich Skewer . Sometimes you just need a break from an ordinary sandwich. This Unwrapped Sandwich Skewer does just that! Just load up a popsicle stick or skewer with your favorite sandwich fillings Continue reading >>
Meal Planning For Children With Type 1 Diabetes
Home Diabetes Overview Articles Diabetes and children Meal planning for children with type 1 diabetes Meal planning for children with type 1 diabetes Two little 2 years old girls sitting at a table and eating together against a green lawn Meal planning for children with type 1 diabetes can be a true practice in patience. With the varying degrees of literature and information out there, it can be challenging to understand the Dos and Donts of proper nutrition. Although, naturally, there are some considerations to be aware of, most diets recommended for children with type 1 diabetes are the same healthy diet for children without the condition. Knowing this helps alleviate some of the stresses in making food, so when its time to prep that lunch or dinnertime meal you know its just a matter of following a few, basic rules. Heres how its done! Instead of trying to build a diabetic diet handbook (which, at best, is an exhausting pursuit) focus on ensuring your child is getting a balanced diet, which means eating across each of the major food groups: vegetables and fruit, grain products, meat and alternatives, dairy and alternatives, as well as added oils and fats. Healthy eating is integral to a childs development and growth and a child with diabetes is no different. Check out this article on basic menu planning for people with diabetes. Carbohydrates raise your blood sugar levels faster than any other food, but they are important nutrients for your child because they supply glucose (aka: energy) needed for the bodys cells and brain functions. Your childs body uses carbs to help him or her grow, walk and hit that jungle gym, while their brain uses it to develop, learn and respond. They are critical to health and well being but consumption also warrants a critical eye, as chi Continue reading >>
Type 1 Diabetes Diet
Type 1 diabetes diet definition and facts In Type 1 diabetes the pancreas can do longer release insulin. The high blood sugar that results can lead to complications such as kidney, nerve, and eye damage, and cardiovascular disease. Glycemic index and glycemic load are scientific terms used to measure he impact of a food on blood sugar. Foods with low glycemic load (index) raise blood sugar modestly, and thus are better choices for people with diabetes. Meal timing is very important for people with type 1 diabetes. Meals must match insulin doses. Eating meals with a low glycemic load (index) makes meal timing easier. Low glycemic load meals raise blood sugar slowly and steadily, leaving plenty of time for the body (or the injected insulin dose) to respond. Skipping a meal or eating late puts a person at risk for low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Foods to eat for a type 1 diabetic diet include complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, whole wheat, quinoa, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, beans, and lentils. Foods to avoid for a type 1 diabetes diet include sodas (both diet and regular), simple carbohydrates - processed/refined sugars (white bread, pastries, chips, cookies, pastas), trans fats (anything with the word hydrogenated on the label), and high-fat animal products. Fats don't have much of a direct effect on blood sugar but they can be useful in slowing the absorption of carbohydrates. Protein provides steady energy with little effect on blood sugar. It keeps blood sugar stable, and can help with sugar cravings and feeling full after eating. Protein-packed foods to include on your menu are beans, legumes, eggs, seafood, dairy, peas, tofu, and lean meats and poultry. The Mediterranean diet plan is often recommended for people with type 1 diabetes because it is full of nut Continue reading >>
Type 1 Diabetes Nutrition
If you have type 1 diabetes, it is important to know how many carbohydrates you eat at a meal. This information helps you determine how much insulin you should take with your meal to maintain blood sugar (glucose) control. Carbohydrates are the main type of food that raises blood sugar. The starch, fruit and milk groups of the Food Group Pyramid for Diabetes are high in carbs. Foods in the Other Carbohydrates and Combination Food groups are also high in carbs. The vegetable group has a small amount of carbohydrates. The meat and fat groups have few or no carbs. The amount of carbohydrates you eat at each meal will determine how high your blood sugar rises after the meal. The other two major nutrients, protein and fat ,also have an effect on blood glucose levels, though it is not as rapid or great as carbohydrates. Most people with diabetes can control their blood sugar by limiting carbohydrate servings to 2-4 per meal and 1-2 per snack. A delicate balance of carbohydrate intake, insulin, and physical activity is necessary for the best blood sugar (glucose) levels. Eating carbohydrates increases your blood sugar (glucose) level. Exercise tends to decrease it (although not always). If the three factors are not in balance, you can have wide swings in blood sugar (glucose) levels. If you have type 1 diabetes and take a fixed dose of insulin, the carbohydrate content of your meals and snacks should be consistent from day to day. CHILDREN AND DIABETES Weight and growth patterns can help determine if a child with type 1 diabetes is getting enough nutrition. Changes in eating habits and more physical activity help improve blood sugar (glucose) control. For children with diabetes, special occasions (like birthdays or Halloween) require additional planning because of the extra sw Continue reading >>
