Daily Meal Planning Guide

Good nutrition is one of the most basic and important diabetes care tools. Eating right can help control blood sugar. Good control protects your long-term health. This meal planning guide is a great way to begin making smart food choices.

Wether you are following a calorie-level meal plan, counting darbohydrates, using exchanges or just trying to improve the overall nutritional value of your current eating patterns, the food lists on this sheet will give you a solid starting point.

Think of this plan as only a temporary guide. Keep in mind that every person with diabetes should have a customized meal plan that provides more freedom in terms of food choices. Just about any food, including your favorites, can be fit into your meal plan.

Meal Planning Options

Calorie Meal Plans The table below shows sample meal plans, by number of servings, for different calorie levels. To maintain a healthy weight, choose a calorie level close to what you are eating now. If you need to gain or lose weight, ask your doctor which plan to use. Each plan provides about half of its calories from carbohydrate and less than 30% of calories from fat, based on choosing skim milk and medium or lower fat meats and cheeses.

Carbohydrate Counting Carbohydrate (starch and sugar) is the main nutrient in food that raises blood sugar. When you plan meals based on carbohydrate counting, count only the foods that contain carbohydrates. Use either the portion sizes shown in the food list, or calculate the carbohydrate (CHO) grams using the bolded numbers in each food list. If you are using a packaged food with a nutrition label, count the number of carbohydrate grams for the serving size. Servings from any of these high carbohydrate groups are considered to be equal: Starch, Fruit, Milk, Other Carbohydrates (Sweets).

Sample Meal Plans

Calories per day	1,200	1,500	1,800	2,000	2,500	Other
Carbohydrates-Starch (15 gram carb servings)	5	7	8	8	9
Carbohydrates-Fruit (15 gram carb servings)	3	3	4	4	6
Carbohydrates-Milk (12 gram carb servings)	2	2	3	3	3
Carbohydrates-Vegetables (5 gram carb servings)	2	2	3	4	5
Meat & Meat Substitutes	4	4	6	6	8
Fat	3	4	4	5	6
Three vegetable servings provide the same amount of carbohydrate as one serving of other carbohydrate food groups

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Starches/Breads ( 15 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams protein, 1 gram fat, and 80 calories per serving These foods are the cornerstone of every healthy eating plan. Most of their calories come from carbohydrates, a good source of energy. Many foods from this group also give you needed fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Prepare and eat starchy foods with as little added fat as possible by limiting butter, margarine, shortening and oil. These are just a few of the many available starchy foods. Estimate a single serving size for foods that aren't on the list as follows: starchy vegetables, grains, pasta: 1/2 cup Breads and cereals: 1 oz Cooked dried beans of all types: 1/3 cup
Cereals/Beans/Grains/Pasta Serving Size Beans; cooked or canned(all kinds) 1/3 cup Cereal: cooked(oatmeal, cream of wheat, rice, etc.) 1/2 cup Pasta; cooked (all kinds) 1/2 cup Rice; cooked (all kinds) 1/3 cup	Starchy Vegetables Serving Size Corn; cooked or canned(all kinds) 1/2 cup Corn meal: uncooked(masa or matzo meal) 2 Tbsp Corn on the Cob (6" piece) 1 cup Melanga; cooked 1/3 cup Peas(green); cooked or canned 1/2 cup Plantain(green, mature); cooked 1/3 cup Potato; baked, boiled or steamed 1 small(3 oz) Squash (winter, acorn, hubbard) 1 cup Yam or sweet potato 1/2 cup	Breads Serving Size Bagel 1/2 (1oz) Bread (whole wheat, rye, white) 1 oz slice Dumplings or gnocchi; steamed 2 small English muffin 1/2 Pita pocket (6-8 in dia) 1/2 Roll (dinner, hard) 1 small Sandwhich bun or roll (hamburger, hot-dog, kaiser) 1/2 Tortilla (6" corn or 8" flour) 1	Crackers/Snacks Serving Size Crackers (80 calories/serving) 4 - 6 Graham crackers (squares) 3 Pretzels (hard) 3/4 oz Popcorn (plain, popped) 3 cups	Starches/Breads with Fat Serving Size Biscuit (2 1/2") 1 Corn taco or tortilla chips 1 oz Potato chips 10 Refried Beans 1/3 cup Fried or Spanish rice 1/3 cup

