Food & Fitness

Yes, people with diabetes can have almond milk. Almond milk is made from ground almonds, water, and usually has some sort of sweetener added to it. Most companies sell several different varieties of almond milk. We suggest going with the original or unsweetened versions of almond milk over flavored varieties (such as chocolate or vanilla almond milk). Unsweetened almond milk has fewer calories and carbohydrates than the original version, but either is a good choice.

The major difference between original almond milk and regular skim milk is that almond milk has much less protein per serving. (Skim milk has 9 grams and almond milk only has 1 gram). Almond milk has more total fat than skim milk, but almost all of it is healthy unsaturated fat. It is also slightly lower in calories and carbohydrates than skim milk.

Your mom should let the nutrition label be her guide to determining how almond milk can fit within her meal plan. We’ve provided some nutrition information below to help her comepare the different options. Drinking almond milk may be a good way to save some calories and carbohydrates when meal planning. It’s also a good choice for those who are lactose intolerant and those that follow a vegan diet.

1 cup Skim Milk
90 calories
0.2 g total fat
0.1 g saturated fat
4 mg cholesterol
130 g sodium
13 g carbohydrate
0 g fiber
9 g protein

1 cup Original Almond Milk (Blue Diamond Brand)
60 calories
2.5 grams total fat
0 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
150 mg sodium
8 g of carbohydrate
1 g dietary fiber
1 gram of protein

1 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (Blue Diamond Brand)
40 calories
3.5 g total fat
0 g saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
180 mg sodium
2 g of carbohydrate
1 g dietary fiber
1 g of protein

You can use either of these sweeteners, but remember that Splenda is an artificial sweetener while honey is a full-calorie sweetener with just as many calories and carbohydrates as regular sugar. People with diabetes can use sugar or honey sparingly. However, it's important to watch portion sizes and count them in your meal plan.

Splenda and other artificial sweeteners (for example Sweet N Low, Equal, etc.), are very low in calories and carbohydrates. At times, it may be easier to use an artificial sweetener in your coffee or to sprinkle over your fruit since they do not contribute to a rise in blood glucose. If you are trying to lose weight, artificial sweeteners may also help you cut calories when they replace regular sugar. You can see the difference between various sweeteners below: 

1 tablespoon honey = 64 calories, 17 grams of carbohydrate

1 tablespoon white or granulated sugar = 48 calories, 13 grams of carbohydrate

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar = 52 calories, 13 grams of carbohydrate

1 tablespoon maple syrup = about 52 calories, 13 grams of carbohydrate

1 packet of artificial sweetener = 4 calories,

To learn more about how sweets and sugar can fit into your meal plan, visit our Sugar and Desserts page. 

This is a very common question among people with diabetes. If you have diabetes, we recommend following a meal plan that works for you and helps you meet your diabetes goals. Your healthcare provider can help you set these goals, which might include losing weight, improving your A1C, lowering your blood pressure and/or lowering cholesterol levels.

Once your goals are set, work with your provider to set up a meal plan that takes your preferences into account and can help you achieve those goals. Discuss how many carbohydrates to include at each meal and whether or not to include snacks. Your provider may suggest using the diabetes plate method to start or they may have you try carbohydrate counting. A registered dietitian (RD) or certified diabetes educator (CDE) can be especially helpful when you are first learning to plan meals.

Since it sounds like you haven’t set up an individualized meal plan yet, we suggest including about 45-60 grams of carbohydrate per meal to start. If you follow that recommendation, you would be eating a total of about 135-180 grams of carbohydrate per day. It is also important to spread your carbohydrate intake throughout the day and try to keep it as consistent as possible from day to day. Remember, some people may need more and some people may need less than the recommendation above, so set up a plan that works for you soon!

Fruits and vegetables are great choices when you have diabetes! They are packed with nutrients while also being high in fiber. They are also typically very low in fat, sodium, and cholesterol. They do vary in how many carbs they have, so it’s important to work them into your meal plan in the right portion sizes.

Non-starchy vegetables are a great choice and are the lowest in calories and carbohydrates. The best choices are fresh, frozen and canned vegetables and vegetable juices without added sodium, fat or sugar. This group includes tomatoes, cucumber, salad greens, bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, and more!

For good health, try to eat at least 3-5 servings of vegetables a day. This is a minimum and more is better! A serving of vegetables is:

• ½ cup of cooked vegetables or vegetable juice
• 1 cup of raw vegetables

* According to our Create Your Plate model, you should fill half of your 9-inch plate with vegetables from this group.

Starchy vegetables include potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, pumpkin, plantains, green peas, corn, and parsnips. These are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber but they have more grams of carbohydrate per serving than non-starchy vegetables. So, it’s important to control portion sizes and to count them in your meal plan. The best choices in this group do not have added fats, sugar or sodium.

