Diabetes and Diet:
When you are suffering from diabetes you need to put some extra effort on your food habit. According to Gerald Bernstein, director of the diabetes management program at Friedman Diabetes Institute in Beth Israel Medical Center , New York,, people with diabetes need to stay away from foods that can trigger blood sugar spikes. Soda & candy are such kinds of deadly options for diabetic people. Our body can soak up these kind of sugars almost immediately. Consumption of carbohydrates also needs to be watched, because unhealthy fat in a diabetic body can enhance the risk of heart ailments.
Fats:
All fats are not bad, some like monounsaturated fats can minimize our cholesterol level as well as avert various heart diseases too. On the other hand we need to control trans & saturated fat consumption.
Best choices:
Peanut butter
Sunflower seeds & Pumpkin seeds
Canola & Olive oil
Avocados
Fish like Albacore Tuna & Salmon
Nuts like Pecans, Almonds, Walnuts & Peanuts
Make sure you are concentrating on portion sizes for these options.
Offenders:
Cream sauce
Lard, butter
Red meat, which have high fat content like Pork chops, T bone steaks, Pork shoulder, Ground beef etc.
Sausage, hot dogs etc. processed foods
Dairy products which are full fat.
Protein:
Best bets:
As per ADA (The American Diabetes Association), go for low saturated fat containing lean proteins, like turkey or fish. For seafood, the recommended level of serving is around 2-3 servings per week. Fishes like salmon are also heart healthy options, because of their omega-3 content. For vegetarian people a huge variety of beans or tofu or nuts are great foods to go for. However, make sure that you are putting some effort on portion sizes, as some of these nuts contain high calories.
Worst culprits:
Stay away from hot dogs, deli meats which are processed. Because of their high sodium & fat content they can enhance the risk for stroke as well as high BP among diabetic people. Some other worst food options can be, pork bacon, deep fried fish, fried meats, poultry with skin, beans specially those prepared by lard etc.
Grains/Starches:
Carbs is an important item for our body, however you need to choose it carefully. Following tips will help you to consume your carbs wisely.
Best choices:
Sweet potatoes, that are baked
Whole grains like oatmeal or millet or quinoa or brown rice etc.
Make sure that the food item is made with whole grains have no extra sugar in it.
Worst options:
French fries, white bread, cereals that contains added sugar but very minimum amount of whole grain.
Tortillas, which are fried & made with white flour.
White flour or white rice (processed grains)
Dairy:
Best choices:
Nonfat, plain Greek yogurt is a good option for people with diabetes. You can have it as breakfast or even as dessert by adding some berries in it. In your cooking process it’s a very good substitute for sour cream.
Worst bets:
You need to stay away from all types of full fat containing dairy products. Food products, which have extra sugar like packed chocolate milk is a deadly option for diabetic people.
Fruits:
Fruits are great supplier of fiber, vitamins, carbs & minerals. On the other hand, it has tendency of providing carbohydrates in much more quantities than veggies.
Best Fruit Options:
Applesauce (no added sugar)
Fresh fruits
Canned fruits without any kind of extra sugar or frozen fruits (plain)
Less sugar or even sugar free jam.
Worst Option:
Fruit rolls
Fruit juices or fruit punch
Applesauce , that is sweetened
Regular jelly or jam
Extra sugary canned fruits
Veggies:
Best bets:
Veggies high in fiber & low in carbohydrates like asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, leafy green veggies, carrots etc. Smashed cauliflower could be a great replacement for smashed potatoes.
Worst choices:
Starchy veggies like corn or peas or potatoes are no no. though these are a rich supplier of various nutrients, but you need to consume them in moderation.
Featured Image by: Steve Davis
