Mindful Eating and a Day of Meal Planning

When you become a diabetic, you need to become mindful of what you eat. It's the quickest way to bring your blood sugars back in check. Mindful eating is about always being aware of what you put in your mouth. Once you get used to portion size and how it relates to your health, your blood sugar levels will follow. Foods that are as possible to their natural form are best. Some foods need to be cooked by steaming, and combined with other foods for their best nutrient absorption. Starting with a suggested food list. Then a meal plan that provides 3 meals and 3 snacks. Eating good food more often will help your body use glucose more effectively, instead of overwhelming it by eating only a couple times a day. Some people find eating this often to be difficult. Once you get used to it, you see how much better you feel. I am starting with a food list to help you purchase the food, you will need to complete a full day worth of meals and snacks. The list can be copied so you can use it for your own shopping needs.

Now let's get started with your mindful eating day plan.

Bread/Grains

• Brown/wild rice, Whole wheat pasta, Sour Dough or Rye bread
• Hot cereal
• Oatmeal
• Whole Grain Crackers

Meat

• Salmon
• Other fish
• Canned tuna (in water, not oil)
• Poultry
• Low-fat lunch meat
• lean beef or pork

Beverages

• Coffee
• Herbal tea
• Vegetable juice (Low Sodium)
• Water

Dairy

• 2% milk, Almond milk
• Cheese, Cottage cheese, Butter/margarine, Eggs
• Plain, Greek Yogurt

Snacks

• Nuts
• Graham Crackers
• Sugar-free Jello
• Sugar-free pudding
• Peanut Butter (Natural only)

Frozen

• Vegetables
• Frozen dinners
• Sugar-free ice cream or sorbet

Cans/Jars

• Low-salt canned vegetables
• Canned fruit in its own juices (watch for added sugars)
• Broth, Chicken or beef (look for organic)
• Salsa

Condiments

• Vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Mustard
• Ketchup (Limit amounts)
• Olive or Cold-Pressed Coconut oil
• Salad dressing (No sugar)
• sugar-free spices

Fruits/Veggies

• Apples
• Asparagus
• Bananas
• Berries of any kind
• Beans, White, Navy or Pinto
• Green Beans
• Broccoli
• Cucumber
• Garlic
• Green Onion
• Herbs
• Kale
• Melons
• Onions, Red or Yellow
• Oranges
• Pineapples
• Potatoes
• Romaine Lettuce
• Spinach
• Squash
• Tomato
• Zucchini

This list is to help you shop for the food items you need to make mindful meals and snacks. You can copy and paste into your smart phone, or print it off and take with you to the store. I keep a list on my iPhone under "Notes."

The calorie counts are based on 100 grams of veggies. Fruit is per fruit.

• Asparagus (20 calories) (3.9 g carbs)
• Apples (52 calories) per fruit, (5.2 g carbs)
• Beets (43 calories) (13 g carbs)
• Broccoli (34 calories) (7 g carbs)
• Brussel Sprouts (43 calories) (9 g carbs)
• Carrots (41 calories) (10 g carbs)
• Cabbage (25 calories) (5.8 g carbs)
• Cauliflower (25 calories) (5.3 g carbs)
• Celery (16 calories) (3 g carbs)
• Cucumber (16 calories) (3.6 g carbs)
• Grapefruit (42 calories) Per fruit, (4 g carbs)
• Kale (49 calories) (10 g carbs)
• Lemons (29 calories) (9.3 g carbs)
• Onions (40 calories) (9 g carbs)
• Oranges (47 calories) per fruit, (4.9 g carbs)
• Tomatoes (17 calories) (4 g carbs)
• Watermelon (30 calories) per cup, (3 g carbs)
• Zucchini (17 calories) (3 g carbs)

The words, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, really is true. Through the night your body is fasting. When you eat it starts your metabolism going again. Picture the food as the fuel, that keeps your furnace or body functioning effectively.

Breakfast food:

1. 2 Eggs & 1 peice of sour dough bread.
2. 1/2 cup of plain, greek yogurt with mixed berries and 1 tsp honey and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon.
3. 1 cup of coffee or herbal tea.
4. 1/2 cup of oatmeal with 1/2 cup of fruit, instead of eggs and bread.
5. 1 English muffin with an egg and back bacon is also good to start your day.

If you aren't used to eating breakfast, turn the yogurt and fruit into a smoothie.

Add a powder protein, or whey powder. Follow the instructions on the label.

Keep your body running smoothly, eat a snack between each meal. Then at night have a snack about 2 hrs before bed. Your snacks should'nt have more than 20 carbs.

Suggested Snacks:

1. 1 cup, Fresh fruit, mix it up so you get a variety of nutrients.
2. 1 cup, Raw Vegetables, Carrots, Colored Peppers, and Celery and Cucumbers. Mix more than what you need for a snack and keep in the fridge for an easy and quick snack.
3. Home made trail mix, 1 handful, is a serving. Mix together in a bowl. 1/2 cup Sunflower seeds, 1/4 cup dried cranberries,1/4 raisins, 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/4 dried blueberries, and 1/2 cup almonds. Pour the mix into a zip lock bag or glass jar. Seal and have on hand when you need a snack.
4. The yogurt, berry mix above, can also be used as a snack.
5. 4 Soda Crackers and 4 small slices of block cheese, Either marble or mozzarella are good snacks. If your a fan of pickles, baby dills are great with this snack. only have 2 or 3 and slice them up.
6. Individually packed yogurt are good for convenient to have. just make sure there is less than 6 grams of sugar and no syrup or added sugar. I use the Greek yogurt.

Prep time is 20 min. Cook time for the meat mixture is, 30-40 min. Prepare this meal by starting with cooking the ground meat, Brown 1/2 pork and 1/2 Beef. It takes 3 cups of ground meat. When browned add pepper to taste. Add 1Tbsp of Chile powder, 1tsp of paprika, 1 Tbsp of dehydrated onion. Continue to heat until almost done and add 1/2 cup of tomato juice. Let simmer and start cutting up and mixing the vegetables, 1/2 row of soda crackers and 2 cups of taco chips. In a large serving bowl. Along with the romaine heart, 2 tomatoes, 5 green onions, 2 cups salsa and 250 grams of shredded cheese.

Remove meat mixture from the heat and mix everything together and serve. This recipe makes: 8-10 Servings.

If you are concerned with carbs then reduce the soda crackers by half and the taco chips by half. This will keep your carbs within the daily meal allowance. Left overs from this meal can also be eaten as lunch or a smaller portion for a snack.

Substitution: You can change the ground meat for shredded chicken or turkey. Baby spinach can used instead of the romaine hearts.

Now you have a good start on how to be mindful of what you eat. Whether its preparing breakfast, lunch or dinner. Even the snacks you choose between the meals will nourish and fuel your body. You can mix it up, add items you love or add foods that are good for you. I suggest you use a snack size plate, it helps with portion control. Sometimes it's enough to get blood sugars under control. The addition of more raw foods and good snacks will make it even better. This is a guide to get you started, the rest is up to you. You will never know how good real food is until try it. Now its your turn, comment below with changes you've made and if anything that helped you more than anything else. May you feel as good as real food tastes. Health and happiness to all.