Balancing Food Groups

Using the food pyramid helps you eat a variety of healthy foods. When you eat different foods, you get the vitamins and minerals you need.

Eat different foods from each group each day. See how to do this in the example below.

• Day 1

  Fruit: apple or orange

  Vegetable: broccoli

• Day 2

  Fruit: banana or mango

  Vegetable: green beans

Starches are bread, grains, cereal, pasta, or starchy vegetables. Eat some starches at each meal. People might tell you not to eat many starches, but that is no longer correct advice. Eating starches is healthy for everyone, including people with diabetes.

The number of servings you should eat each day depends on both the calories you need and your diabetes treatment plan.

Starches give your body energy, vitamins and minerals, and fiber. Whole grain starches are healthier because they have more vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fiber helps you have regular bowel movements.

One serving:

• One slice of bread
• One small potato
• 1/2 cup of cooked cereal

Two servings:

• Two slices of bread
• One small potato and one small ear of corn

Three servings:

• One small roll and 1/2 cup of peas and one small potato
• One cup of rice

You might need to eat one, two, or three starch servings at a meal. If you need to eat more than one serving at a meal, choose several different starches or have two or three servings of one starch.

• Buy whole grain breads and cereals.
• Eat fewer fried and high-fat starches such as regular tortilla chips and potato chips, french-fries, pastries, biscuits, or 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.
• Use vegetable oil spray instead of oil, shortening, butter, or margarine.
• Cook or eat cereal with fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk.
• Use no-sugar jelly, low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese, nonfat yogurt, or salsa.

Eat raw and cooked vegetables every day. Vegetables give you vitamins, minerals, and fiber, with very few calories.

The number of servings you should eat each day depends on the calories you need and how you take care of your diabetes.

One serving:

• /2 cup of carrots
• 1/2 cup of cooked green beans

Two servings:

• 1/2 cup of carrots and 1/2 cup of salad
• 1/2 cup of vegetable juice and 1/2 cup of cooked green beans

Three Servings:

• 1/2 cup of cooked green beans and 1/2 cup of cooked greens and one small tomato
• 1/2 cup of broccoli and 1/2 cup of tomato juice

You might need to eat one, two, or three vegetable servings at a meal. If you need to eat more than one serving at a meal, choose a few different types of vegetables or have two or three servings of one vegetable.

Eat raw and cooked vegetables with little or no fat. You can cook and eat vegetables without any fat.

• Try low-fat or fat-free salad dressing on raw vegetables or salads.
• Steam vegetables using a small amount of water or low-fat broth.
• Mix in some chopped onion or garlic.
• Use a little vinegar or some lemon or lime juice.
• Add a small piece of lean ham or smoked turkey.
• Sprinkle with herbs and spices. These flavorings add almost no fat or calories.

If you do use a small amount of fat, use canola oil, olive oil, or tub margarine instead of fat from meat, butter, or shortening.

Fruit gives you energy, vitamins and minerals, and fiber.

The number of servings you should eat each day depends on the calories you need and how you take care of your diabetes.

One serving:

• One small apple
• 1/2 cup of juice
• 1/2 of a grapefruit

Two Servings:

• One banana
• 1/2 cup of juice and 1 1/4 cup of whole strawberries

You might need to eat one or two fruit servings at a meal. If you need to eat more than one serving at a meal, choose different types of fruits or have two servings of one fruit.

Eat fruits raw, as juice with no sugar added, canned in their own juice, or dried.

• Buy smaller pieces of fruit.
• Eat pieces of fruit rather than drinking fruit juice. Pieces of fruit are more filling.
• Buy fruit juice that is 100-percent juice with no added sugar.
• Drink fruit juice in small amounts.
• Save high-sugar and high-fat fruit desserts such as peach cobbler or cherry pie for special occasions.

Milk and yogurt give you energy, protein, calcium, vitamin A, and other vitamins and minerals.

Drink fat-free (skim or nonfat) or low-fat (1%) milk each day. Eat low-fat or fat-free yogurt. They have less total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol.

The number of servings you should eat each day depends on the calories you need and how you take care of your diabetes.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, eat four to five servings of milk and yogurt each day.

One serving:

• One cup of fat free plain yogurt
• One cup of skim milk

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