Managing your diabetes is about more than just keeping track of your blood sugar. As with lots of things, your diet plays a key role in maximizing your health. Check out some of our top tips for managing your diabetes.
5 Nutrition Tips for Managing Diabetes
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Why Complex Carbs Are Important:
Complex carbohydrates take longer to break down in your body, allowing glucose to be absorbed more slowly, which helps manage blood sugar levels.
Good Sources:
Whole-grain breads, pastas, and cereal; apricots, plums, pears, most vegetables, legumes (beans, peas, lentils), and lowfat dairy products
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Why Fiber Is Important:
A diet high in fiber can help keep you fuller longer and help manage blood sugar levels. Fiber also helps control cholesterol, which can reduce your risk of heart disease — a serious complication of diabetes.1
Good Sources:
Fruits with peel, legumes (beans, peas, lentils), sweet potatoes with skin, brown rice, whole-grain pasta, whole-wheat bread, and fiber-containing breakfast cereals
1Am J Diet Assoc. 2008;108:1716-1731. -
Why Omega-3s Are Important:
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help lower blood pressure, decrease inflammation, and reduce the risk of heart disease — all things you must protect yourself against, especially when you have diabetes.
Good Sources:
Salmon, walnuts, soybeans, tuna, herring, canola and walnut oils, flaxseed, and fish oil supplements
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Why Low-GI Foods Are Important:
Foods with low GI levels can help lower your blood sugar levels, resulting in lower A1C over time.1
Good Sources:
Beans, lentils, whole-grain bread, oat bran, brown rice, sweet potatoes, raw carrots, mushrooms, green beans, tomatoes, and lettuce
1Diabetes In Control: Public Health Nutrition. Dec. 2009. -
Why Magnesium Is Important:
Magnesium plays a major role in the breakdown of carbohydrates. Some studies have shown that people with diabetes can have low levels of magnesium. In these cases, supplements can be a good option.1
Good Sources:
Spinach, tofu, almonds, broccoli, oatmeal, cashews, halibut, lentils, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds
1Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Magnesium. Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health. Available at:http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium
Now that you have great tips for managing your diabetes, see how Glucerna products can help support your diabetes management plan.
2 Ways to Keep Your Food Intake in Check
Monitoring what (and how much) you eat is another important part of proper diabetes management. Check out three different ways you can do it and see which one works best for you.
Be Picky About Portions
A good meal plan will suggest portion or serving sizes for a variety of foods. It's a good idea to measure foods so you know exactly how much you're eating. That's where Glucerna® Shakes and Bars come in handy — they give you automatic portion control and help make your food decisions easy. See below for handy tips on how to measure portions.
Size Up Your Portions!
It’s a good idea to measure foods so you know exactly how much you’re eating. But if a food scale or a measuring cup isn’t available, you can estimate your portion size.
One fist is approximately 8 fl oz of cold and hot beverages, or 1 cup of broccoli or mashed potatoes.
One hand cupped is about 1/2 cup of pasta, rice, polenta, hot cereal, grits, fruit salad, beans, okra, tofu, or cottage cheese, or 1 oz of nuts.
Two hands cupped is about 1 cup of cold cereal, soup, salad, and mixed dishes like casseroles.
A deck of cards (or the palm of your hand) is about 3 oz of cooked meat, like a hamburger patty, chicken breast, or fish filet.
A medium apple or other fruit is about the size of a tennis ball.
1 oz of cheese is about the size of 4 dice.
1/2 cup of ice cream or frozen yogurt is about the size of a tennis ball.
1 tsp. of butter or peanut butter is about the size of the tip of your thumb.
Two thumbs together is about 1 Tbsp. of peanut butter, salad dressing, sour cream, mayonnaise, or dip.
Make Smart Carb Choices
Carbohydrates are the body's main energy source and should be part of a well-balanced
meal plan. However, the kinds of carbohydrates you eat make a difference
in managing your blood sugar. Carbohydrate counting and the exchange system are
two common meal planning methods that give you a convenient way to understand the
carb levels in the foods you include in your meals. Your health care team can help
you choose the method that's best for you. To compare carbohydrate counting and
the exchange system, see the charts below.
Glucerna products contain unique blends of carbohydrates to help you manage your
blood sugar level.
Discover the science
behind Glucerna products.
Carbohydrate Counting
Carb Choice or Diabetes Exchange Equivalent
0 to 5 grams
Do not count
6 to 10 grams
1/2 carb choice or 1/2 starch, fruit, or milk exchange
11 to 20 grams
1 carb choice or 1 starch, fruit, or milk exchange
21 to 25 grams
1-1/2 carb choices or 1-1/2 starch, fruit, or milk exchanges
26 to 35 grams
2 carb choices or 2 starch, fruit, or milk exchanges
- Adapted from Basic Carbohydrate Counting, American Diabetes Association, 2003
Discover the science behind Glucerna, and see how all of our products are designed with you in mind.
Keep it all in balance with our lineup of helpful tools. Map your walk, count carbs, and more.
