February 28, 2021
  • Patient Portal
  • Contact Us
Northeast Georgia Diagnostic Clinic

NEW–Oncology/Hematology Patients:
470-228-7700


All Other Specialties:
770-536-9864

Toll Free Number:
1-800-820-6432

Northeast Georgia Diagnostic Clinic

NEW–Oncology/Hematology Patients:
470-228-7700


All Other Specialties:
770-536-9864

Toll Free Number:
1-800-820-6432

MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About Us
    • History
    • Physicians
    • Administrative Staff
  • Providers
    • Physicians
    • Advanced Practice Providers
  • Specialties
    • Internal Medicine
    • Cardiology
    • Endocrinology
    • Oncology/Hematology
    • Nephrology
    • Pulmonary Medicine
    • Rheumatology
  • Services
    • Cardiology Services
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • Clinical Laboratory
    • DirectCare
      • DirectCare FAQS
      • DirectCare Highlights
    • Cancer Care
      • Chemotherapy
      • How Chemotherapy Works
      • Low Dose CT Lung Cancer Screening
    • Diabetes Education
    • Imaging Services
      • Bone Densitometry
      • CT Scans
      • Digital Mammography
      • MRI
      • Nuclear Medicine
      • Ultrasound
      • X-ray
    • Nutrition Services
    • Pharmacy
    • Pre-Op
    • Pulmonary Function Testing
    • Sleep Medicine
      • Sleep Disorders
        • Sleep Apnea Treatment
        • Insomnia Treatment
        • Narcolepsy Treatment
        • Restless Leg Relief
        • Shift Work Sleep Disorder Treatment
        • Tips for Decreasing the Effects of SWSD
        • Snoring Solutions
      • Sleep Study
        • Sleep Study Preparation
        • Sleep Study Forms
  • Patient Information
    • Forms
    • Medical Records Request
    • Radiology Imaging Request
  • Patient Portal
  • Patient Billing
  • Contact Us
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About Us
    • History
    • Physicians
    • Administrative Staff
  • Providers
    • Physicians
    • Advanced Practice Providers
  • Specialties
    • Internal Medicine
    • Cardiology
    • Endocrinology
    • Oncology/Hematology
    • Nephrology
    • Pulmonary Medicine
    • Rheumatology
  • Services
    • Cardiology Services
      • Nuclear Medicine
    • Clinical Laboratory
    • DirectCare
      • DirectCare FAQS
      • DirectCare Highlights
    • Cancer Care
      • Chemotherapy
      • How Chemotherapy Works
      • Low Dose CT Lung Cancer Screening
    • Diabetes Education
    • Imaging Services
      • Bone Densitometry
      • CT Scans
      • Digital Mammography
      • MRI
      • Nuclear Medicine
      • Ultrasound
      • X-ray
    • Nutrition Services
    • Pharmacy
    • Pre-Op
    • Pulmonary Function Testing
    • Sleep Medicine
      • Sleep Disorders
        • Sleep Apnea Treatment
        • Insomnia Treatment
        • Narcolepsy Treatment
        • Restless Leg Relief
        • Shift Work Sleep Disorder Treatment
        • Tips for Decreasing the Effects of SWSD
        • Snoring Solutions
      • Sleep Study
        • Sleep Study Preparation
        • Sleep Study Forms
  • Patient Information
    • Forms
    • Medical Records Request
    • Radiology Imaging Request
  • Patient Portal
  • Patient Billing
  • Contact Us

Diabetes and Meal Planning


Healthy eating is a cornerstone of any diabetes management plan. But it’s not just what you eat that affects your blood sugar level. How much you eat and when you eat matters, too. To keep your blood sugar levels in check, you should educate yourself on the best food choices and organize a healthy meal plan. A meal plan designed specifically for you, helps ensure you eat a balanced diet high in fiber and low in fats. It can also help you lose weight, by controlling portion sizes and calories.

Where should you start?
The diabetes food pyramid can help you make wise food choices. It divides foods into groups, based on what they contain. You should eat more from the groups at the bottom of the pyramid (starches, fruits and vegetables), and less from the groups at the top (fats and sweets). Foods from the starches, fruits, vegetables, and milk groups are highest in carbohydrate, which affect your blood glucose levels the most.

How much should you eat?
Everyone is different, so you should talk to your diabetes nutritionist or doctor to figure out a meal plan that works best with your regular diet, daily routine, diabetic medications, etc. Then you can make your own plan designed specifically for you. Here are some helpful guidelines:

  • Have about 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day if you are a: small woman who exercises, small or medium-sized woman who wants to lose weight, medium-sized woman who does not exercise much.
  • Have about 1,600 to 2,000 calories a day if you are a: large woman who wants to lose weight, small man at a healthy weight, medium-sized man who does not exercise much, medium-sized or large man who wants to lose weight.
  • Have about 2,000 to 2,400 calories a day if you are a: medium-sized or large man who exercises a lot or has a physically active job, large man at a healthy weight, medium-sized or large woman who exercises a lot or has a physically active job.

Helpful Tips
Be consistent. An hour or two after you eat is when your blood sugar level is at its highest then drastically falls.  Although this can be frustrating, the predictable pattern can work to your advantage. Being consistent and simply eating close to the same amount of food at about the same time every day can help you control your blood sugar level more effectively.

Even out your carbs. Food items such as carbohydrates have a bigger effect on your blood sugar level than does protein or fat. In order to keep your blood sugar levels steady throughout the day, you should eat about the same amount of carbohydrates at each meal or snack.

Coordinate your meals and medication. A common side effect of diabetes is hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. If you eat a small portion of food in comparison to your diabetes medications — especially insulin — it may result in dangerously low blood sugar, known as hypoglycemia. Contrastingly, if you eat too much food, it may cause your blood sugar level to climb too high causing hyperglycemia. You along with your diabetes health care team should communicate a plan to help you strike an ideal balance.

Related Informtion

  • 3 Recipes for Diabetics

Navigation

  • Checking Your Blood Glucose
  • Diabetes and Low Carb Diets
  • Diabetes and Meal Planning
  • Diabetes Treatment Triad
  • Exercise and Diabetes Management
  • Gestational Diabetes
  • Symptoms and Treatment of Pre Diabetes
  • Top Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes
  • Ways to Avoid Diabetes Complications
  • What is Insulin Resistance
  • What is Pre Diabetes
  • What is Type 1 Diabetes
  • What is Type 2 Diabetes
;

News

  • NGDC Physicians Recognized in Georgia Trend Magazine
  • NGDC Voted Best of Hall 2021 in 7 Categories
  • NGDC Healthy Hall Award Winners 2019
  • NGDC Voted Best of Hall 2019 in 12 Categories
  • Accepting Internal Medicine patients at Highpoint Medical Center
Top

Copyright© 2021 Northside Hospital Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright© 2021 Northside Hospital Inc.
A Northside Hospital Physician Practice.
All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy


Having trouble viewing this site?
This site is compatible with Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer 9,10,11, & Microsoft Edge

Privacy Policy