Meal Planning With The Plate Model

What is the plate model?

• The plate model is a simple way for people who have diabetes to plan meals. With the plate model, a 9-inch plate serves as a guide for the amounts (serving sizes) and kinds of food that you should choose. Using this model can help you to eat the right amount of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates naturally raise your blood sugar after eating. However, eating too much carbohydrate at one time can raise your blood sugar to a very high level. Carbohydrates are found in starches (bread, cereal, starchy vegetables, and beans), fruit, milk, yogurt, and sweets.
  
  
• Using the plate model may help you keep your blood sugar levels under control. Keeping your blood sugar within a normal range without large increases and decreases lowers your risk for developing certain long-term health problems. These include heart, kidney, eye, or nerve problems. To keep track of your blood sugar levels, test your blood sugar regularly. Ask your caregiver how, when and how often to test your blood sugar. Check your blood sugar level at least 3 times each day if you use an insulin pump or take multiple doses of insulin.

How does the plate model work?

A dietitian or caregiver can help you use this model to plan healthy meals that meet your needs. The amount and type of food that you should eat for each meal may depend on your age, weight, usual food intake, physical activity level, blood sugar levels, and diabetes medicine. General guidelines for using the plate model are the following:

• Use a 9-inch dinner plate for your meals.
  
  
• For breakfast: Including meat or a meat substitute and non-starchy vegetables on your plate is optional for this meal.
  
  
  • Fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables. Fill one-fourth of your plate with a serving of starch. Fill the other one-fourth of your plate with a serving of meat or meat substitute.
    
    
  • On the side of your plate, add 1 serving of milk and 1 serving of fruit or starch.
  
  
• For lunch and dinner:
  
  
  • Fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables. Fill one-fourth of your plate with a serving of starch. Fill the other one-fourth of your plate with a serving of meat or meat substitute.
    
    
  • On the side of your plate, add 1 serving of milk and 1 serving of fruit or starch.
  
  
• Carbohydrate is an important part of a healthy diet. Do not avoid carbohydrates or skip meals, because your blood sugar level may fall too low.

What are serving sizes of foods?

It may be helpful to measure your foods with measuring cups, measuring spoons, and a scale. Measuring foods will help you become familiar with what serving sizes of different foods look like. This may be helpful when eating away from home. The servings sizes of some foods are listed below.

Starches:

• Breads:
  
  
  • 1 ounce of whole-wheat bread
    
    
  • 1 ounce of bagel (about one-fourth of a bagel from a bakery)
    
    
  • 1 4-inch pancake (about one-fourth inch thick)
    
    
  • 1 6-inch flour or corn tortilla
  
  
• Cereals and grains:
  
  
  • Three-fourths of a cup of dry, unsweetened, ready-to-eat cereal or one-fourth cup of low-fat granola (Serving sizes of ready-to-eat cereals vary. Look at the serving size and the total carbohydrate amount listed on the food label.)
    
    
  • One-half cup of cooked cereal or oatmeal
    
    
  • One-third cup of rice or pasta
  
  
• Starchy vegetables:
  
  
  • One-half cup of corn, green peas, sweet potatoes, or mashed potatoes
    
    
  • One-fourth of a large baked potato
    
    
  • 1 cup of winter squash (acorn, butternut, pumpkin)
  
  
• Beans, peas or lentils:
  
  
  • One-half cup of cooked beans and peas (garbanzo, pinto, kidney, white, split, black-eyed)
    
    
  • Two-thirds of a cup of lima beans
    
    
  • One-half cup of cooked lentils
  
  
• Crackers and snacks:
  
  
  • 3 graham cracker squares or 8 animal crackers
    
    
  • 6 saltine-type crackers
    
    
  • 3 cups of popcorn
    
    
  • Three-fourths of an ounce of pretzels

Fruit:

• 1 small (4 ounce) piece of fresh fruit (Weigh fresh fruit at the grocery store. Large pieces of fruit usually weigh more than 4 ounces and count as more than 1 serving.)
  
  
• One-half cup of canned or fresh fruit
  
  
• One-half cup (4 ounces) of unsweetened fruit juice
  
  
• One-fourth cup of dried fruit

Milk and yogurt:

• 1 cup of skim or one percent milk
  
  
• Three-fourths of a cup of plain, nonfat yogurt
  
  
• 1 cup of fat-free, flavored, yogurt sweetened with a calorie-free sweetener

Non-starchy vegetables:

Examples of these vegetables include beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, mushrooms, tomatoes, and zucchini.

• One-half cup of cooked vegetables or 1 cup of raw vegetables
  
  
• One-half cup of vegetable juice

Meat and meat substitutes:

Choose lean meats and poultry. Bake, broil, or grill meat instead of frying it.

• 3 to 4 ounces of any lean meat, fish, or poultry
  
  
• One-half cup of soy tofu or tempeh
  
  
• 1 large egg (limit eggs to 3 a week)
  
  
• One and one-half ounces (about 2 tablespoons) of nuts or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

What other diet guidelines should I follow?

• Fat: Ask your dietitian or caregiver how much fat you should eat each day. Choose foods low in fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. Examples include poultry (turkey or chicken) without the skin, fish, lean cuts of meat, and beans. Low-fat dairy foods, such as one percent low-fat or fat-free milk and low-fat yogurt are also good choices. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish. They are healthy for your heart and should be included in your diet. Eat 2 or more servings of fish each week. Avoid fried fish filets.
  
  
• Sugar: You may occasionally include sugar and sweets as part of your meal plan. Count sugar and sweets as part of the amount of carbohydrate that you can have on your plate. Limit sugar and sweets because they are usually also high in calories, fat, and cholesterol. Eat smaller portions of sweets by sharing a dessert or asking for a child-size portion at a restaurant.
  
  
• Sodium: Limit sodium in your diet to about 2,300 mg per day. Ask your caregiver how much sodium you should eat. You may need to eat even less sodium if you have certain medical conditions. Foods high in sodium include salt, soy sauce, processed meats (bologna, hot dogs), snack foods (potato chips), and soups.
  
  
• Alcohol: Adults who have certain health conditions should not drink alcohol. Talk to your caregiver before you drink alcohol. If you choose to drink alcohol, drink it with meals. Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach may cause a drop in your blood sugar. Limit alcohol to 1 serving of alcohol per day if you are a woman or 2 servings of alcohol per day if you are a man. A serving is the same as 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, or one and one-half ounces of liquor.
  
  
• Fiber: Choose foods that are good sources of fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain breads and cereals. Cereals that contain 5 or more grams of fiber per serving are good sources of fiber. Legumes such as garbanzo, pinto beans, kidney beans, and lentils are also good sources.
  
  
• Weight loss: If you are overweight, you may need to make other changes to your diet to lose weight. Ask caregivers if you need to lose weight, and how much weight you need to lose. Ask them to help you with a weight loss program.
  
  
• Exercise: Regular exercise helps to keep your blood sugar levels under control. Exercise can also decrease your risk of heart disease and help you lose weight. Do 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 times each week (150 minutes per week). Do resistance training (using weights) 3 times each week. Work with your caregiver to plan the best exercise program for you.

Risks:

Your blood sugar levels may rise too high or drop too low if you do not make the changes suggested by your dietitian or caregiver. Near-normal blood sugar levels can decrease your risk for developing certain long-term health problems. These include heart, kidney, eye, or nerve problems.

Contact your caregiver if:

• You have high blood sugar levels during a certain time of day, or almost all of the time.
  
  
• You often have low blood sugar levels.

Care Agreement

You have the right to help plan your care. Discuss treatment options with your caregivers to decide what care you want to receive. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

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The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.