What should people with diabetes eat? People with diabetes can eat anything anyone else can eat, but eating healthily will keep your blood glucose levels within a healthy range. Therefore, it is up to each individual person to make wise food choices in their diabetes diet. There is a lot of help available for diabetics available, however.
If you are wondering what people with diabetes should eat, the first thing you should do is ask your physician. Many times a physician will send a diabetic to a nutritionist or dietician so that a diabetes eating plan can be developed. This is very important, as the question is not only, “what should people with diabetes eat?” but what times of day to eat and how much to eat at each setting.
Balancing Diabetic Meals
According to the National Institutes of Health, diabetics should eat starches at each meal. These are foods such as bread, grain, corn, or pasta which provide your body with carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. However, eating too many carbohydrates at one setting will cause your blood sugar levels to rise too high. The type of carbohydrates you eat make a big difference. For example, eating whole grain bread instead of white enriched bread is much healthier for you and will help keep your blood sugar levels steadier. For people asking “what should people with diabetes eat?”, NIH.gov suggests the following:
- Buy whole grain breads and cereals
- Eat fewer fried foods and high-starches like potato chips, French fries, pastries, and biscuits.
- Eat more foods such as pretzels, fat-free popcorn, baked tortilla chips, baked potatoes, or low-fat muffins.
Use low-fat varieties of dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and sour cream.
Vegetables should also be eaten regularly. Vegetables should be eaten with little or no sauces or dressings. If they are used they should be eaten in small amounts and should be low in fat or fat free. Many people also use vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, and/or salsa in their salads and other dishes to avoid using dressings and more fattening sauces. When cooking vegetables, it is suggested that you add a lean piece of ham or turkey to avoid using cooking oils or fat. If you do use fats, you should always use oils such as olive oil or canola oil to cook with.
Fruits are also an important part of a diabetic diet. They provide carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fruits can be eaten both raw and cooked. If you are not buying fresh fruits, then buy those which are either dried or canned in their own juice with no sugar added. Buying real fruits are much healthier than buying fruit juices, and when buying fresh fruits buy the smaller pieces. Desserts which include fruits can be eaten occasionally. When making these kinds of dishes, however, it is best to use diabetic recipes which call for sugar substitutes and low-fat ingredients.
