Weekly Diet Plan for Diabetes: Guidelines and Sample Meal Plan

Weekly Diet Plan for Diabetes: Guidelines and Sample Meal Plan
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There are many key factors that are crucial to a weekly diet plan for diabetes. You need a plan that involves variety. If you eat the same foods throughout the week, you probably won’t get the nutrition that you need in order to stay healthy. You should count calories as well as carbohydrates. The foods you eat should be low calorie and nutrient dense as well.The carbohydrates that you eat should not have a negative impact on your blood sugar. In addition to this, certain fats should be limited. A diet that is based mostly on plant foods is your best bet. Below are some guidelines as to how a weekly diet plan for a diabetic should be structured along with a sample meal plan.

What to Eat, What Not to Eat

Eat plenty of healthy carbohydrates. This means complex carbohydrates. They have a more favorable impact on your blood sugar. Fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grain products fall into this category. Also, a way to get an idea of how high a carbohydrate you plan to eat will spike your blood sugar is to find out its glycemic index. A glycemic index is a measure of how quickly a carbohydrate breaks down into glucose and enters your bloodstream

Eat foods that are rich in fiber. Fiber helps stabilize blood sugar. You can find fiber in legumes, nuts, fruits, vegetables and whole grain products (both the flour and the bran).

Eat fish twice a week. Fish is a great substitute for unhealthy meats high in saturated fats. High levels of saturated fat cause insulin resistance. Because heart disease is a possible complication of diabetes, salmon and mackerel are especially good. Their omega-3 fatty acids promote heart health.

Eat healthy fats. We’ve already established that saturated fats are harmful when trying to regulate blood sugar levels. But there are healthier alternatives that prevent certain complications of diabetes. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in nuts, olives and certain oils should be part of a weekly diet plan for diabetics.

Since cholesterol is sometimes a problem with diabetics, it should be avoided in the diet. In addition to saturated fat, trans-fat should also be avoided, as it is more harmful to your health than saturated fat.

Final Words

Eat the same amount of carbohydrates at the same time each day in the form of small frequent meals. Check your blood sugars often with a blood sugar meter. All of this will help you regulate your blood sugar levels. Avoid sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and white flour. Since many diabetics will develop high blood pressure in their lifetime, avoid too much salt as well. Most importantly, do not look upon a weekly diet plan for diabetes as a punishment. Having a longer, healthier life is an important goal. In addition, sometimes working harder to achieve a goal is more rewarding.

References

[1] Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-diet/DA00027

[2] Web MD: https://diabetes.webmd.com/guide/sample-meal-plan