Making A Diabetic Meal Plan Work For You
How a Diabetes Meal Plan Can Help You Knowing how to plan heart healthy meals is important for managing all types of diabetes diets. Food can raise blood sugar levels. The type and amount of foods that are eaten will affect how high and how fast blood sugar levels will rise. It is important to make healthy eating choices about when to eat, what to eat and how much to eat. When should a diabetic eat? Eat your meals and snacks at about the same time each day. By doing this, your blood sugar levels may stay under control. Space your meals 4-5 hours apart. Eat in-between snacks as needed. If you take insulin or diabetes pills, keep the right balance between food and these medicines. You should understand how long your pills or insulin take to work to lower blood glucose levels. Find out when they work the best you plan when to eat. Snacks between meals are very important if you go more than five hours from meal to meal. What should a diabetic eat? Eat about the same size meals and snacks every day. Most people eat a small breakfast, a medium sized lunch and a larger dinner. This forces the body to process most of the day's food at the end of the day. A better idea is to eat all meals that are about the same size. You will be eating balanced meals throughout the day. Make healthy food choices rich in vitamins, minerals, lean protein like white chicken and fiber such as brown rice. The fiber takes longer to break down. Blood sugars rise slower. This will keep blood sugar levels better controlled. It will help your body better process the sugar coming from your food. Do not skip meals. If you take insulin or diabetes pills, do not skip meals. This can cause your blood sugars to drop too low. Skipping one meal could cause you to overeat at the next meal. Even if you do not take Continue reading >>
Type 1 Diabetes Diet
Maintaining a healthy diet is important for type 1 diabetes management. A type 1 diabetes diet is designed to provide maximum nutrition, while also monitoring intake of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. However, there’s no single universal diabetes diet. It involves being mindful of how you eat and how your body will respond to certain foods. People with type 1 diabetes need to monitor their blood sugar levels. Without proper diet, exercise, and insulin therapy, a person with type 1 diabetes could experience health complications. Complications associated with type 1 diabetes include: high blood pressure, which increases risk for heart attack, stroke, and poor circulation kidney damage nerve damage skin sores and infections, which can cause pain and may lead to tissue death Following proper dietary guidelines can help mitigate the difficulties of type 1 diabetes and help you avoid health complications. It can also improve your overall quality of life. Just like there’s no standard treatment for type 1 diabetes, there’s no standard diet for diabetes. A nutritionist or dietitian can help you come up with meal plans and create a diet that works for you in the long term. It’s easy to reach for fast food and other processed foods when you’re short on time and money. However, these foods offer minimal nutrients and are high in fat, sugar, and salt. Planning your meals ahead of time and grocery shopping regularly can help cut down on any “emergency eating.” A well-stocked kitchen of healthy food can also cut down on unnecessary sugar, carbohydrates, sodium, and fat that can spike blood sugar. An important aspect of any diabetic diet is consistency. To maintain blood sugar levels, don’t skip meals, try to eat around the same time each day, and pay attention to foo Continue reading >>
Nutrition And Meal Planning
Pediatric Type 1 diabetes To correct for the lack of insulin in Type 1 diabetes, families learn how to match insulin doses to the amount of food (carbohydrates) eaten at meals. Foods contain a mixture of protein, carbohydrate and fat. One hundred percent of carbohydrates (carbs) are broken down to glucose. Meals and snacks should include a variety of foods, for good nutrition. Include colorful fruits and vegetables each day. Choose whole grains to add fiber to the diet. Protein and fat A minimum amount of protein and fat end up as sugar in the blood, so additional insulin is usually not needed to cover these foods. Protein and a moderate amount of fats are important for good nutrition and a balanced diet. They can help maintain a steady level of blood glucose and play a role preventing hypoglycemia. Include protein foods with two or more meals or snacks every day. Include low fat dairy to meet calcium needs. Most dairy foods count as carbohydrates; cheese is a low-carb protein substitute. Look for reduced-fat choices to help control saturated fat. Carb counting Carbohydrate is a broad category including sugars, fiber and starches (bread, cereal and starchy vegetables like potato). Carbs are found in many food groups, such as grains, fruit, milk and sweets. Food labels Reading food labels will help you control your diabetes, and is essential to learning carb counting. Prepared foods are required to have food labels, and reference books will help you find carb contents for ones that do not, like produce, meats and restaurant foods. It is important to compare your serving size to the serving listed on the nutrition facts label for accurate carb counting. If the food contains less than 5 grams of fiber, subtract half of the fiber grams from the total carbohydrate, as only p Continue reading >>
I Have Type 1 – Diabetes What Can I Eat?
