Diabetic Meal Plans, Diabetic Meals

Finding out that you or a loved one has diabetes can feel overwhelming. There is a lot of information to process regarding not only medical necessities like checking blood glucose or knowing what an A1C number is, but there is also a lot to know regarding the required diet. Diabetic meal plans typically include suggestions to reduce sodium, reduce processed carbohydrates, and, of course, limit sugars. However, this can sound simpler than it seems. diabetes.org is a website packed full or advice about how to live with diabetes.

MagicKitchen.com has a delicious diabetic meal plan to suit you. Our diabetic meals are complete meals with a main entree, and 2 side dishes, to heat in a microwave. The diabetic meals are created by our chefs in concert with a dietitian. They come with a nutritional chart, and of course you can see the nutritional charts on our website as well.

Be careful with your body, exercise, eat right including MagicKitchen.com diabetic meals for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and you should be able to keep your diabetes in check.

While the recommended daily sodium limit for most people is 2,300 mg per day, it is 1,500 mg for people with diabetes or high blood pressure. Considering the average American eats more than 3,400 mg of sodium per day, reducing this number can be difficult. Many people are not aware of all of the places that sodium hides in our everyday foods. Sodium is even lurking in what appear to be “healthy” choices likes soups or deli turkey meat and cheese.

You might be surprised to hear that the 6” melted turkey breast sandwich at a very popular fresh subway franchise contains 1020 mg of sodium. This is more than half of the daily limit in just one food item. Pair it with a bag of Baked Lays and the sodium increases another 180 mg. One meal can put someone far past 75% of their daily limit easily.

Another area where is often a lot of sodium is in canned vegetables. Consider the patient that is told to eat more vegetables to stabilize his blood sugar. He does so by buying things like canned green beans and spinach. Little does he know that each serving packs about 200-400 mg of sodium. Keep in mind that there are about 3.5 servings per can!

Part of the reason for increased sodium in foods is processing and packaging. These things help to make our foods last longer and supposedly taste better. Processed carbohydrates or refined carbohydrates are typically a double whammy in that they are not only not whole grains but they are also packaged with things like extra sugars.

Our easy and convenient lifestyles have led to many not even knowing how to prepare a fresh, home-cooked meal from scratch anymore. We are used to the ease of using cheap, processed foods which are masked to taste like they are homemade.

So what is a diabetic who is used to this environment supposed to do? Convenient, microwavable diabetic meals are typically very difficult to find in grocery stores. The frozen food section’s nutritional labels will show a variety of added refined sugars, sodium, processed carbohydrates, and chemical preservatives. Even if one can find a brand with lower sodium, they often taste bland and boring.

Luckily there are services like MagicKitchen.com that provide prepared diabetic meals that are created by talented chefs seeking to help diabetic patients. By using combinations of flavorful, fresh, and unique spices, these chefs help diabetics not miss the extra salt and sugar that our palates have become to accustomed to our Western diets.

With meals delivered right to the door and able to be heated quickly, those with diabetes don’t have to worry about planning an entire diet around their restrictions. They can instead continue to enjoy dishes such as salmon, chicken, and even beef without worry of “messing up” their blood sugar.

Managing your diabetes diet does not have to be difficult if you use the resources that are now available to help. Diabetic meal plans delivered to your home can be one less worry you will have to think about each day. Did you know how to control type 2 diabetes? Read our article to find out more.

Customer Reviews

"Being a diabetic, your online food service for Diabetic Friendly meals are superb! Great quality and exceptional customer service."
~W. E. Layfield

"This has been a lifesaver for our family and my mom, who is still living on her own at 90+. Tasty and nutritious meals are delivered to her door, even when the weather conditions are not good. We are all so grateful for MagicKitchen.com"
~Kay O.

"These products are better than anything you can find in the supermarkets for diabetics. They are quick and easy. My own palate likes some of these much better than others. However, I guess that is to be expected. They are large enough to be a dinner especially if you add your own salad."

