Type 2 Diabetes

Eating Healthy

Learning how to eat healthy on a daily basis will take practice. You'll need to watch serving sizes as well as the kinds of foods you eat. Your dietitian will teach you to read food labels. This will help you find ways to fit your favorite foods into your meal plan.

Learning About Serving Sizes

Your meal plan may include items like "3 oz fish" or "1/2 cup cooked rice." But how much is that, really? Use measuring spoons and cups and a food scale to find out. You'll soon learn what a portion looks like on your plate. Learning how servings of different foods compare to the size of your fist may also help. Your dietitian may teach you about carb counting, a way of figuring out the amount of carb in a meal or snack.

What's in Your Food?

The "Nutrition Facts" label tells you what's in canned, packaged, and frozen foods. Read these labels for serving sizes, total carbohydrate, total fat, and protein. This helps you see how a food may fit into your meal plan. Your dietitian may suggest a nutrition guide that lists the same kind of information for fresh foods.

Following Your Meal Plan

Like everyone, you deserve to enjoy your meals. So your meal plan should include foods that you like. Eat slowly and enjoy each bite. Also, try the tips below to make following your meal plan easier.

Shopping and Cooking

Shop and cook in ways that help make healthy eating easier:

• As you shop, think about how the foods you choose will fit into your meal plan.
• Avoid being tempted by unhealthy snacks by not going down the snack food aisles.
• Broil, steam, bake, or grill instead of frying. Remove skin from chicken or turkey.
• Flavor foods with vegetable purée, lemon juice, or herbs instead of cream-based sauces or sugary glazes.
• Look for low-fat, low-sugar recipes. When making your usual recipes, cut sugar by 1/2 and fat by 1/3.

Eating Out

You can also eat healthy when you go to a restaurant.

• Ask how food is prepared before you order.
• Choose foods that are broiled, steamed, grilled, or baked. Avoid foods that are fried, sautéed, or breaded.
• Ask for sauces and dressings on the side.
• Eat an amount of food that fits your meal plan. You can take home anything that's left over.
• Save dessert for special occasions. Choose a small dessert, or share with someone.