2. Know Which Foods Should Be Staples in Your Diabetes Diet
Kathy Honick, NP, CDCES, a diabetes educator at Mercy Diabetes and Nutrition Center in Washington, Missouri, provides additional details about what you should keep in your pantry and refrigerator:
- Fruits are usually a good choice, especially berries, apples, and oranges, but enjoy fruit in moderation. Your healthcare team can tell you what “in moderation” means for you.
- Nonstarchy vegetables are a good choice. These include spinach, carrots, broccoli, and green beans.
- Eat whole-grain foods, such as brown rice, quinoa, barley, oats, whole-wheat bread, and whole-wheat pasta. The less processed the grains are, the better.
- Include legumes like lentils, kidney, or pinto beans in your meal plans. These are excellent sources of protein and fiber, which both slow the absorption of carbohydrates and prevent fast rises in glucose.
- Choose fish over meat two to three times a week.
- For meat, choose lean pork or beef, or chicken or turkey with the skin removed.
- Dairy (cheese, yogurt, milk) is important, but go for nonfat and high protein versions, even for ice cream. Nonfat greek yogurt and cottage cheese are good dairy options.
3. Limit or Eliminate Certain Foods From Your Diet
Honick adds that you’re better off cutting back on or avoiding certain foods when you’re managing diabetes. These are the types of foods that tend to contribute to weight gain or carry a higher glycemic load, meaning that they can lead to a swift blood sugar spike,according to Harvard Health Publishing. Nutrition is also an important consideration.
- Avoid junk food, she says. This fare tends to be high in saturated fat and sodium, notes research. If a food is high in carbohydrates (looking at you, french fries), that’s all the more reason to avoid it or enjoy it in moderation and infrequently.
- Sodasare chock-full of sugar, as are fruit punches and other sugar-sweetened drinks. For example, a 12-ounce container of fruit punch contains at least a whopping 44 g of sugar, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Diet soda may be acceptable, though some researchhas noted that (in people without diabetes) diet soda may be associated with higher caloric intake and thus weight gain. However, researchers relied on self-reported data, and more studies are needed. Your best bet is plain or sparkling water without sugar added, Honick says.
- Sugary snacks, including cookies, cakes, and ice cream, fill you up with empty calories, she says.And salty processed snacks should also be avoided as they can exacerbate insulin resistance. Choose healthier snack options, such as nonstarchy bell peppers with hummus, instead.
If you’re not sure of the nutritional content of a food or drink option, check the USDA’s Food Central database. (Pro tip: When “energy/kcal” is listed on the page, it’s simply a more technical term for calories).
RELATED: 20 Quick and Easy Snack Ideas for People With Diabetes
4. Use Diabetes-Friendly Cooking Methods When Preparing Your Food
When trying to follow a healthy diet, how you cook your food makes a big difference in the end product.
Honick suggests:
- Bake or broil instead of frying to reduce fat.
- Use extra-virgin olive oil instead of other oils because it confers more heart benefits, notes Harvard Health Publishing. People with diabetes are twice as likely to experience heart disease or stroke than those without diabetes, per the CDC.
- Completely avoid trans fats (found in some processed foods and foods cooked in oil, though they’re being phased out, per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and limiting saturated fats (found in meats and whole milk) to less than 20 g per day, if possible.
- Limit sodium to 2,000 to 2,400 g per day, unless you’re on a sodium-restricted diet. In that case, you should follow your doctor’s recommendations.
- Choose fresh or frozen foods, or canned foods with no salt.
Eating well is one of the pleasures of life. If you have type 2 diabetes, you don’t have to forgo the enjoyment of food. You just have to adapt and change your eating habits and, maybe, some of the foods you eat.
RELATED: How Diabetes and Heart Disease Are Connected
5. Limit Ordering Takeout, and Take These Precautions
Home-cooked meals are preferable to takeout orders because you have total control over portions and ingredients. However, if you’re craving a break from meal preparation, try to order the most diabetes-friendly options you can.
The Cleveland Clinic suggeststhat you prioritize vegetables. Choose whole grains in modest portions over processed ones, whether it’s opting for brown rice over white, or whole-wheat pasta over regular. Opt for proteins that are leaner than red meat, such as skinless poultry and fish, or plant-based sources like beans and tofu. Scale back on dairy and sauces, which can be laden with calories. And avoid fried food, which is full of carbs, fat, and calories. Order steamed, baked, roasted, or grilled fare instead.
Related: The Best Diabetes-Friendly Takeout Orders When You Don’t Want to Cook
6. Fresh Food Is Fantastic, But So Are Packaged Options
There are few yummier — or healthier — simple pleasures than choosing fresh fare from your garden, a farmers market, or a roadside stand. But if these aren’t options for you, you can enjoy nutritional food that is canned, frozen, or dried.
“Go for a combination of frozen fruits and vegetables, frozen lean protein such as seafood, canned beans, bagged brown rice, canned vegetables, spices, and healthy fats such as olive oil,” says Gorin. Among her favorite selections:
Canned Beans “Beans not only provide protein, they also provide fiber — and this combination of nutrients can help keep you fuller for longer,” Gorin says. “Purchase the no-salt-added variety if you have diabetes, and make sure to drain and rinse them.” According to the USDA, ½ cup of boiled black beans without salt contains about 20.4 g of carbs.
Don’t like black beans? The American Diabetes Association notesthat other types, including kidney, pinto, and navy beans, are also rich in vitamins and minerals such as potassium and magnesium.
Frozen Fruit “Frozen fruit is great to have on hand for anything from an oatmeal topping to an ingredient in awild blueberry–peanut butter smoothie,” says Gorin, suggesting her own recipe. To cut down on the possibility that your smoothie will spike your blood sugar, the London-based nonprofit Diabetes UK recommendspreparing it with whole fruits rather than juice, and limiting your smoothie portion to 1 small glass, or 5 ounces per day. Increase the size of your smoothie by diluting it with water.
Dried Spices “It’s super easy to get bored when you’re cooking most or all of your meals,” Gorin says. “Spices can quickly jazz things up.” One clinical trial found that type 2 diabetes patients who took cinnamon saw improvements in their body mass, insulin resistance, and cholesterol markers. Other spices, including turmeric, cumin, and ginger, may help lower your blood sugar, though more studies in humans are needed, according to a review. Regardless, sodium-free varieties of spice mixes are a good option to infuse food with new flavor without adding calories and carbs, Gorin explains.
RELATED: 7 Creative Smoothie Ingredients That Are Also Diabetes Friendly
7. Consider Exercising After Eating Your Healthy Meal
As you enjoy healthy meals at home, take time to consider what you’ll do once you get up from the table. Many people head straight to the couch after dinner, but try using this time to incorporate movement into your routine instead.
“Physical activity helps your body be more sensitive to insulin, which helps you manage your diabetes,” says Gorin, and which is also detailed in a review of research. Check with your doctor before you begin exercise to ensure you are doingthe right activities for your health condition.
Additional reporting by Marijke Vroomen-Durning, RN.
For tips and tricks to help you prepare healthy meals, check out Diabetes Daily’s article 5 Simple Steps to Meal Prep.