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Fruits ( 15 grams carbohydrate and 60 calories per serving Fruits provide important vitamins and minerals and can be a good source of fiber. To get the most fiber from fruits, eat the edible peelings. Estimate the serving size for fruits that aren't on the list as follows: Fresh, canned or frozen fruit, no sugar added: 1/2 cup Dried fruit: 1/4 oz
Fresh Fruit Serving Size Apple; raw (2 in dia) 1 Applesauce; no sugar added 1/2 cup Banana (meddium) 1/2 Berries(raspberry, boysenberry 1 cup Berries(Blackberry, blueberry) 3/4 cup Cantaloupe or honeydew melon 1 cup Cherries; raw 12 Grapefruit(medium) 1/2 Grapes(small) 15 Peas(green)Marney(medium) 1/2 Mandarin oranges 3/4 cup Mango; fresh(small) 1/2 Orange (2 1/2 in dia) 1 Papaya 1 cup Peach or Pear (2 3/4 in dia) 1 whole Pineapple; fresh 3/4 cup Plums; raw (2 in dia) 2 Raisins 2 Tbsp Watermelon 1 1/4 cup	Fruit Juices Serving Size Apple, Orange or Grapefruit 1/2 cup Cranberry, grape or prune 1/3 cup

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Milk and Milk Products Skim Milk ( 12 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams protein, 1 gram fat and 90-110 calories per serving ) Low Fat Milk ( 12 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams protein, 3 gram fat and 120-150 calories per serving ) Whole Milk ( 12 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams protein, 5 gram fat and 150-170 calories per serving ) Milk and milk products supply calcium and other minerals, vitamins, protein, and carhohydrates. Choose low-fat and skimmed varieties for health, they have less fat, calories, and cholesterol, with the same amount of nutrients. Estimate the serving size for fruits that aren't on the list as follows:
Skim Milk and Skim Milk Products Serving Size Buttermilkfont> 8 oz Hot Cocoa from mix 1 envelope Skim milkfont> 8 oz Yogurt 8 oz	Low Fat Milk and Low Fat Milk Products Serving Size 2% Milk 8 oz Yogurt 8 oz

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Vegetables ( 5 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams protein, and 25 calories per serving ) Vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals and many also provide some fiber. A serving is 1/2 cup of raw vegetable juice, or 1 cup of raw vegetables. (Starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, and peas are listed with Starches/Breads. Vegetables with fewer than 20 calories per serving are listed with free foods.)
Vegetables Serving Size Bean Sprouts 1 cup Beans (green, wax, italian, snap) 1 cup Beets 1 cup Broccoli 1 cup Cabbage 1 cup Cactus leaves (Nopales) 1 cup Carrots 1 cup Eggplant 1 cup Greens 1 cup Jimaca 1 cup Mushrooms 1 cup Okra 1 cup Pea Pods or snow peas 1 cup Peppers 1 cup Sauerkraut 1 cup Spinach 1 cup Squash (Summer, crook, neck, zuchini, calabazita) 1 cup Tomato 1 cup Tomato or vegetable 1/2 cup Water chestnuts 1 cup

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Other Carbohydrates ( 15 grams carbohydrate, or 1 Starch or 1 Fruit, or 1 Milk ) Sugars can be included in your meals without losing blood sugar control if they are counted appropriately. Follow Food Guide Pyramid guidelines for keeping the amounts of Sweets and Fats in your overall diet small compared to more nutritionally valuable foods. Portion sizes of foods high in refined sugar are often very small. Read the label.
Other Carbohydrates Serving Size Cranberry Sauce, jellied 1/4 cup Fruit Juice Bars, frozen 3 oz Fruit Spreads 1 Tbsp Gelatin 1/2 cup Gingersnaps 3 Ice Cream, fat free, no added sugar 1/2 cup Jam or Jelly 1 Tbsp Pudding, sugar free 1/2 cup Pudding, regular 1/4 cup Salad Dressing, fat free 1/4 cup Syrup, regular 1 Tbsp Yogurt, frozen, fat free, no sugar added 1/2 cup

