Hello, my name is Carleton Rivers and I am a registered dietitian with NCHPAD.

Today we are going to be discussing how to improve your diet after a diagnosis of diabetes. Now these strategies are not just for those with diabetes. I encourage everyone to apply these tips to their diet every day.

So let’s get started with healthy eating for diabetes. The first thing that you want to remember is to monitor the amount of carbohydrates you eat. That way you are able to control your blood glucose levels or blood sugar levels.

So what is a carbohydrate? Well carbohydrates are found in bread, rice, and pasta and other starchy things like potatoes, corn, and legumes which are beans and peas. Carbohydrates are also found in sweet foods and drinks like fruit, milk, and yogurt, as well as sugar sweetened beverages, fruit juice, and some candy, and of course and sweet desserts.

So the type of diet I’m going to be emphasizing today is the mediterranean style diet. Now this diet has huge amounts of research that have shown wonderful benefits in improving cardiovascular health, and also increasing insulin sensitivity, which is necessary for someone with type 2 diabetes.

A mediterranean style diet is rich in seasonal fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats like fish and nuts and avocados. and then it’s gonna be moderate amounts of cheese, and dairy products like milk and yogurt it’s gonna be moderate amounts of lean protein and eggs, and then just minimal amounts of red meat and sweets.

So if you notice over here, there still are carbohydrates in the mediterranean style diet. And this is where carb counting comes into play. So, I find that carb counting is the best way to monitor the amount of carbohydrates you eat and drink at meal time and for snacks.

So what I have done here is I have portioned out the carbohydrate containing foods into one carb serving. So what does that mean? Well, 15 grams of carbohydrates equals 1 carb serving. So let’s take this piece of bread for instance.

This piece of bread contains about 15 grams of carbohydrates So we’ll say this is one carb serving. Now if you’re recommended to consume 2 carb servings for breakfast Then you want to limit your carbohydrate intake to 30 grams that breakfast.

The American Diabetes Association recommends a good starting point as 3 to 5 carb servings per meal That would be a sandwich made out of 2 slices of bread, you could put meat and cheese in it, along with a bunch of non-starchy vegetables, and then a small side of fruit.

And there you go. You have 3 carb servings. So, what I’m gonna do today, is I’m going to show you how to make the most out of this diet. So I’m going to take, a little over one cup of spinach, and then I’m going to grab some tomatoes and a raddish.

And what’s great about these vegetables, is that they’re very low in carbohydrates. So we call them ‘Free Foods’, you can pretty much eat as much as you want of these foods and not raise your blood glucose levels.

So I’m going to add this to the salad. And I always love adding a salad to any meal because it just helps fill you up. So we’re gonna slice up some of this radish, and add it to the salad.

And then we’re gonna grab some walnuts, which are filled with really healthy fat, they’re really great for your brain health. and to raise your good cholesterol, your HDL cholesterol. So I’m just going to crush some of that.

Now one serving size is about one palm-full. Which is one ounce of nuts. And then I’m gonna add in some mozzarella cheese. Just slice it up. And sprinkle it on. And then we’re gonna do salad dressing, so, it’s really just one tablespoon of olive oil and a half a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar or whatever vinegar that you prefer.

So I’m going to drizzle it over, and now of course you can buy salad dressing in the grocery store but it’s probably more expensive and if you get the low-fat version, then it is going to be high in sugar.

So I say go with homemade, it’s usually better anyways. So I’m also gonna add in about 3 ounces of salmon fillet. And so there you go. So, this meal actually does not have many carbohydrates.

It does not even have a full 1 carb serving. So if you want to add carbohydrates to this meal, you could add half of a sweet potato, which is about 15 grams of carbohydrates You could add one cup of strawberries, which is one carb serving.

And then you could add half a cup of grapes. So not all fruits are created equal. There are some that are higher in carbohydrates than others. there are some that are higher in carbohydrates than others.

For instance, berries are going to have the lowest amounts of carbohydrates whereas grapes are a bit higher and so are bananas, so one carb serving of banana, is gonna be half of a banana. And then for an apple, one small apple, it’s gonna be one carb serving.

So if you have a big apple, you’re probably gonna want to cut it in half to monitor your carbohydrate intake. So remember, when you’re trying to make a lifestyle change involving your diet It’s not that difficult, look at all of the wonderful food that you get to eat.  Healthy eating with diabetes does not need to difficult.

All you have to do is make sure you’re eating nutrient rich foods. So, high in vitamins and minerals the yummy fruits and vegetables, whole grains.. Things that are going to fill you up and keep you satisfied, and are essential for healthy eating with diabetes.

They’re also going to improve your health and just make you feel better. So when you’re adjusting your diet to control your blood glucose levels or your blood sugar levels, go low in carbohydrates and high in those healthy fats like olive oil, avocadoes, and salmon, It’s gonna take a little more preparation but I know you can do it.

So eat up and enjoy, happy eating!  I hope you enjoyed this video about healthy eating with diabetes.

See more healthy eating videos and content here.