Meal planning with type 2 diabetes

Here are some tips for healthy and successful mealtime.

• Eat dinner together as a family at the dinner table.
• Turn off distractions, such as TV, cell phone, tablet.
• Use 10 inch instead of 12 inch plates to help with portion control.
• Do not eat “second helpings.”
• Take a sip of your drink between every few bites to slow down your eating.
• Limit meals to 30 minutes.

A healthy meal plan for a child with type 2 diabetes has 55 to 60 grams of carbs for meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and 15 grams of carbs for afternoon snack.

Breakfast

• Egg sandwich (whole wheat English muffin and 1 egg)
• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup low fat milk

Lunch

• Turkey sandwich (2 slices whole wheat bread, 3 ounces of turkey, 1 tablespoon mustard)
• 1 cup baby carrots with 1 tablespoon ranch
• 10 small grapes
• 1 cup low fat milk

Afternoon snack

• 6 whole wheat crackers
• 1 ounce string cheese

Dinner

• 3 ounces chicken breast
• 1 cup whole wheat pasta
• 1/2 cup green beans
• 1 cup low fat milk

Eating at a restaurant

Eating out is one way we spend time with family and friends. But, the food is often unhealthy and larger portion sizes than we would have at home.

Here are ways to make eating out a healthier:

• Look up the nutrition information and menu before you go out to eat.
• Make a plan for what you would like to eat and how it will fit in your meal plan.
• Think about:
  • Sharing a meal or side dish so it may fit in your plan instead of not having any at all
  • Asking for a lunch or kid size for a smaller portion
  • Asking for a to-go container when you get your meal and putting half the dish in the to-go container
  • Asking for sauces on the side and no added salt
  • Skipping appetizers, bread, and/or tortilla chips on the table
• Do not skip meals to have more carbs at a later meal. Eating the same amount of carbs at each meal is important to keep your blood sugars in a healthy range

Eating at parties or potlucks

Many celebrations involve parties and potlucks where you have no idea what is in the dishes. There may be times when there is no nutrition information and you have no way to know portion sizes.

• Do the best you can and use what you already know!
• Look for fresh fruits and vegetables, grilled or baked proteins without cheese or sauces, and whole grains.

School lunch

Making a plan for school lunch is an important part of your school diabetes care plan.

• Call your school if carb information is not already on the menu.
• Any school getting government assistance must give nutritional information on the foods they serve.
• Please let your diabetes care team know if you have a hard time getting nutrition information. They can help.
• Look at the menu as a family to make sure you get all the food groups.
• Take home desserts from class parties.
• Choose 1 percent or skim (fat free) milk. Do not drink flavored milk.