4 Popular Diet Plans for Diabetes | Faulkner's Drug Store

Every effective treatment plan for diabetes includes a healthy diet. This March, for national nutrition month, Faulkner’s Drug Store has some ideas to get started on an effective nutrition plan if you’re diabetic.

You want to pick out a diet plan that will help you keep your blood sugar within a normal to healthy range. There’s a few types of plans you can choose from:

The plate method comes from The American Diabetes Association and is quite simple. When you prepare your plate of food, fill half of it with non starchy vegetables, like spinach, zucchini or asparagus. Fill a quarter of that plate with protein like tuna or chicken. Fill the remaining quarter of the plate with a starch like potatoes. Finally, add a serving of fruit or dairy.

If you choose to count carbohydrates to balance your blood sugar, you will need to stay under a set amount of carbohydrates every day and eat at regular intervals. Talk to your doctor or diabetes dietitian about balancing a low carb diet with any diabetes medications or insulin.

The exchange system is another popular diet choice among diabetics. Foods are organized by categories, like carbohydrates, protein and fats. Each serving of a single category is called a choice. Every choice contains close to the same amount of carbohydrates, protein, fat and calories as a serving of the other foods within that same category. Depending upon you weight, activity and goals, you are allotted so many choices from each category per day.

A glycemic index plan can also work, especially for diabetics who don’t like to minimize carbohydrates. You can still include them in your diet, but use the glycemic index to rank foods by their effect on blood sugar levels. Your doctor or dietitian can help you understand how to use the glycemic index to your best advantage.

If you’re ready to take control of your health and better manage your weight and diabetes, be sure to let the experts at Faulkner’s Drug Store help. Stop by the drug store today and like us on Facebook to stay updated on more news to live a better life!