Hy-Vee Recipes and Ideas

For many people with type 2 diabetes, having around 45 to 60 carbohydrates per meal (including drinks and dessert) is about right. Your Hy-Vee dietitian can help you determine if you’re within a good range for you, which may depend on medication or the amount of exercise you get. It helps to keep a food journal (write down what you eat) for 3 days. This way, your dietitian can determine how many carbs per meal you’re currently eating.

For reference, each of these items contains about 15 carbs:

1 slice of bread
½ small bagel
½ cup cooked oatmeal
½ cup cooked potatoes
1/3 cup cooked pasta
1 small apple (learn to make a PB & T Apple Waffer)
15 grapes
1 cup plain yogurt
4 cups popcorn
3 graham cracker squares
1 medium cookie
½ cup orange juice

Fiber is not digested and absorbed like starches and sugars are. In fact, fiber helps slow digestion, which prevents your blood sugar from rising too quickly. That’s why in some carbohydrate counting programs, grams of fiber are subtracted from the total amount of carbohydrates in your meal or snack.

Foods high in fiber include:

Legumes, such as beans, peas, and lentils
Nuts
Whole grains
Vegetables
Fruits, especially raspberries

Diabetes greatly increases the risk of heart disease, even when your diabetes is under control. That’s why it's important to make heart-healthy choices, such as avoiding fried foods, substituting beef, which can be higher in saturated fat, with heart-healthy fish like salmon, and incorporating more cardiovascular exercise into your week.

Remember, your Hy-Vee dietitian and pharmacist are always happy to help answer questions.