Diabetes Plate, Low Literacy, Plate Method, Food Groups

This product is for anyone teaching diabetes especially if to a mixed group of various educational levels. I searched the internet for handouts I could use with my lower literacy patients as well as my higher educated clients and found very little. These handouts were developed with lower literacy in mind but are also engaging enough to spark discussion and interaction among all class participants. Nutrition can be overwhelming and pictures just seem to make it easier and more fun (less clinical).

This 8 page packet of handouts includes:

• Page 1: Basic Diabetes Food Groups and introduction to the plate
• Page 2: Starch list
• Page 3: Fruit list
• Page 4: Dairy (milk and yogurt with reference to labels–labels not included)
• Page 5: Non-starchy veggies
• Page 6: Protein list
• Page 7: Fat list (emphasis on healthier fats)
• Page 8: A plate meal example (hand measurements are used to indicate portion size) and a few quick tips

Each list has a portion of the plate on it to tie the foods to their respective places on the plate. Color coding is also used to aid in the talking points. Starch, fruit and milk sections of the plate are yellow and the lists of those foods also feature yellow — each list follows this pattern.  Protein is red. Fat is brown. This helps with teaching which foods are carbohydrates and impact blood sugar the most (the ones in yellow).