~Robert H.

MagicKitchen.com is your source for delicious Diabetic Meal Plans. If you are searching on Diabetic Meal Plans for Seniors you’re at the right destination. Our diabetic meal plans have been seen on ABC's The View and written up in Parents Magazine, Neighbor.com, FOOD 411 and many more.

Our diabetic meal plans service encompasses the continental US. Our Seniors diabetic meal plans service is used for aging parents and people with special dietary needs. Our a la carte menu diabetic meal plans are used by many children of seniors and caretakers to ensure that their parents are eating healthy, delicious meals. If you need Diabetic Meal Plans for weight loss, our plans are designed by nutritionists just for that purpose.

Need to know more about diabetic meal plans? The American Diabetes Association has a lot of information. The Mayo clinic is also a great source of information about diabetic meal plans.

Glycemic Index Explained

In the seventies, diabetes patients had little more than portion management as a tool for reigning in their glycemic response. Patients of the nineties were slightly more fortunate, having been given a list of sugars to avoid. Simple carbohydrates were the perceived evildoers of the diabetic community. Those with glucose control problems were to omit all things uncontrolled and delicious from their diets. This tactic was difficult to follow and non-compliance was the vice of all but the most disciplined of patients. Nevertheless, regimented eating plans that followed this strategy did not always result in positive consequences. Canadian professor, David Jenkins, challenged the idea that simple carbohydrates were to blame for rapid blood sugar spikes. The results of his trials revolutionized meal plan management for diabetic patients and put a few mouth-watering delicacies back onto their plates. Resultant testing led to the discovery of the glucose-controlling power tool, glycemic index, which flew in the faces of previous theories about carbohydrate effects.

Jenkins and his disciples discovered that simple and complex carbohydrates did not result in predictable and disparate blood glucose responses. Certain complex carbohydrates induced a quick BG spike that was far more potent than that produced by some simple carbohydrates. To reliably predict the BG response, scientists ranked carbohydrates according to their effects on blood sugar. Glycemic index ranks were given to foods in 50g portions according to the speed at which they pushed blood glucose up. The BG response over two hours determined the precise GI of the carbohydrate. Low GI foods such as pasta and peanut butter found their way back into diabetic meal plans while some foods with intermediate GI values were scratched from the list. This revolutionary discovery had yet to deliver its most powerful secrets.

Jenkins discovered power foods that could improve diabetes management purely through daily consumption of set portions, regardless of the rest of the diet. While simply adding a single low GI food to a poor diet is an inadequate plan for diabetics to follow, it does demonstrate the potency of certain well-ranked foods. More recent findings have transformed the discovery of the glycemic index into an intricate meal management tool.

Low GI foods such as legumes and kidney beans can be combined with high GI foods such as fruit and cereals to reduce glucose spikes. This method allows for a more diverse diet, increasing patient compliance as well as the nutritive value of meals. Following a GI diet is more complex than consulting a list of foods with corresponding numbers. There are external factors that influence the glycemic index of foods and precise control demands knowledge of these.

The ripeness of fruit and vegetables pushes GI up, as does processing. The straightforward act of overcooking pasta can turn that low rank into an intermediate one. There are also some food types with various GI ratings. There are a number of ranks within the rice family. Long grained white rice is preferable to brown rice and short grain rice is the guiltiest grain in the group. Potatoes are equally variable in terms of GI, with the potential to cause BG spikes across the spectrum depending on how they are prepared.

While the GI meal plan might put that low GI Snickers bar back onto your meal plan, it does not afford you absolute freedom with portion sizes. Blood glucose and weight management plans still need to include portion size management. Nutritional control remains imperative, as not all low GI foods are healthy.

Trials show that low GI diets generally have a potent effect on blood sugar management for patients with diabetes 2, but individuals have varying GI responses. Just as medication and insulin regimes are established according to the diabetic, nutritional changes need to be determined on an individual basis.