* According to our Create Your Plate model, starchy vegetables or another starchy food should fill ¼ of your 9-inch plate.

Fruit is also a great choice. Like starchy vegetables, fruit also has some carbohydrate and needs to be counted in your meal plan. The best choices of fruit are any that are fresh, frozen or canned without added sugars. You should choose canned fruits in juice or light syrup.

* According to our Create Your Plate model, you can add ½ cup or a small piece of fruit to your meal.

Here are some general tips to help you include more fruits and vegetables in your meal plan:

• Include at least 1 fruit or vegetable at every meal and snack.
• Remember to pay extra attention to portion sizes for fruit and starchy vegetables – these need to be worked into your meal plan.
• If cooking vegetables, use a healthy cooking method that doesn’t require adding extra salt or fat. Roasting, grilling, broiling, steaming, and microwaving are all good ideas. 
• Flavor veggies with fresh herbs, garlic and onions, or other spices.
• Have a piece of fresh fruit or fruit salad for dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth and get the extra nutrition you're looking for. You can also try grilling fruit for a tasty dessert!

There is a lot of talk about green coffee extract in the media right now, especially since Dr. Oz featured this supplement on his show several months ago. This supplement is usually marketed as a fat-burning weight loss pill made from unroasted coffee beans.

Remember that because it is a supplement, it is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is not an FDA-approved weight loss medication. Furthermore, only a handful of small, short-term studies have looked at green coffee bean extract. Currently, there is not enough research to know its long-term effects, and we do not recommend it as a means for weight loss or for controlling blood glucose.

It may sound less glamorous, but the proven method for controlling blood glucose is through controlled carbohydrate intake, regular physical activity, stress management, and taking any medications as prescribed by your health care provider. To learn more, the following information from diabetes.org may be helpful:

What Can I Eat?

Planning Meals

Fitness

Weight Loss

Many people think if you have diabetes you need to avoid carbs all together. However, even people with diabetes need some carbs in their diet. We suggest choosing healthy sources of carbohydrate over less nutritious sources.

Healthy sources of carbohydrate include:

• Whole grain foods (like 100% whole wheat bread or tortillas, oats, popcorn, brown rice, wild rice, barley etc.)
• Starchy vegetables (like regular potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, green peas, and corn)
• Fruit (including fresh, canned and frozen without added sugars)
• Dried beans, peas, and lentils
• Low-fat or fat-free dairy

Choose the foods listed above over less nutritious carbohydrate sources like: 

• Products made with refined grains or white flour (including white bread, many crackers, white flour tortillas, pastries, muffins, etc.)
• Sweets (Cakes, cookies, ice cream, candy and the like)
• Salty snacks (like pretzels or chips)

As you can see, both regular and white potatoes are on the healthy carbohydrate list! You can still eat them, but be sure to count them in your meal plan. Both types of potatoes provide important nutrients. Sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Regular potatoes are also a good source of vitamin C, potassium and fiber. Both are fat-free, cholesterol-free and low in sodium.

Sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic index compared to regular potatoes and are so full of nutrients that they made our top 10 Diabetes Superfoods list.

Overall, potatoes are a healthy source of carbohydrate. However, many of us like to flavor our potatoes with some extra ingredients. When choosing what to add, choose wisely and don't go overboard! Some toppings can add a lot of extra calories and saturated fat. Below are some healthy additions you can make to your potatoes.

For sweet potatoes:

• Bake a small sweet potato in the oven and top with black beans, low-fat shredded cheese and salsa on top.
• Cut into wedges, and drizzle a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle some spices over them (cinnamon, paprika or cayenne pepper). Bake in the oven until thoroughly cooked.

For white, golden, or red potatoes:

• 1 teaspoon of trans-free margarine instead of butter
• 2 tablespoons of low-fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream
• Chives or other spices that you like
• 1 ounce low-fat cheese
• ½ cup steamed broccoli florets
• ¼ cup of salsa or freshly diced tomatoes
• 1 strip of low-sodium turkey bacon

For more recipes and meal ideas, you may check out our new Recipes for Healthy Living resource.

We recommend that people with diabetes choose lean meat and meat substitutes over high-fat and processed meats. Seafood is a good, lean protein choice. Here are just a few reasons why:

• Fish and shellfish is generally low in unhealthy saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol.
• Most of the fat in fish healthy, unsaturated fat.
• Seafood is a natural source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
• It’s packed with high-quality protein.
• Seafood itself does not have any carbohydrate, so it will not raise blood glucose.
• Most fish cooks quickly and makes for an easy meal that your whole family will enjoy!

We recommend including 2 or more servings of fish in your meal plan per week. Try to include a variety of fish, especially those that are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, rainbow trout, mackerel, sardines, and herring). Omega-3’s may help to reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing triglycerides, blood pressure, and by slowing hardening of arteries.

