One of the biggest questions when it comes to diabetes is diet. The food you eat can help maintain a stable blood sugar level. There are no true restrictions on what you can eat, just so long as you don’t gorge yourself, or neglect eating a balanced meal.
The best advice is to keep it simple and make sure you get all your nutrients. A good rule for meals is that half of it should be green, or colorful vegetables that aren’t starchy. The other half should be a balance of whole grains, proteins, and low to nonfat dairy.
What’s to Stock in The Fridge?
We’ll start with the largest part of your meal, vegetables. A good rule of thumb is “if it’s green, it’s good to eat,” (except maybe peas). Pretty much any leafy vegetable is good along with add-ons like onions, peppers, and asparagus. In today’s world, starchy vegetables are cheap and come in so many tasty forms. Food like corn, potatoes, or peas are high in carbs, so go light on how much you eat.
Then comes the grains that are packed with fiber to aid in digestion. Grains are a necessary part of any diet. They should be eaten in moderation as they contain a lot of carbs. When choosing grains to eat, remember to go for the less processed versions. So, brown instead of white rice, whole wheat instead of white bread, and oats instead of sugary breakfast cereals.
Proteins are important and come in many types. If you’re vegetarian, this is going to be the most difficult part of your diet. Be sure to keep in mind the number of carbohydrates plant-based protein food contains, as many of them are starchy or high in fat. Although, it’s good to avoid anything that’s been sweetened, like cinnamon-sugar almonds. If you eat meat, fish is the best option, while processed meats like deli meats should be avoided.
Then we come to dairy products. Probably the easiest food group to determine, it’s all about the fat content – less or nonfat is better. So, go for skim milk, reduced-fat cheese, and nonfat Greek yogurt. Anything that’s full fat is going to contain a lot of sugar, so avoid them as much as possible.
Finally, fruits – the most overlooked food. Fruits are good when eaten fresh and in moderation. Also, these can be eaten as substitutes for candies and other processed sweets. Remember, it’s better to eat the whole fruit than to drink pre-packaged juices or eat canned fruit stored in syrup.
All in all, diabetic diets are easy to follow, just eat in moderation and eat fresh.