If you’ve ever heard your healthcare provider say the words ‘your blood sugar is too high’ a flood of thoughts and emotions likely started to overwhelm you…’Can I still eat my mom’s famous pie?’ or ‘Can I still go to my favorite Italian restaurant?’
When we start trying to figure out what the heck we can eat…that quickly turns to everything we think we can’t eat! And then we want what we don’t think we can have. It’s human nature.
And therein lies the problem. We are often told what not to eat, rather than how to eat it.
Here’s the good news…
We don’t have to stop eating our favorite foods in order to control our blood sugar. In fact, when we strategically add them to our meals, it creates better, long-term success.Â
Remember these 3 easy steps and start enjoying your ‘off-limit’ favorites today:
1. Plan the amount and best type
When we plan in advance, we can better manage the portion sizes. We take back control over the food and lose the guilt.
We all know that eating 1 cookie is better for our blood sugar than eating 10 cookies. However, if we plan an hour or more before eating the cookie, we will look forward to it and consume it slower, which will be helpful to the food’s affect on our blood sugar.
In addition to planning the serving size ahead of time, improving the nutrient quality of the food (when possible) is key to your success.
For example:
- Choose 100% sprouted whole wheat bread or pasta
- Try a dessert made with natural sweeteners, like honey or maple syrup
- Opt for the 80% cocoa dark chocolate
- Go with a baked version instead of fried
But most importantly, watch the portion size.
One serving of carbohydrates is considered 15 grams. Be sure to check food labels, when available, to see how many total carbohydrates are in one serving.
For quick reference: 1 teaspoon of sugar contains 4 grams of carbs, â…“ cup cooked pasta is 15 grams of carbs, and 1 thinly sliced of piece of bread is about 15 grams.
2.  Make empowered decisions
Once we know the portion size and how many carbs are in one serving, it’s time to make some decisions.
Since we’ve already done the work of educating ourself, next up is to see what works. Most medical and health organizations recommend up to 30 grams of carbs per meal for women and 45 grams per meal for men. I encourage my clients to go lower than these if they are trying to lose weight.
This is in addition to the protein, non-starchy vegetables, and healthy fat at your meals. So maybe you have pasta, but skip the garlic bread. Want both? No problem. Just have smaller amounts of each.
Going even lower carb? That’s fine too, but make sure that you have balance in your meals and allow yourself the treats you crave every once in awhile.
3. Eat it like you love itÂ
When you eat your favorite comfort foods, I encourage you to sit down, without distractions, and truly enjoy it.
Eat slowly and think about how it tastes and savor every bite. Avoid eating on the run, or in front of your TV, computer or any other screen.
Of course this isn’t the green light to eat anything and everything…be sure to practice boundaries and don’t feel ashamed for eating foods that you love.
Managing blood sugar levels and diabetes is not limited to one day of the week, it’s a lifetime commitment. Make better options where you can, monitor the portions, and don’t beat yourself up if you don’t eat a ‘perfect meal’.
Follow these 3 simple steps and not only will you develop a better relationship with food, you’ll be more successful in managing your health over time.
Remember, it’s not about a specific meal…it’s about an overall eating style!
Ok, if you’re like me and now in the mood for some (healthier) dessert options, here are a couple of my favorites!
The Chocolate Mug Cake that I recently shared with Julianna Hough or the super easy Almond Peanut Balls.
A version of this blog post was originally shared with my email list, where I provide real solutions to your questions about diabetes, food, and blood sugar every week (or two). If you haven’t already, I’d love to invite you to sign up below 🙂
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Hi Lori,
I’m so happy I found your resource! At my last checkup I had a glucose fasting level of 91 and I immediately went looking for some information on how to correct and or improve this. I just finished the 3 For the Love of Diabetes videos and got a lot of great meal and snack ideas which I’m putting into practice already. I’ve also been following Tone it Up since 2014, so I’m familiar with appropriate food combinations and have been following a pretty healthy meal plan as well as exercising daily. I’m wondering how I can pinpoint what has caused this spike in blood sugar because five years ago my fasting blood sugar was 13 points lower. Could I be eating too many carbs? I have gained some weight in the last 5 years and I’ve also gained a lot of muscle, so my measurements have increased by only by 1-2 inches. I’m 45 so I’m also wondering if age is a factor. I would appreciate any advice you have! Thank you!
Leah
Hi Leah, a fasting blood glucose level of 91 mg/dL is still within normal limits, so I hope you aren’t too alarmed. 🙂 And it’s important to note that a fasting blood glucose is simply one day’s reading. What would be more helpful would be to have your Hemoglobin A1c checked, which is a two-three month average of what your blood glucose has been running…this will give you a better picture of how well controlled your blood glucose levels are.
i’m glad you enjoyed the free training videos and the TIU meal plans that I’ve created are also well balanced and blood sugar friendly. Wishing you all the best!