The Diabetes Food Pyramid has been replaced by the Plate Method
Although the diabetes food pyramid is certainly helpful, it is not currently recommended by the American Diabetes Association, which is advising that people use the plate method instead. The pyramid is quite detailed regarding number of servings of each type of food, whereas the plate method divides the plate to aid in portion control of each type of food.
Let’s take a look at the diabetes food pyramid:
- The pyramid starts at the top with the smallest amount recommended for fasts, sweets and alcohol. Rather than provide portion numbers it only indicates that a very small amount of these items be included.
- Next, side by side in the narrow part of the pyramid are milk at 2-3 servings and meat, eggs and cheese also at 2-3 servings.
- As we move down the pyramid, sitting side by side are vegetables (3-5 servings) and fruit at 2-4 servings.
- Finally at the bottom from side to side of the pyramid base is 6 servings of grains, beans, and starchy vegetables.
While it is certainly helpful to know which foods to eat and how many servings to have, the information regarding how much to serve each meal is not clearly defined, which may be why the ADA decided to change to the Plate Method. The plate method provides a visual means to control portion size of each of the dietary components without the guess work regarding how much of each to serve per meal
Let’s look at the plate method:
First, visualize your plate as if it was divided in three distinct parts. Half of the plate is complete; the other half is divided again into to equal parts. The following list shows which items go in which part of the plate:
- Fill the largest part of the plate with non-starch vegetables like spinach, cabbage, green leafy lettuce, beans, broccoli, or tomatoes.
- Fill one of the two smaller sections with starches such as whole grain breads, brown rice, pasta, corn or potatoes.
- Finally, in the remaining portion of the plate, fill it with a small portion of meat or preferred meat substitute if you prefer to not eat meat. Lean meat choices like chicken and pork are preferable to red meats that tend to be fatty.
- Your beverage choices are easy. You can choose an 8 oz. class of low or non-fat milk or you can drink a non sugary beverage. If you do not drink milk, you can have 6 oz. of another carb or fruit instead.
As you can see the Plate Method simplifies setting up mills without having to ask yourself if you have met or exceeded the 2-3 servings of this food or the 4-6 servings of another item. It will create a more enjoyable eating experience without all the heavy thought and planning required with the diabetes food pyramid. Both methods work equally well to help a diabetic control their blood sugar levels. The ADA currently recommends the Plate Method, so give it a try and see if it works for you.