What is the Best American Diabetic Diet Plan?

The best diabetic diet plan is one you can stay on and that will satisfy you while it helps keep your blood sugar under control. The American Diabetes Association has a diet plan you might want to try. It can be found at http://healthnews.ediets.com/go/start/ with the capability to tailor it to suit your own lifestyle and tastes.

Basically, the diabetic should include foods from each of the four major food groups in his or her daily diet:

1. Vegetables and fruits such as green beans, applies, berries, spinach, etc.
2. Whole grains. Cereal grains like bran, brown rice, wheat, and oats in the form of bread or cereal.
3. Dairy products, preferably low-fat. These include cottage cheese, yogurt, low-fat or skim milk.
4. Proteins such as eggs and nuts, poultry, meat, fish, and dried beans.

An example of a daily diet for diabetics:

Breakfast (360 calories, 52.5 grams of carbohydrate)

1. ½ c oatmeal
2. ½ c skim milk
3. ½ small banana
4. 1 slice whole what bread, toasted, w/ 1 tsp. margarine
5. ¼ c egg substitute

Lunch (535 calories, 75 grams of carbohydrate)

1. 1 chicken sandwich (1 oz. chicken, 1 oz. low fat cheese, 2 slices whole grain bread, 1 tsp. low-fat mayonnaise)
2. 1 c vegetable soup and 4 or 5 whole-wheat crackers
3. 1 small apple

Dinner (635 calories, 65 grams of carbohydrate)

1. 4 oz. turkey; sprinkle basil and oregano on top
2. ½ c cooked carrots
3. 2/3 c cooked brown rice
4. Small whole-wheat dinner roll w/ 1 tsp margarine
5. Green salad w/ 2 Tbsp salad dressing (low fat)
6. 4 sugar-free canned apricot halves

Snacks (Can have two a day. 60 calories, 15 grams of carbohydrate)

1. 16 tortilla chips with salsa (fat-free)
2. ½ c sugar-free pudding
3. 1 oz. of string cheese and a small piece of fruit
4. 3 c light popcorn (low-fat)

In the early stages, it's best to stick to a diabetic diet plan with as few variations as possible. As you become more familiar with what is acceptable not only in terms of blood sugar control but also in terms of what you like and what keeps you from being dissatisfied all the time, you can come up with your own plan. Controlling your diet is of the highest importance in your attempt to live successfully with diabetes, but it must be an eating plan you can live with.

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