Meal Planning Guide

An Easy to Use Chart for Making Healthy Food Choices

Knowing portion sizes, carbohydrate and fiber content is a good step in planning healthy meals. The Meal Planning Guide that accompanies this article is a simple tool that groups low-glycemic foods with portion size and grams of carbohydrates and fiber. Choosing low-glycemic foods can help keep blood glucose levels in check and reduce hunger, which in turn can help with weight management and pre-diabetes.

The Meal Planning Guide lists a variety of basic foods that can make up a balanced diet, yet it's concise enough to post on the refrigerator or keep in your desk at work. Calories are not listed, because when suggested portions are used, calories are less important. When planning meals, there are two different approaches to using the guide:

Limit totals from each group: Two from the dairy group, four from the fruit group, four from the fat group, seven from the starch group, and six ounces from the protein group. Vegetables can be unlimited as long as they are fresh steamed or cooked in the microwave. Divide the groups into meals, for instance for breakfast, have one dairy, two starches, one fat and one protein. For snack have one fruit. For lunch have two starch, one fruit, three protein, one fat and vegetables. For snack have one dairy. For dinner have two starch, three protein, one fat and vegetables, and for an evening snack have one fruit and one starch. Sounds like a lot, but it is less than 1500 calories when portions are used as suggested.

Limit total carbohydrates: For people with pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, limiting carbohydrates helps control blood glucose. When using the chart, look at the carbohydrate column and limit carbohydrates to 45 to 60 grams at meals, and not more than 25 grams for snacks. Choosing the low-glycemic foods in the chart and limiting the carbohydrates prevents swings in blood glucose and reduces hunger. When included with the guidelines of seven ounces of meat, four of fat, and unlimited vegetables, this also is less than 1500 calorie a day.

Can other foods be included? Yes, but this is a great way to start a meal plan that can be balanced and healthy. People who follow this have more energy, reduced appetite and better blood glucose readings. Try it out for two weeks and see if you get similar results.

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