Though seafood is a lean source of protein, the way you cook it is still important. Avoid breading and deep frying fish and shellfish. Instead, use a cooking method requires less added fat like broiling, grilling, or baking. These are all healthier methods and the fish will turn out just as tasty.

When seasoning seafood, think beyond salt. Many fish and shellfish have a great natural flavor that can be enhanced by using fresh herbs, citrus juices, or salt-free spices.

Check out some of these diabetes-friendly recipes:

Quick Broiled Cod
Dijon Salmon
Tuna Salad with Chick Peas

To find more meal ideas, check out our article from Recipes for Healthy Living, Seafood – A Smart Choice for Diabetes.

Recipes for Healthy Living is the Association’s resource for recipes, meal plans, and nutrition information.

Yes, you can certainly substitute whole wheat pasta for regular “white” pasta. Whole grain foods are more nutrient-rich than products made with refined grains.

However, even whole grain products provide carbohydrates, so they need to be worked into your meal plan. Having too much pasta at once can disrupt blood glucose control and cause levels to rise if you don’t keep portion sizes in check.

Usually, 1/3 cup of cooked pasta (whether it’s whole grain or not) has about 15 grams of carbohydrate. Always check the nutrition facts label for a more exact serving size and the total carbohydrate count. You can get a better idea of what a serving looks like on your plate by measuring it out first with a measuring cup.

Does 1/3 cup of cooked pasta sound like a small portion? It probably is small compared to what most Americans eat. You can adjust the portion size of pasta on your plate based on the amount of carbohydrates you shoot for at each meal.
You can also add bulk to your pasta dish by mixing in some cooked non-starchy vegetables (bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, broccoli, tomatoes, etc) or lean protein (chicken without the skin, fish, shellfish, tofu).

Portion control is also important with sauces that you put on your pasta. Most sauces will add carbohydrates (and sometimes fat) to your meal. For example, red marinara sauce will add about 15 carbohydrates for every ¼ cup. Again, this doesn’t mean you can’t have it with your pasta, you just need make it work with your meal plan.

It seems logical to think that your blood glucose level would decrease throughout the night since you are not eating. However, there are other mechanisms working in your body during the night that can cause blood glucose to rise. So, some people with diabetes wake up with a higher blood glucose level than when they went to bed.

During the very early morning hours, natural changes occur in your body’s hormone levels, which cause blood glucose to rise. This is called the dawn phenomenon. These hormonal changes happen in both people with and without diabetes. When it happens in someone without diabetes, their body is able to make insulin and use it to regulate their blood glucose level. People who have diabetes do not make enough insulin or their body does not use it properly, thus causing high blood glucose levels in the morning.

Besides the dawn phenomenon, there are a few other things that can cause high blood glucose in the morning. Read our Diabetes Forecast article Rocky Morning Highs  to learn more.

If your blood glucose is frequently high in the morning, talk to your doctor. He or she can work with you to set up a plan to manage it. Continue to check your blood glucose in the morning as prescribed and record your reading. Those readings will help your health care team adjust your medication or insulin if needed. They may need to make adjustments your meal plan as well.

The Create Your Plate meal planning method on our site differs from the MyPlate.gov’s model, which is recommended for healthy Americans. Create Your Plate (also called the diabetes plate method at times) is an easy way for someone with diabetes to control their portions and also their carbohydrate intake.

Those with diabetes have slightly different needs than the general population for which MyPlate was established. We encourage people with diabetes to fill half of their plate with non-starchy vegetabless, which are much lower in carbohydrates and calories than starchy vegetables and fruit. Then, ¼ of the plate is reserved for starchy foods (such as whole grains, starchy vegetables, or beans). The last ¼ of the plate should contain a source of lean meat. Our method also shows you how to incorporate an 8-ounce glass of skim or low-fat milk and a small serving of fruit.

There is a lot of talk about green coffee extract in the media right now, especially since the popular Dr. Oz featured this supplement on his show several months ago. It is mostly marketed as a fat-burning weight loss pill made from unroasted coffee beans.

Remember that because it is a supplement, it is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is not an FDA-approved weight loss medication. Furthermore, only a handful of small, short-term studies have looked at green coffee bean extract. Currently, there is not enough research to know its long-term effects, and we do not recommend it as a means for weight loss or for controlling blood glucose.

It may sound less glamorous, but the best methods for controlling blood glucose when you have diabetes is through controlled carbohydrate intake, regular physical activity, stress management, and taking any medications as prescribed by your health care provider. To learn more, the following information from diabetes.org may be helpful:

What Can I Eat?

Planning Meals

Fitness

Weight Loss

It sounds like you may have gotten some out-dated information. Below are our most up-to-date recommendations about the topics you asked about.

