A diabetes diet is an eating regimen consisting of healthy foods that will help you control your glucose. In this article, you will help you get started on what foods you should consume and the ones you should avoid.
Diabetes is a threatening disease that affects your body by making it insulin resistant which results to elevated levels blood sugar. Due to this impairment, people with diabetes are more prone to a heart attack or stroke. If you are victim to diabetes or pre-diabetes, most of the time your doctor will recommend you change your eating habits and adapt to a one that is more health conscious of a diabetic diet. A diabetic diet consists of consuming nutrients that are low in fat and low in calories such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. Believe it or not, whether or not you have diabetes, this diabetic diet can be found beneficial for anyone.
What Can You Eat on a Diabetic Diet?
Good Carbohydrates
• Choosing your carbohydrates is crucial when you are managing diabetes. You cannot avoid carbohydrates completely, but you can focus on healthy carbohydrate choices that are easy to digest such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products.
Fiber Rich Foods
• Eating fiber-rich foods can help aid in controlling your blood sugar. It also improves your heart health. An example of vegetables that are tasty and high in fiber are steamed artichoke, lentils, beans, and broccoli. Fruits you can find that are high in fiber include pears, avocado, and berries. If you are looking to get a good dose of fiber for breakfast, oatmeal is a great source as one cup of oat meal contains 4 grams of fiber.
Lean Meat
• As a person with diabetes, you should avoid greasy and fried meat and limit intake on red meat. You can still enjoy delicious lean meat such as chicken or turkey. If you do not have any allergies and can, it is highly beneficial to incorporate seafood into your diet. Eating fish such as halibut, cod, tuna, and salmon promote heart healthy by lowering triglycerides.
What Can You Not Eat on a Diabetic Diet?
Saturated Fat
• High in fat dairy products (including animal fat products) should be avoided or very limited in consumption. This includes hot dogs, bacon, sausage, and beef.
Sodium
• It would be almost impossible to cut out sodium completely. The Dietary Guidelines for America recommended no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day adults. However, if you suffer from hypertension (also known as high blood pressure) or diabetes, you should reduce that intake even further, consuming no more than 1,500 mg per day.
Cholesterol
• You should not exceed more than 200mg of cholesterol a day. This is due to having high cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease and stroke for diabetic patients. Cholesterol is in foods such as egg yolk, liver, and other organ meat.
Trans Fats
• You’ve probably heard of trans fats before or seen the logo while shopping for groceries. These are processed snacks you will see such as in chips and baked goods. But, trans fat can also be found in margarine in shortening. You should avoid this on your diabetic diet.
Conclusion
When beginning a new diet can be hard, but you should also keep in mind this is a life style change for the better. And as mentioned previously, a diabetic diet is not just for people with diabetes. It is an eating regimen that can be found beneficial to anyone healthy to suffering from disease or illness. It is also important to always partner with your doctor to learn how to manage your diabetes correctly.
