Foods For Diabetics

Yes, diabetes is on the rise, yet most cases are preventable with healthy lifestyle changes. Some can even be reversed. Typically, your food choices matter a lot when you got diabetes. And you constantly ask yourself, “What can I eat?” Living with diabetes doesn’t have to mean feeling deprived. 

It means eating a tasty, balanced diet that will also boost your energy and improve your mood. You don’t have to give up sweets entirely or resign yourself to a lifetime of bland food.

The basic goal of nutrition for people with diabetes is to avoid blood sugar spikes,” says Gerald Bernstein, M.D., director of the diabetes management program at Friedman Diabetes Institute, Beth Israel Medical Center in New York.

With these foods, you can still take pleasure from your meals without feeling hungry or deprived. Here’s a list of foods for diabetics:

Beans Foods For Diabetics

You can’t find better nutrition than that provided by beans. Beans are very high in fiber, giving you about 1/3 of your daily requirement in just a ½ cup, and are also good sources of magnesium and potassium.

They are considered starchy vegetables, but ½ cup provides as much protein as an ounce of meat without the saturated fat. 

Berries 

Blueberries, strawberries and other berries are all packed with antioxidants, vitamins and fiber. Make a parfait alternating the fruit with light, non-fat yogurt for a new favorite dessert. 

Tomatoes

An old standby where everyone can find a favorite. The good news is that no matter how you like your tomatoes, pureed, raw, or in a sauce, you’re eating vital nutrients like vitamin C, iron, vitamin E.

Fish High in Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Salmon is a favorite in this category. Stay away from the breaded and deep fat fried variety… they don’t count in your goal of 6-9 ounces of fish per week.

Candy and soda can be dangerous for diabetics because the body absorbs these simple sugars almost instantly. But all types of carbs need to be watched, and foods high in fat—particularly unhealthy fats—are problematic as well because people with diabetes are at very high risk of heart disease, says Sandy Andrews, RD, director of education for the William Sansum Diabetes Center in Santa Barbara, Calif.

 

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