Diabetes: learning all about diabetic foods

When you receive a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, one of the first things you’ll need to come to terms with is the concept of diabetic foods and what you can eat to keep your blood sugar levels under control. While there are many other things that you’ll need to think about if you want to improve your chances of living healthy with diabetes, it’s important to remember that eating a balanced and healthy diet is one of the best things that any diabetic can do.

The good news is that you don’t necessarily need to stop eating all of your favorite foods if you have diabetes. However, there are some diabetic foods out there that are more likely to raise your blood sugar levels and expose you to potentially dangerous side effects. With that in mind, you should consider everything you’re going to consume carefully, and ensure that you do not go over the top with any foods that could impact your condition.

What Diabetic Foods Are Available?

If you’ve just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and you’re wondering what diabetic foods you can eat, don’t panic. The options are basically limitless. A lot of diabetics are surprised to learn that they can still eat whatever they want with diabetes, the key is simply to make sure that you eat foods in balance, and don’t go over the top with any one substance.

By making food choice changes that are realistic and manageable, you increase your chances that you’ll be able to continue managing your condition in the long term without falling off the bandwagon. Ideally, you should be looking for ways to manage your blood fat levels, your blood pressure, your weight, and your glucose levels too!

Remember, before your diabetes type 2 diagnosis, you might have found that you were thirstier than usual. If this was the case, then it’s important to make sure that you avoid as many sugary drinks as possible when it comes to quenching your thirst. These substances can easily put your blood sugar levels up to very high levels much faster than you might think, and they may even push you to gain weight too.

Ideally, you’d want to avoid any foods that are labeled as diabetic foods, because these often contain the same amounts of fat and calorie than you would expect from typical foods. These options are also more expensive even though they don’t really help you to manage your condition any better than any other food you might buy.

Eating Fruits and Vegetables:

The best way to start your search for the best diabetic foods, is to look into the benefits of fruits and vegetables. These substances are packed full of great things like fiber, minerals, and vitamins, and they’re ideal for when you want to keep your health in good standing. Vegetables and fruits can also help to protect you against conditions like high blood pressure and heart disease.

Ideally, you will want to eat at least five different portions of fruit and vegetables each day, and you can go for a full selection of colors to get the best collection of minerals and vitamins available. Just remember that if you do have diabetes and you’re searching for diabetic foods, it might be a good idea to look for fruits and vegetables with a low GI index. This simply means that the fruits you choose have less sugar than some of the other options on the market.

Eating Starchy Foods:

Starchy foods are another item on the food pyramid that you might need to consider when it comes to diabetic foods. These substances include bread, pasta, potatoes, and rice, and they all contain carbohydrates which ultimately get converted into glucose. Ideally, you’ll need to be careful with your choices of starchy foods to reduce your risk of increasing your carb level to dangerous amounts. Choose whole wheat bread and pasta instead of white, and think about wild rice options too.

Changing your sources of starch may not only reduce your risk of dangerous diabetic symptoms, but they also contain more fiber too, which helps to ensure that your digestive system continues working as it should be. Additionally, these whole-grain foods are also more easily absorbed into your system, keeping you feeling fuller for a longer time.

Nuts Beans, Meat, Eggs, and Fish:

Each of these foods are higher in protein than most of the other foods on the market. Ideally, when it comes to diabetic foods, you should be trying to get as much protein into your system as possible, as it’s essential for repairing and building muscles. Foods like meat, eggs and fish all help to offer other sources of vitamins and minerals too, such as iron which is essential for keeping your blood healthy.

Some oily fishes, like salmon, mackerel and sardines can also contain omega 3 which improves heart protection and keeps your brain working properly too. Ideally, you should be aiming for something from this food group at least once a day, and two portions of oily fish per week!

Dairy Foods and Diabetes:

When it comes to diabetes foods, there are a lot of concerns around dairy food, as it can sometimes make it harder to manage your condition. However, cheese, milk, and yogurts all contain calcium, which is important for keeping your body healthy and ensuring your teeth and bones remain strong.

Dairy is also a good source of protein, but some are high in fat, which means that it’s important to choose alternatives that aren’t going to have a negative impact on your weight. Look for lower-fat alternatives, and make sure you check for any signs of added sugar too. Remember that semi skimmed milk also contains more calcium than whole milk, and you should be having at least a small amount of dairy in your diet every day.

Foods that are High in Sugar and Fat:

Finally, when it comes to understanding diabetic foods, it’s important to remember that you can consume foods that are high in sugar and fat, but they can only be an occasional treat as part of a balanced diet. The sugary foods and drinks you eat will add up to extra calories, raise your blood sugar, and put you at risk for diabetic problems, so it’s important to search for low-calorie and low-sugars alternatives whenever you can.