If you suffer from diabetes, then you need not be told about the importance of eating right. Your diet plays a big role in maintaining the blood glucose and overall health.

A diabetes meal plan is not as complex as you think it is. Eating healthy, small proportion, at regular intervals is the key to managing diabetes.

In this guide, you will learn about how many calories should dietary intake include and how do you achieve your nutrition requirement.

How to plan your diabetic diet menu?

It is essential that you watch what you eat. There are certain food items that help you maintain your glucose level, so it is important to include these food items in your diabetic diet plans. Here are some ways in which you can ensure that you are eating right:

• Consider following the plate method
  One of the best ways to eat right is having a standard plate that will help you plan and measure your dietary intake. In the plate method, the patient is encouraged to fill one half of the plate with healthy non-starchy vegetables like spinach, carrot, and tomatoes. This is because vegetables are high in nutrient and low in calorie. Now, with the next half of the plate, divide it into two equal parts. Fill the first half with protein like tuna, lean lentils, fish or beans, while you must include starchy whole grain food items like rice and bread in the other half. Starch breaks down into glucose and helps in giving your body the right amount of energy that it needs.
• Limit your carbohydrate intake
  Carbohydrates break down into glucose and affect the blood sugar level in your system. So, it is important to keep a tab on your carbs intake and make sure that it is not drastic. The best thing to do is to eat the same amount of carbs every single day, with the same time intervals. For patients who take insulin for diabetes, it is essential that they manage their insulin intake according to their carbs intake.

Benefits of following diabetic diet plans
Almost all diabetic diet plans strongly recommend you increase your intake of vegetables, fruits, and fibers. By following any of the dozens of diabetic diet plans out there, you are in a way building a strong immunity that will prevent serious ailments like cardiovascular diseases or cancer from attacking you.

These diabetic diet plans encourage well-balanced meals, exercises and embracing positive lifestyle changes, leading to not just improvement of your glucose, but overall health.

How to manage your diabetes?

• Along with following the diabetic diet plans, start exercising regularly to keep your sugar level in check.
• If you feel parched, then make sure you drink water. Drinking plenty of water helps in raising the blood sugar level and keeping it stable.
• Always aim to have a steady body weight as it helps in controlling your sugar level.
• Include low-fat milk and low-fat cheese in your diet.
• Alcohol affects your glucose level, so limit your alcohol intake.
• Make sure to include milk and fruits in your daily intake.

What should your sample meal look like according to the diabetic diet plans?
If you want to come up with your own meal plan keeping in mind the diabetic diet plans, remember that there is no standard rule.

As long as you eat healthy food and meet your a set calorie intake, all is well. Here are some ideas for a whole day’s meal plan:

Breakfast: Though you might be tempted to skip your breakfast, you should never do that. Your breakfast can include food items like cold cereal, whole grain toast, low-fat milk, boiled eggs, peanut butter or yogurt.

Lunch: Your lunch can consist of a pita bread sandwich, an apple, low-fat yogurt, salad, and meat.

Dinner: Keep your dinner light. If you are too tired to be bothered to make fancy meals, then you can stick to easy to prepare food items like soups, vegetable salads, brown rice, sausages or baked potatoes.

Light snacks: It is a well-known fact that diabetic people should eat at regular intervals. It is best to keep some healthy snacks that you can munch on. Some snack options to consider are whole grain crackers, skimmed milk, peanut butter, popcorn, fruits like cherries, oranges, apples, and plum. You can also consider slightly filling snack options like cotton cheese with sautéed veggies or thin crust baked pizza.

Just taking your diabetes medication and insulin won’t help. Along with the medications, healthy diet and having an active life is essential.

Keep in mind that changing your meal plan overnight is neither effective nor healthy. So, instead try to make small changes in your meal gradually, to get long-term benefits.