Portion Size and Diabetes

Portion Size and Diabetes

“If you are newly diagnosed with diabetes, you may think that having diabetes means going without your normal family foods. The good news is that you can still eat your family foods, but you might need to eat smaller portions.” Kepha Nyanumba- Afya Pap Nutritionist

We all possess the power of choice. It's a fundamental human right and a major factor that has made us a super-sized society. The last 20 years have seen "normal” food portions almost double, and more often than not, at each meal we are eating more than we need.  Unfortunately, it is not just the quantity of food we are eating that is the problem; it is also the balance of nutrients such as fat, carbohydrates and protein. This is damaging for everyone, but especially bad news if you are suffering from diabetes. If you are newly diagnosed with diabetes, you may think that having diabetes means going without your normal family foods. The good news is that you can still eat your family foods, but you might need to eat smaller portions. Overeating not only leads to obesity, but it makes it much harder for us to control our blood glucose levels. Controlling portion sizes can be simple and practical and can help you manage your blood sugar and maintain a healthy weight, which can potentially reduce your need for diabetes medications.

Mastering Portion Control 

Use these practical portion guidelines to help you stay in the right range:

§  Buying smaller plates or using a salad plate instead of a dinner plate are good options for people with diabetes because this is a tangible portion control method that’s hard to ignore. Be sure to fill half your reduced-size plate with vegetables or salad, one-quarter with a starch food, and one-quarter with protein. This is a great way to monitor portion sizes.

• To avoid taking second (or third) helpings, keep serving dishes in the kitchen, not on the table. When you’ve finished your meal, wait a few minutes before getting up for more to make sure you’re actually still hungry.

§  Always read food labels carefully when monitoring portion sizes. Start with the calorie count, but then look beyond that. Many food packages contain more than you might think: what seems like a single serving might actually be two. And if it contains two servings, the number of calories in the container must be doubled as well. Food labels can also be useful pieces of information for sugar and carbohydrate counts, both of which are important to monitor when you have diabetes.

§  Keep a food log. Besides helping monitor portion control, keeping a food log has another benefit for someone with diabetes. By recording your intake and your blood glucose, you will learn how different foods affect your blood glucose, but you’ll need to measure your blood glucose in pairs for this to work.  Measure just before eating, and again two hours after your first bite. If you do this often enough you will know the best foods and portion sizes for you.

§  Don't be afraid to snack. People with diabetes may cut down or eliminate snacking in an effort to practice portion control. However, this isn’t always necessary.  Snacking is a critical part of a diabetic’s diet since it helps keep blood sugars stable. However, it’s important to seek advice from a nutritionist to learn which snacks are best for your particular case.

Mindful Eating and Portion Control

Mindful eating involves eating with the intention of caring for yourself and paying attention to your own physical and mental processes while eating.  Many people who struggle with food portions react mindlessly to their unrecognized or unexamined triggers, thoughts, and feelings. In other words, they react to their feelings by repeating past actions again and again, feeling powerless to change. Mindfulness increases your awareness of these patterns without judgment and creates space between your triggers and your actions. To practice mindful eating, always ensure you don’t dine when distracted: people who eat while multitasking tend to eat more and find their food to be less flavorful. Skip the laptop, tablet, and smartphone screens and focus on food. When we eat free of distractions we can pay more attention to our portion sizes and the point at which we’re satisfied rather than simply feeling like we have to finish all the food in front of us.