ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Diabetic Diet Menu Ideas

Updated on March 10, 2012
Crab meat with sugar snap peas and red new potatoes
Crab meat with sugar snap peas and red new potatoes

Following the diabetic diet can quickly become boring. People who are on a special diet tend to find a few foods that fit the restrictions of the diet and eat them over and over and over again. With some simple diabetic diet menu ideas, this special diet does not have to be boring. In fact, the guidelines of the eating plan can be used to generate new diabetic diet menu ideas.

With diabetic diets, the doctor or dietician gives the patient guidelines for what types of foods to eat with each meal and snack. These diabetic food guidelines may be written as servings for each food group. For example, the guidelines for a snack might be written as one serving of protein and one serving of bread. The diabetic patient can use any combination of proteins and breads to meet the requirements for that snack.

Even though the numerous possible combinations can provide excellent variety in the diet, many people get used to using only a few different foods to fit the guidelines for the meals or snacks. Instead of looking for a new diabetic diet menu idea, they rely on certain foods. This can be problematic for two reasons. Eating the same foods can be dangerous, because the person is getting only the nutrients that food contains. Secondly, a person following a special diet who eats the same foods can become bored and frustrated with the diet and be tempted to cheat.

People can feel a bit overwhelmed to try to find recipes that fit the guidelines of their diet. However, I suggest simplifying the meals to create new diabetic diet meal ideas. Don't confuse "simple" with bland or boring. With my method for creating meal ideas, the new combinations can be enjoyable without being intimidating.

This is not a recommendation to alter or ignore the guidelines as dictated by the doctor or dietician. Creating new menu ideas should be done with those guidelines. Here is a process to help the person with diabetes to generate new ideas.

1. Start with the protein.

If the diabetic patients decide which protein they would like to have, the foods from the other food groups are usually easier to choose. However, people shouldn't be afraid to select a food for which they have a craving. If they are hungry for pasta, select a pasta as the bread first.

2. Consult the food exchange lists to get different ideas for proteins and the other food groups.

Consider trying new food combinations. If the person wants a chicken breast for the protein and would usually have mashed potatoes with it, why not try a chicken with a steamed vegetable and small red potatoes instead? Often, the person can select a protein, vegetable, and starchy vegetable, rice, or pasta and combine them with added seasoning or a touch of lemon juice for something fresh and new.

3. Try to eat fresh fruit and vegetables in season.

Eating fresh foods that are in season provide an opportunity to have the best quality of food and new food choices for the menu ideas. Fresh vegetables are a great way to avoid the sodium commonly contained in canned foods.

4. Skip the fat and salt.

Use fresh herbs, seasonings, lemon juice, or vinegar to bring out the flavors of the food. Avoid frying food in fat. An otherwise healthy food choice can become laden with fat by frying the foods. I recently saw a recipe for a "low-calorie meal" that was gorgeous, but it had 14 grams of fat! Almost all that fat was from oil. Why do that to your food? Steaming, broiling, or baking are excellent alternatives for many types of food.

5. Check serving sizes.

Even if the person with diabetes is used to cooking the appropriate serving sizes, it often is recommended to periodically check to make sure the correct serving sizes are being used.

I hope you have found my suggestions helpful. Please visit Diabetic Diet for more information about diets for diabetes.


working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)