WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: What is meal planning with the plate method? Meal planning with the plate method is a simple way for people with diabetes to plan meals. This method can help you eat the right amount of carbohydrates and keep your blood sugar levels under control. Carbohydrates naturally raise your blood sugar level. Your blood sugar level can rise too high if you eat too much carbohydrate at one time. Carbohydrates are found in starches (bread, cereal, starchy vegetables, and beans), fruit, milk, yogurt, and sweets. How do I use the plate method to plan my meals? Ask your healthcare provider how many servings you need from each food group for each of your meals. - Draw an imaginary line down the middle of a 9-inch dinner plate. On one side, draw another line to divide that section in half. Your plate will have 3 sections.
- Fill the largest section of your plate with non-starchy vegetables. These include broccoli, spinach, cucumbers, peppers, cauliflower, and tomatoes.
- Add a starch to 1 of the small sections of your plate. Starches include pasta, rice, whole-grain bread, tortillas, corn, potatoes, and beans.
- Add meat or another source of protein to the other small section of your plate. Examples include chicken or turkey without skin, fish, lean beef or pork, low-fat cheese, tofu, or eggs.
- Add dairy or fruit next your plate if your meal plan allows. Examples of dairy include skim or 1% milk or low-fat yogurt. If you do not drink milk, you may be able to add another serving of starchy food instead.
- Add a low-calorie or calorie-free drink such as water or unsweetened tea or coffee.
What are serving sizes of foods? - Non-starchy vegetables:
- ½ cup of cooked vegetables or 1 cup of raw vegetables
- ½ cup of vegetable juice
- Starches:
- 1 ounce of whole-wheat bread or 1 small (6 inch) flour or corn tortilla
- 1 small (4 inch) pancake (about ¼ inch thick)
- ¾ cup of dry, unsweetened, whole-grain ready-to-eat cereal or ¼ cup of low-fat granola
- ½ cup of cooked cereal or oatmeal
- ⅓ cup of rice or pasta
- ½ cup of corn, green peas, sweet potatoes, or mashed potatoes
- ½ cup of cooked beans and peas (garbanzo, pinto, kidney, white, split, black-eyed)
- Meat and other protein sources:
- 3 to 4 ounces of any lean meat, fish, or poultry
- ½ cup of tofu or tempeh
- 1 large egg
- 1½ ounces (about 2 tablespoons) of nuts or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
- Fruit:
- 1 small piece of fresh fruit
- ½ cup of canned or fresh fruit or unsweetened fruit juice
- ¼ cup of dried fruit
- Milk and yogurt:
- 1 cup (8 ounces) of skim or 1% milk
- ¾ cup (6 ounces) of plain, non-fat yogurt
What other guidelines should I follow? - Limit salt and sugar. Choose and prepare foods and drinks with less salt and added sugars. Use the nutrition information on food labels to help you make healthy choices. The percent daily value listed on the food label tells you whether a food is low or high in certain nutrients. A percent daily value of 5% or less means that the food is low in a nutrient. A percent daily value of 20% or more means that the food is high in a nutrient.
- Choose healthy fats. Choose healthy fats such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats in place of unhealthy fats. Healthy fats are found in vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, canola, olive, and sunflower oil. Unhealthy fats are saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol. Unhealthy fats are found in shortening, butter, stick margarine, and animal fat.
- Limit alcohol. If you choose to drink alcohol, drink it with meals. When you drink alcohol on an empty stomach, your blood sugar may fall to a low level. Women should limit alcohol to 1 drink a day. Men should limit alcohol to 2 drinks a day. A serving of alcohol is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of liquor.
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