Diabetic Diet (cont.)
Starches
Starches are bread, grains, cereal, pasta, and starchy vegetables like corn and potatoes. They provide carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Whole grain starches are healthier because they have more vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Eat some starches at each meal. Eating starches is healthy for everyone, including people with diabetes.
Examples of starches include
| bread |
potatoes |
tortillas |
| pasta |
rice |
beans |
| corn |
crackers |
yams |
| pretzels |
cereal |
lentils |
How much is a serving of starch?
If you have more than one serving at a meal, you can choose several
different starches or have two or three servings of one starch.
Print out this chart. Then fill in the blanks with how many servings
of starch to have at meals and snacks.
1. How many servings of grains, cereals, pasta, and starchy
vegetables (starches) do you now eat each day?
I eat _____ starch servings each day.
2. Check how many servings of starches to have each day in
the section on "How much should I eat each day.
I will eat _____ starch servings each day.
3. I will eat this many servings of starches at
| Breakfast______ |
Snack ______ |
| Lunch______ |
Snack ______ |
| Dinner______ |
Snack ______ |
A diabetes teacher can help you with your meal
plan. |
What are healthy ways to eat starches?
- Buy whole grain breads and cereals.
- Eat fewer fried and high-fat starches such as regular tortilla
chips and potato chips, french fries, pastries, or biscuits. Try
pretzels, fat-free popcorn, baked tortilla or potato chips, baked
potatoes, or low-fat muffins.
- Use low-fat or fat-free yogurt or fat-free sour cream instead of
regular sour cream on a baked potato.
- Use mustard instead of mayonnaise on a sandwich.
- Use the low-fat or fat-free substitutes such as low-fat
mayonnaise or light margarine on bread, rolls, or toast.
- Eat cereal with fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk.
Next: Vegetables »
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