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Meat and Meat Substitutes Small servings of meat and meat substitutes provide enough protein to meet most people's daily needs. For better health, choose very lean and lean meat, fish, poultry, and cheese more often than medium- and high- fat types.
Very Lean Meats ( 7 gms protein, 1 gram fat, and 35 calories) Serving Size Cheese ( 1 gm fat or less) 1 oz Chicken/Turkey, white, no skin 1 oz Fish, f resh, frozen, or canned in water: cod, flounder , tuna 1 oz Shellfish ( clams, drab, shrimp) 1/3 cup	Lean Meats ( 7 gms protein, 3 gms fat, and 55 calories) Serving Size Cheese ( 1 - 3 grams fat/oz) 1 oz Cottage Cheese (4.5% fat) 1/4 cup Lean Beef (round, flank, sirloin) 1 oz Menudo (tripe soup) 1/2 cup	Mediuim Fat Meats (7 grams protein, 5 gram fat, 75 calories) Serving Size Beef, most cuts when trimmed 1 oz Cheese (5gms or less/oz) 1 oz Chicken/Turkey (dark meat, skin) 1 oz Eggs 1 Pork (top loin, chop, cutlets) 1 oz	High Fat Meats ( 7 gms protein, 8 gms fat, and 100 calories) Serving Size Cheese, all regular (American, Swiss, etc) 1 oz Chitterlings 1 oz Pork (spareribs, barbecue) 1 oz Sausage, weiners, chorizo, kielbasa, Spam 1 oz

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Fats ( 5 grams fat and 45 calories per serving ) Fats add flavor and moisture to food, but have few vitamins and minerals. Serving sizes of all fats are small. Choose mono- and polyunsaturated fats more often than saturated fats for better heart health and to lower blood cholesterol levels.
Monounsaturated Fats Serving Size Avacado, 4" diameter 1/8 Oil ( canola, olive, peanut) 1 tsp Peanut butter 2 tsp Pesto sauce 2 tsp	Polyunsaturated Fats Serving Size Margarine: stick, tub or squeeze 1 tsp Mayonnaise, reduced fat 1 Tbsp Mayonnaise, regular 1 tsp Oil (Corn, safflower, soybean) 1 tsp	Saturated Fats Serving Size Bacon 1 slice Butter 1 tsp Chicken or beef fat, lard 1 tsp Cream (light, coffee, sour) 1 Tbsp Pork (top loin, chop, cutlets) 1 oz

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Free Foods Each free food or drink contains fewer than 20 calories per serving. Eat as much as you want of the free foods that list no serving size. Eat up to 3 servings a day that have serving sizes listed. For better blood sugar control, spread your servings of these extra foods throughout the day .
Drinks Serving Size Bouillon or broth, fat free none Coffee or tea none Soft drinks, calories infont> none	Sweet Substitutes Serving Size Gelatin, sugar free none Jam or jelly, sugar free 2 tsp Whipped topping 2 Tbsp	Condiments Serving Size Catsup 1 Tbsp Hot sauce none Mustard none Salad dressing, low cal 2 tsp Salsa none Vinegar none	Vegetables Serving Size Celery none Cilantro none Cucumber none Dill pickles, unsweetened none Horseradish none Onions none Peppers (hot, chili) none Radishes none Salad greens none

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Seasonings Seasonings can be used as desired. If you are on a low-sodium diet, read labels to avoid seasonings that contain sodium or salt

Seasoning Serving Size Flavoring extracts (vanilla, etc.) none Garlic or garlic powder none Herbs, fresh or dried none Lemon or lemon juice none Onion Powder none Paprika none Pepper none Soy sauce none

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Food Guide Pyramid The pyramid is a good guide to choosing healthy foods. The foods in each section provide some, but not all, of the nutrients needed for health. It is important to eat servings from each group every day. Most people need more of the foods sbown in the larger sections at the bottom, and fewer servings from the smaller sections. If you are using the pyramid, your health care provider will write in the number of servings recommended for your needs.

Seasoning Serving Size Seasoning Serving Size Fats, Oils and Sweets Use Sparingly Seasoning Serving Size Seasoning Serving Size Seasoning Serving Size Milk, Yogurt and Cheese 2-3 servings 2-3 servings Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry beans, Eggs, Nuts Serving Size Seasoning Serving Size Seasoning Serving Size Vegetables 3-5 servings 2-4 servings Fruit Group Seasoning Serving Size Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta 6- 11 Servings

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Guidlines For Estimating portion Sizes These are guidlines for esimating the portion size of any food without acutally measuring Fist= 1 cup Palm = 3 oz Thumb tip= 1 teaspoon Handful= 1 or 2 oz snackfood Thumb= 1 oz