Maria Vianna, who serves on the NutriBase Advisory Board, developed this Diabetic Meal Plan collection for you. This Meal Plan Collection offers diabetic Meal Plans at eight calorie levels, ranging from 1000 to 2400 calories. A sample week from this Meal Plan Collection is available for your perusal.

As with all Meal Plans, please confer with your physician or registered dietitian before making major changes to your eating habits. Your physician or RD suggest modifications to these plans... they may want to evaluate you to determine the proper calorie levels for you as an individual.

The main goal for these Meal Plans is to deliver a healthy, balanced eating plan that is nutritious and relatively low in fat. We recommend you drink at least 64 ounces of water each day and strongly consider taking a daily multi-vitamin/mineral supplement.

The average composition of each Meal Plan ranges from 55-65% carbohydrate calories, spaced throughout the day. Meal Plans of 1200 calories or fewer are very low in calories and should be followed long term only under the advice of your physician.

Each Diabetic Meal Plan presented here takes both the Diabetes Food Guide Pyramid and the Glycemic Index of foods into consideration. The Diabetes Food Pyramid is divided into six food group sections. The base of the pyramid - its foundation - is comprised of grains, beans and starchy vegetables. Most of the food choices in these Meal Plans were taken from this group. The tip of the Diabetes Food Pyramid is the smallest section. This is the fats, sweets, and alcohol group. Very few foods from this section were used in these Meal Plans.

If you are diabetic, you are likely aware that the Glycemic Index is a tool that measures how rapidly a particular food can raise your blood sugar. The "glycemic response" of a food is influenced by its portion size, fiber content, ripeness, fat content, cooking time, and the food preparation method used. Highly glycemic foods are best consumed during and/or after exercise while low glycemic foods are best consumed before exercise.

To see how carbohydrate intake affects your blood sugar, you may want to monitor your blood 1.5 to 2 hours after meals. For good blood sugar control, keep this level at 180 mg/dl or below. Consult with your physician on the specifics of how you should monitor and when. The proper calorie level for you will depend on your diabetes goals, nutrition needs, and lifestyle. Please work with your doctor and your registered dietitian to review these plans and make any modifications required to create a Meal Plan that meets your individual needs. Bear in mind that your physician may see a need to adjust your medications depending on your carbohydrate intake and your activity level.

The Diabetic Meal Plans offered here provide a daily average of 55-65% carbohydrate calories spaced through out the day. These plans encourage the consumption of complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables.

When following these Meal Plans, please keep these health-oriented tips in mind:

1. Eat a wide variety of foods daily.
2. Engage in some form of physical activity every day (get the green light from your doctor before starting any exercise regimen).
3. Eat high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans.
4. Use less added fat.
5. Use less added sugar.
6. Use less added salt.
7. Limit the amount of alcohol you consume. If you do drink alcohol, try to do so with food.

When it comes to overall health, many experts consider exercise to be just as important as proper nutrition. Most individuals will obtain better results on any Meal Plan if they include a sensible level of exercise and activities into your lifestyle. If you don't know what that level is, consult an expert.

We hope you find these Meal Plans meet your requirements... or at least serve as a good starting point for your ideal eating plan - one that fits your nutritional requirements and your lifestyle needs. If we've done our job well, you'll also find these recipes to be delicious as well.

This Meal Plan is included with NutriBase, version 5.1 and greater. Please email us anytime by clicking the email icon in the lower right corner of any page on this web site if you have comments or suggestions regarding these Meal Plans. :-)