How to Eat a Diabetic Plate Diet

Whether you are diabetic, pre diabetic, over weight or have controllable type 2 diabetes, you will need to know how to eat healthy.  Eat healthy will help you keep your blood glucose under control, lose weight, and live longer.

You can use the simple diabetic plate method to see if you are eating the proper portions of vegetables, whole grains and lean meats.

Vegetables Equal 1/2 of Your Plate

 When you are preparing your meal, at least half of your meal should be vegetables.  Try to cook your vegetables in a healthy way to get the most nutritional value from them.  Try lightly steaming your vegetables until they are light in color or eat them raw.

50% of each meal should be vegetables.  Draw an imaginary line down the center of your plate and fill half of it with vegetables.  Excellent vegetables include broccoli, collard greens, kale, tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots and many more.

Do not count fruit as your vegetable serving.  Eat fruit throughout the day as a snack.

Lean Meat Equals 1/4 of Your Plate

Twenty five percent of each meal should be a lean meat such as turkey or chicken.  If you are vegetarian you may also want to consider tofu or beans and rice as your meat selection.

It is important to get plenty of lean protein each day.  Try to avoid fried meats, salami, pepperoni, hamburger and other processed meats or meats that are high in fat.

Whole Grains Equal 1/4 of Your Plate

 Twenty five percent of your plate should be a whole grain or starch such as brown rice, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread, steel cut oats, sweet potato or potato.

Do not eat white breads, overly processed grains, instant oats or white rice.  They are overly processed and do not provide the nutritional value that you will need.