This document provides information on making healthy food choices for people with diabetes. It emphasizes that what you eat makes a big difference for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. For type 1 diabetes, tracking carbohydrate intake helps determine insulin needs, while for type 2 diabetes, medication, weight control, exercise and diet help manage blood sugar levels. It recommends choosing low-fat, high-fiber carbohydrates and being cautious of refined sweets. Fiber-rich whole foods should replace low-fiber options. Meals should incorporate protein, vegetables and fruits, and small amounts of whole grains. Healthy snacks can help stabilize blood sugar between meals. Both glycemic index and glycemic load are mentioned to explain the impact of

1. Healthy Food Choices for Living
with Diabetes

2. What You Eat Matters!
• Whether you have Type 1 or
Type 2 Diabetes the food you eat makes a big
difference.
• Type 1 Diabetes: Keeping track of how many
carbohydrates you eat is important for your longterm health & will help you decide how much
insulin your body needs.
• Type 2 Diabetes: Taking your medication,
maintaining a healthy weight, exercise & a
healthy diet will help maintain blood sugar levels.

3. Choose Smart Carbs
Not all carbohydrates
are created equal.
Choose to eat low fat &
high fiber starches.
• A diabetes diagnosis
means you need to
be selective about
which
carbohydrates you
eat.

4. Be Cautious About Eating Refined
Sweets

5. Swap Low Fiber Foods for Foods High in Fiber
Low Fiber Foods:
High Fiber Foods:
Cashews
Almonds
Bagel
Popcorn
French Fries
Sweet Potato
Orange Juice
Whole Orange

6. The Perfect Plate
Visualize this plate to keep your meal
balanced and your carbohydrate intake
in check.

7. Make ½ Your Plate Vegetables &
Fruits
Make fruit & vegetables a staple on your plate.
Non-starchy veggies like dark green leafy vegetables,
asparagus, broccoli, carrots, eggplant, mushroom &
peppers are great choices. One serving of vegetables
Is equal to 1 cup of raw leafy greens or ½ cup cooked
Vegetables.
Fruits are counted as part of your carbohydrate
Intake, so choose whole fruits instead of fruit
Juice or dried fruit, which are higher in carbs.

8. Make 1/4 of Your Plate Protein
• Lean protein foods are an essential part of a healthy diet; they
help to control blood sugar levels, which is especially important
if you have diabetes, and provide a feeling of fullness.
• The Key is to select lean protein foods:
• Eggs
• Low-fat Dairy
• Baked Fish
• Grilled Skinless Chicken

9. Make ¼ of Your Plate Starch
• Portion your starch selections and enjoy every
bite!
• Here are some nutritious options:
Sweet Potato
Brown Rice
Whole Grain Bread
Potato
Winter Squash
Pasta
Corn

10. Snack for Success
• Choose healthy and satisfying snacks between
meals: Snacking done right can keep your
blood sugar levels as close to normal as
possible and can help prevent low blood
sugar.
• Be a consistent snacker: Strive to eat regularly
around the same time every day, so that your
body has a steady stream of fuel.

11. Glycemic Index vs Glycemic Load
• The glycemic index indicates how rapidly a
carbohydrate is digested and released as
glucose (sugar) into the blood stream. In other
words, how quickly foods break down into
sugar in your bloodstream. A food with a high
GI raises blood sugar more than a food with a
medium to low GI.
• Glycemic load is a ranking system for
carbohydrate-rich food that measures the
amount of carbohydrates in a serving of food.

12. • Here are two examples: Watermelon has a high GI of 72, yet a
low GL of 7.21. The high GI is based on 5 cups of watermelon,
not an actual serving size of 1 cup. The low GL means one
serving of watermelon doesn't contain much carbohydrate,
because it is actually mostly water. The low GL indicates that
a serving of watermelon won't have much impact on your
blood sugar.
• Carrots are another example of a low GL food that many
people think will raise their blood sugar a lot -- but it's not
true. That's because carrots have a high GI of 71. However,
what most people don't know, is that the GL for carrots is
only 6. Therefore, unless you're going to eat a pound and a
half of carrots in one sitting, an average serving of carrots will
have very little impact on blood glucose levels. That said,
juicing carrots -- which means consuming more carrots at
once -- will have a greater impact on blood glucose.

13. .