From the moment you are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes you are likely to be faced with what seems like an endless list of new tasks that need to become part of everyday life – injections, testing, treating a hypo, monitoring and eating a healthy, balanced diet. No wonder it can all seem so daunting and overwhelming. One of your first questions is likely to be “what can I eat?” But, with so much to take in, you could still come away from appointments feeling unsure about the answer. Plus, there are lots of myths about diabetes and food that you will need to navigate too. If you’ve just been diagnosed and aren’t sure about what you can and can’t eat, here’s what you need to know. I've just been diagnosed with Type 1 – what can I eat? In one word... anything. It may come as a surprise, but all kinds of food are fine for people with Type 1 diabetes to eat. In the past, people were sent away after their diagnosis with a very restrictive diet plan. This was because the availability of insulin was limited and the type of insulin treatment was very restrictive. As insulin treatments have been developed to be much more flexible, the days of “do's and don'ts” are long gone. The way to go nowadays is to try and fit the diabetes and insulin around the same healthy, balanced diet that is recommended for everyone, with lots of fruit and veg and some food from all the food groups. Is there anything I should avoid? Before your diagnosis of diabetes, it is likely that you experienced an unquenchable thirst. It is a good idea to avoid sugary drinks and fruit juices as a way of quenching thirst. They usually put blood glucose levels up very high and very quickly – which is why they can be a useful treatment for a hypo (low blood glucose levels). Instead, drink water, Continue reading >>
My Healthy Diabetic Meal Plan
This healthy diabetic meal plan is a real-life example of what my daily diet typically looks like. Have you ever searched for “healthy diabetic meal plan” in Google or on some of the large diabetes website? I have, and I quickly became frustrated by articles that were too general to be useful and meal plans with boring food (or a ton of carbs). That’s why I wanted to share EXACTLY what my meal plan is like, how to cook the meals I eat, and how you can adjust my meal plan to your personal calorie needs. I want this to be a meal plan you can start following yourself tomorrow if you like! There is a link at the end of this post where you can download the meal plan as a PDF. The download also contains a table where you can see how much to make of each recipe based on your daily calorie need. Plus, it includes metric measurements for our international readers. How the plan works I prefer to eat six smaller meals throughout the day rather than the classic three big meals of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Eating smaller meals allows me to spread out my carbs between the meals, making blood sugar control easier. I also rarely feel hungry between meals because I eat every 3-4 hours. Each meal has less than 30 grams of carbs, a good amount of protein, and some healthy fat. Because the meals are very similar in size and macronutrients, you can really eat them in the order you like. If you prefer chicken for breakfast and pancakes for dinner, I won’t hold you back (but I may give you a strange look…) If eating six daily meals doesn’t work for you because of your schedule (work, family, etc.), please don’t stress about it. You can just combine some of the meals and have four meals instead. It’s better to have a routine that works than trying to force yourself to eat s Continue reading >>
3-day Diabetes Meal Plan: 1,200 Calories
Eating with diabetes doesn't need to be restrictive or complicated. Healthy eating is the cornerstone of managing diabetes, yet it can be a challenge figuring out what to eat to balance your blood sugar. Here we've created a delicious 3-day meal plan that makes it easier to follow a diabetes diet. In this plan you'll find a mix of nutritious foods including fiber-rich complex carbohydrates, like whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables, lean protein sources, healthy fats and dairy. This plan limits the amount of foods with refined carbohydrates (think white bread, white rice and sugar), added sugars and saturated fats, which can negatively impact your health if you eat too much. The carbohydrates are balanced throughout the day with each meal containing 2-3 carb servings (30-45 grams of carbohydrates) and each snack containing around 1 carb serving (15 grams of carbohydrates). The calorie and carbohydrate totals are listed next to each meal and snack so you can swap foods with similar nutrition in and out as you like. Eating with diabetes doesn't need to be restrictive or complicated. Incorporating a variety of foods, as we do in this meal plan, is a healthy and sustainable approach to managing diabetes. Not sure if this is the right plan for you? Calculate your calorie level and find the diet meal plan that will work best for you. Day 1 Meal Prep Tip: Cook or set aside an extra 1/2 cup of black beans tonight at dinner to have for lunch on Day 2. Be sure to rinse canned beans to get rid of excess salt. Breakfast (298 calories, 32 grams carbohydrates) • 1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt • 1/2 cup blueberries • 1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts • 2 tsp. honey Top yogurt with blueberries, walnuts and honey. Note: We use a small amount of added sweetener, in this case h Continue reading >>
Meal Planning For Children With Type 1 Diabetes
When you have a child with type 1 diabetes, it's easy to get carried away with the notion of a diabetic diet. But in reality, your child's dietary needs are no different from a child who doesn't have diabetes. Of course, there are certain considerations you need to be aware of, and understanding the carbohydrate content in food is arguably the most important. In this article, you will learn about the importance of carb counting, with a special emphasis on how fiber and sugar alcohols may also affect your child's blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. Nutrition Basics There's really no such thing as a diabetic diet. That's why you should focus instead on providing your child with balanced nutrition. A good nutritional resource to consult is the Food Pyramid. In recent years, the United States Department of Agriculture has made some updates to the standard Food Pyramid that most of us grew up knowing. Instead of being a set-in-stone guideline, now you can create personalized eating plans that are flexible and balanced. To refresh your memory on healthy eating, visit ChooseMyPlate.gov. There are 3 main nutrients in foods—fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. These essential nutrients affect blood glucose in different ways. Fats: Fat typically doesn't break down into sugar in your blood, and in small amounts, it doesn't affect your blood glucose levels. But fat does slow down digestion, and this can cause your blood glucose to rise slower than it normally would. After a high-fat meal, your child's blood glucose may be elevated up to 12 hours after the meal. Proteins: Protein doesn't affect blood glucose unless you eat more than your body needs. In most cases, you need only about 6 ounces or less (which is about the size of 2 decks of cards) at each meal. Carbohydrates: Carbohyd Continue reading >>
