There is no such thing as a diabetes diet. What is good to eat for a diabetic can be eaten by anyone. Except the fact that for those suffering from diabetes it’s important to monitor the total amounts of carbohydrates, fat and proteins consumed each day. Primarily, the goal of nutrition for people with this condition is to attain the ABC’s of diabetes:
A – A1c or hemoglobin A1c test. This measures the average blood sugar over the previous three months
B – blood pressure
C – cholesterol
Diabetes Diet Tips
There are some tips and tricks to any diet. In the diabetes diet you mustn’t be a slave of your condition, but enjoy every meal.
Make sure you eat a wide variety of foods. Having a colorful plate is the best way to ensure that you are eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, meats and other forms of protein such as nuts, dairy products, grains/cereals
Also, you must not feast with whole grain breads, fruits, and cereals. An accepted amount is 25-35 grams of fibers per day. Fibers are highly recommended as they contain important vitamins and minerals.
Sizing the meals
It’s important to know the amount you can eat at each meal. Can you fill the plate or not ?
You should always eat as your doctor prescribed in your diabetes meal plan. Excess calories result in excess fat and excess weight. In people with type 2 diabetes, excess body fat means less sensitivity to insulin. Also it’s important not to skip meals and eat at regular times of the day. A controlled food consumption will set a rhythm to
bodily functions.
The Sweet Tooth
The fact that diabetics can’t eat sugar is just a myth. We all have cravings from time to time. It’s only important not to overindulge with to much sugar.
Sweets don’t raise your blood sugar any more than similar amounts of calories from starches, which is found in many foods that we consume. It is important to remember that sugar is just one type of carbohydrate.
Before eating anything sweet here are some suggestions:
1. Read the label. Determine how much sugar or carbohydrates are in the foods that you eat.
2. If you have eaten one of these goodies such as cookies, cakes, or candies, try to substitute them for another carbohydrate that you would have eaten that day. Make sure that you account for this in your carbohydrate budget for the day. Also readjust medication if you add sugar to your meals.
3. Don’t forget for your own well being to check the blood sugar after eating sugary foods.
Glycemic index guideline
The glycemic index is a ranking that attempts to measure the influence that each particular food has on blood sugar levels. It takes into account the type of carbohydrates in a meal and its effect on blood sugar. Here are some values of the Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) for a few common foods. GI’s of 55 or below are considered low, and 70 or above are considered high.
| Food | GI | Serving size | Net | Carbs GL |
| Peanuts | 14 | 4 oz (113g) | 15 | 2 |
| Bean sprouts | 25 | 1 cup (104g) | 4 | 1 |
| Grapefruit | 25 | 1/2 large (166g) | 11 | 3 |
| Pizza | 30 | 2 slices (260g) | 42 | 13 |
| Low fat yogurt | 33 | 1 cup (245g) | 47 | 16 |
| Apples | 38 | 1 medium (138g) | 16 | 6 |
| Spaghetti | 42 | 1 cup (140g) | 38 | 16 |
| Carrots | 47 | 1 large (72g) | 5 | 2 |
| Oranges | 48 | 1 medium (131g) | 12 | 6 |
| Bananas | 52 | 1 large (136g) | 27 | 14 |
| Potato chips | 54 | 4 oz (114g) | 55 | 30 |
| Snickers Bar | 55 | 1 bar (113g) | 64 | 35 |
| Brown rice | 55 | 1 cup (195g) | 42 | 23 |
| Honey | 55 | 1 tbsp (21g) | 17 | 9 |
| Oatmeal | 58 | 1 cup (234g) | 21 | 12 |
| Ice-cream | 61 | 1 cup (72g) | 16 | 10 |
| Macaroni & cheese | 64 | 1 serving (166g) | 47 | 30 |
| Raisins | 64 | 1 small box (43g) | 32 | 20 |
| White rice | 64 | 1 cup (186g) | 52 | 33 |
| Sugar (sucrose) | 68 | 1 tbsp (12g) | 12 | 8 |
| White bread | 70 | 1 slice (30g) | 14 | 10 |
| Watermelon | 72 | 1 cup (154g) | 11 | 8 |
| Popcorn | 72 | 2 cups (16g) | 10 | 7 |
| Baked potato | 85 | 1 medium (173g) | 33 | 28 |
| Glucose | 100 | (50g) | 50 | 50 |
Diabetes
is an serious conditions that fortunately we can control. In order to live a healthy, normal life we encourage you to speak to your doctor about eating plans and follow the glicemic index to know how to eat properly.