Lowering Your Risk Through Food: Diabetes
This is wonderful information for everyone, whether you live with diabetes, are at risk of developing it, or just want to know more! Let's look at developing healthy eating habits that lower our risk of diabetes and that can help manage levels when living with diabetes.
Important Education Takeaways
Know which foods contain carbohydrates. Eat mostly quality complex carbs that are fiber rich.
Most women need 45-60 grams of carbs per meal, while most men need 60-75 grams. Keeping snacks to 15-30 grams. While those living with diabetes should follow: 30-45 grams per meal (women), 45-60 grams per meal (men), and keeping snacks to 15-20 grams.
Foods with carbohydrates: Grains, starches, fruits, and dairy products are all considered carb foods.
Fiber-rich foods: Whole grains, starchy veggies, beans, lentils, and fruits.
Limit refined and processed carb foods such as white breads, chips, crackers, sweets, and sodas.
New information! Our Ask the RD blog for March 2024 offers a great read on the best food choices to manage A1C levels.
Use the Healthy Plate method to practice portion control and meal balance. A balanced and colorful plate is a general guideline for any healthy meal.
Healthy Plate method: 1/2 non-starchy fruits and vegetables, 1/4 lean protein, 1/4 complex carbohydrate
Learn more about the Healthy Plate in our heart health video library.
Get more details on starchy versus non-starchy veggies and how to fill the 1/2 plate of fruits and veggies in our Ask the RD blog.
Pair your foods to help regulate blood sugar levels. Your carbs should always be paired with a protein and a healthy fat.
Pairing your foods supports a slower, sustained release of sugar into the blood stream; avoiding quick blood sugar spikes and drops. You’ll also feel fuller longer with this pairing approach.
Ideas for food pairings: whole grain toast with avocado, a piece of fruit with a handful of nuts.
New information! Get more ideas for food pairings and sourdough bread in our Ask the RD blog.
Helpful information and ideas for lean proteins to maintain healthy blood sugar levels can be found in our Ask the RD blog.
Timing of meals matters. Eat meals every 4-5 hours and small healthy snacks as needed between meals.
Breakfast should be consumed within one hour of waking.
The timed meals throughout the day should include portion control — and don’t forget the food pairing, even for the snacks.
Portion estimates: a fist-size portion of carbohydrate food generally equals about one cup (1 fist = 1 cup).
Stick to the healthy plate for no more than 1/4 of plate for those complex carbs.
Diabetes management includes more than just healthy eating. It’s a lifestyle to include movement, wellbeing, and nutrition.
Important healthy behaviors include reducing stress, getting enough sleep, moving your body, and consistency in medication management.
Chronic stress and poor sleep hygiene often lead to elevated blood sugars, weight gain, and can result in poor diabetes control. Conversely, regular movement and quality sleep tend to improve blood sugar control and weight management efforts.
New information! Check out this lifestyle and nutritional advice for lowering A1C levels in our Ask the RD blog.
The Providence Heart Guide is full of helpful tips and tools for living a heart-healthy lifestyle, which also supports healthy lifestyle living for those with or at-risk of diabetes. Flip through the pages of our digital edition.
Recipes
Recipe of the month: Black Bean Brownies
As always, this recipe is the showcase of our live taught, virtual cooking class. Our chef and registered dietitian bring the recipe to life as they walk you through food prep, swaps to meet dietary or taste preferences, plus tips and tools to support you being your own healthy chef at home.
Bonus recipe: Loaded Sweet Potatoes
From Jamie’s kitchen to yours, our monthly bonus recipes are published on our website and social media the 4th Wednesday of each month. We invite you to browse our recipe collection and come back often to find more flavorful and heart-healthy recipes.
We invite you to join us for the live taught, virtual nutrition classes each month to gather more information on our nutrition topics. This is also an opportunity to ask topic-related questions of our experts as well as connect socially with attendees for idea sharing. As a registered participant for our In the Kitchen program, you receive a few reminders ahead of each scheduled monthly classes, but here’s an easy to remember schedule: Nutrition Education (30-minutes, 2nd Wednesday, 12pm), Cooking Class (up to 60-minutes, 3rd Monday, 12pm).
Contributing authors: Jamie Libera, RD, LD, CCTD, registered dietitian, Providence.