About Fiber

It is not recommended that people with diabetes subtract all of the fiber from the carbohydrate when meal planning. However, if you are an advanced carbohydrate counter or are on intense insulin management, you may want to follow this rule:

If a food has 5 or more grams of dietary fiber per serving, subtract half the grams of fiber from the total grams of carbohydrate in a serving.

About Carbohydrate Servings

When carbohydrate counting for diabetes, you will find that carbs can be counted two different ways: in grams (that is, the number of total carbohdyrate grams listed on the nutrition label) or by the number of carbohydrate servings or choices.

One carbohydrate serving (sometimes also referred to as a carbohydrate choice) is equal to 15 grams of carbohydrate. So, 30 grams of carbohydrates is 2 servings, 45 grams of carbohydrates is 3 servings, and so on.  The use of “servings” or “carb choices” is just a way to simplify the process of estimation when carb counting. How you count them is really a personal choice, so use what works best for you!

Obviously, the carbohydrates in the food you eat will not always add up perfectly to a multiple of 15. For example, you may have a snack during the day that has 20 grams of carbohydrate per serving. In this case, you will need to some rounding.  Below is a general rule of thumb for rounding carbohydrate servings or carb choices:

1-5 grams = do not count in your meal plan
6-10 = ½ carb choice
11 to 20 = 1 carbohydrate choice
21-25 = 1 ½ carbohydrate choices

About Free Foods

A free food is any food or drink choice that has less than 20 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrate or less per serving. A food with 8 grams of carb per serving is not considered a free food.

Free foods (and drinks) do not need to be counted in your diabetes meal plan as long as you have 3 servings or less spaced throughout the day. A complete list of free foods can be found in our brochure Choose Your Foods: Exchange Lists for Diabetes.

There is no “magic” food or drink that you can have to bring blood glucose when it is high. To keep your blood glucose levels on target, you need to take any insulin and/or medications according to your doctor’s instructions. Medications and insulin work in your body to bring blood glucose down after eating.

Following your diabetes meal plan is also important and can help keep blood glucose levels from getting too high. If you haven’t talked with your doctor about a meal plan that’s right for you, I would recommend starting with something we call the diabetes plate method. This meal planning method focuses on portion control and making healthy food choices.  It is a quick way to keep the amount of carbohydrate you eat consistent and to keep portion sizes in check.

If high blood glucose levels are still a problem, a doctor or registered dietitian can help you adjust your medications or meal plan. 

When you have diabetes, exercise can help lower blood glucose. This is as close to a magic bullet as we have. However, if you’re blood glucose is elevated and there are ketones present in your urine, you should postpone exercise. This is primarily an issue for people with type 1 diabetes. For more information on how to exercise safely, see our Fitness section on diabetes.org.

We recommend including dried beans in your meals several times per week. This includes all varieties: black, navy, pinto, kidney, cannellini, lima, garbanzo – they are all similar nutritionally so you should choose what you like best. Reduced-sodium canned beans that have been thoroughly drained and rinsed are also a good choice.

All beans are a great source of protein and are loaded with fiber, vitamins and minerals. In fact, you can get almost 25% of the fiber you need in a day in just ½ cup of beans!

Remember that beans are also a significant source of carbohydrate, so you need to work them into your meal plan. Most beans have about 20 grams of carbohydrate in ½ cup. However, the carb count can vary, so be sure to read nutrition labels and check portion sizes when possible.

You can buy beans canned or dried. Dried beans take longer to prepare but are nutritionally similar to canned beans with the exception of sodium. Dried beans are much lower in sodium. If buying canned beans, opt for products that say “no salt added” on the can first. If you don’t find that, choose one that says low- or reduced-sodium. Always drain and thoroughly rinse canned beans to lower the sodium content even more.

For your reference, we've provided the nutrition information below for ½ cup of canned garbanzo beans (or chick peas) that has been drained and rinsed:

105 calories
17 grams of carbohydrate
2 grams fat
0.1 grams saturated fat
0 mg cholesterol
161 grams sodium
6 grams of fiber
5 g protein

The answer is not so simple. Type 1 diabetes is caused by genetics and unknown factors that trigger the onset of the disease; type 2 diabetes is caused by genetics and lifestyle factors. Being overweight does increase your risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and a diet high in calories from any source contributes to weight gain. Research has shown that drinking sugary drinks is linked to type 2 diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association recommends that people limit their intake of sugar-sweetened beverages to help prevent diabetes. Sugar-sweetened beverages include beverages like regular soda, fruit punch, fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks, sweet tea, and other sugary drinks. These will raise blood glucose and can provide several hundred calories in just one serving! See for yourself:

• Just one 12-ounce can of regular soda has about 150 calories and 40 grams of carbohydrate. This is the same amount of carbohydrate in 10 teaspoons of sugar!
• One cup of fruit punch and other sugary fruit drinks have about 100 calories (or more) and 30 grams of carbohydrate.