Page 5

Chapter 5: Nutrition Basics

Eating healthy is good for you and for your family. Eating healthy and exercising can even prevent or delay the onset of diabetes. For people with and without diabetes, eating healthy can help them feel better and have more energy.

Our bodies need carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to be healthy. Proteins are meats, fish, and vegetarian substitutes. Healthy fats are in foods like nuts, peanut butter, olive oil, milk, and avocados. And your body needs carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice, fruits, and vegetables for energy.

Be aware of portion sizes. The portions we are used to eating are too big. Our bodies don’t need that much food.

Also be aware of the amount of carbohydrates you eat because carbs raise our blood sugar quickly. Eating breads, pastas, and starchy vegetables can really affect how you feel.

Vegetables have vitamins and fiber your body needs, but some vegetables are starchy, meaning they are high in carbs.

Here are some low carb vegetables you can eat a lot of to feel full without raising your blood sugar too high as long as there’s not much butter, sauce, or dressing on them:

• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Kale
• Collard greens
• Green beans

Here are starchy vegetables:

• Soft beans like lima beans, pinto beans, black beans, red beans, kidney beans, and refried beans
• Potatoes
• Yams
• Plantains
• Peas
• Corn

Enjoy starchy vegetables but in small portions because they have the same effect on your blood sugar as bread, pasta, or rice.

The Plate Method is a good way to arrange the three different types of foods on your plate to make sure you’ve got a balanced meal. If you have a nine-inch plate, fill half of it with low carb vegetables. One quarter of the plate can be starchy vegetables or carbs like rice and pasta. And the last quarter can be for meat and protein. That could be a piece of grilled chicken with its skin and fat removed so it’s healthier for our hearts.