A diabetic's guide to portion control

Long gone are the days when dieticians gave diabetics a long list of food items to avoid. These days it is all about portion control. Unless you have any complication related to diabetes, the general advice seems to be that you can eat almost anything you want as long as you maintain good portion control.

Tips on portion control for diabetics:

1. Fill half of your plate with non-starchy veggies, such as cabbage, broccoli and mushroom.


2. Add a lean protein to every meal of the day. An egg white is a source of good quality protein while having no cholesterol in it.


3. Snack on fiber-rich low GI fruits such as apples and berries. This way you can increase your fruit intake and satisfy your sweet tooth at the same time.


4. Always read carefully the serving size guidelines printed on the boxes of cereals and other ready-to-eat foods. Majority of the people get it wrong most of the time.


5. Have measuring cups handy so that you can accurately measure serving sizes, for cereals and the like, until you get a fair idea of what a single portion really looks like. Don’t rely on past knowledge. For all you know you may be wrong.


6. Share your dessert with as many people as possible while eating out.


7. Take into account the carbohydrate servings present in some sources of protein such as beans and lentils.


8. Plate up as much raw vegetables as possible. Raw veggies have lesser calories when compared to many other food items.


9. Dried fruits have much more calories than an equivalent amount of fresh fruit.


10. If including red meat, choose leaner cuts and stick to the portion size.


11. Use a smaller serving spoon and a smaller plate. It takes more effort to eat more that way.


12. Store the leftover/excess food away from the dining table.


13. Limit the variety of carbohydrate and fatty foods in a meal. You are more likely to eat more when you have more variety of food available to you.


14. When eating out do not hesitate to ask the staff to pack the excess food for you. The sooner you do this the better. Availability is one of the main reasons people eat more.


15. You do not have to clean up the plate. Serve yourself a smaller portion to start with and eat slowly.

Finally, ask your dietitian as many questions you want until you get it right.