Diabetic Nutrition:Picking and Choosing The Right Foods
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| Old Way Of Cooking | New Way Of Cooking |
|---|---|
| fried chicken, fried hamburgers, fried sausage or french fries etc. | oven bake chicken or french fries or use your gas grill for all |
| skillet on top of stove with an oil or butter-based frying agent | baked or broiled with a broth-based sauce. Or you could stir fry or saute in minimal amounts of olive oil |
| creamed dishes such as soups, au gratins, scalloped etc. | steaming with water or homemade broth for your liquid |
| breakfast with home fries, bacon, eggs, toast and jelly | oatmeal with fresh fruit, whole grain toast and all fruit jelly |
| browning your meat in a fat source before adding it to your stew or soup | coat your pan with non-stick olive oil spray and add 1 T. olive oil to your pan to brown your meat |
| just love those coffee latte's from the local Brew House | substitute a cup of regular coffee and add a dollop of Cool Whip sugar free whipped topping |
Meal Planning Made Easy
Trying to keep your blood glucose levels near normal is much easier after you learn the basics of stocking the pantry or how to become carb smart in your daily mealtime choices. Take the time each day to plan out your daily meals and snacks by picking and choosing a good balance of food choices which leave you feeling satisfied but do not over-extend your calories and carbohydrates for that day..If you are dependent on brown bag lunches, try incorporating an assortment of high fiber foods or snacks also into your lunches. This will ultimately lead to a more nutritionally complete diet, you will notice better blood sugar numbers on your meter and over time you will notice your clothes are starting to grow too large. Even with all of these advantages, your body is still receiving all of the vitamins and minerals it needs for a good healthy life because you have learned how to enjoy much of the good food for diabetes.
Diabetic nutrition information has become one of the most important considerations in today's marketplace for most doctor's, researchers and even the patient themselves. Diabetes now ranks as the 7th leading cause of death in the world today and unfortunately this number is still climbing. So by learning some new diabetic nutrition and diet information and incorporating these suggestions into your new diabetic weight loss diets, your future, at least for you- will be much less dependent on pharmaceutical drugs for the control of your blood sugar symptoms.
Diabetic Food Watches
Below is some interesting comparisons between different items in the same food groups and how your selection will affect your blood sugar.- amount of grams of carbohydrates per serving and how this will affect the fluctuations of your blood sugars
High Carb Medium Carb Low Carb creamed corn whole kernel corn popcorn cake hash browns french fries with vinegar baked sweet potato fries glucose is released quickly in small cooked pieces glucose is released slower in larger pieces and because of the addition of the acidic food dry foods and lower glycemic foods digest the slowest so less of an increase in blood sugar levels - any food which has a combination of carbohydrates, protein and fats together in one food product will show a slower blood sugar rise. The proteins and fats help to slow the release of glucose for better diabetic nutrition. (ex. some candy bars, granola bars and some dairy products)
- Sweeteners
- Calorie free sweeteners like Nutrasweet, Splenda and Saccharin cause no rise because there in so carbs in them
- Sugar Alcohols do get absorbed into the blood stream but they create a slower and lower rise than normal sugar. Over-consumption of this product line may cause gas, bloating and diarrhea though until your body adjusts to the differences in this type of sweetener. Start slowly if you decide to use these for diabetic nutrition and gradually add more product to your snacks with time.
- Be careful of labels which say low fat and low calorie because they may have added carbs in the form of fats, proteins and added sugars or starches. Check the labels carefully and search for terms like maltodextrin which will raise your carbohydrate levels, thus your blood sugars.
- Proteins are an important and necessary part of your diabetic nutrition but be sure you are selecting low fat and lean meats to prevent raising your cholesterol and saturated fat levels. Ideally, if you are a fan of ground beef, try to find a source (or inquire directly with the butcher) to start getting 95% ground sirloin. It is much leaner in saturated fats.
- Many people try to remove all fats from their diet but your body needs fats to operate efficiently. The goal here is to remove the saturated fats you ingest from hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils and trans fats. Avoid these products whenever you see them on the food label.
Many diabetics are also finding that the customs and cuisines of other countries already have their daily diets positioned around foods for continuous good healthy eating habits. The traditional foods and remedies indigenous to the Indian culture know more simple and traditional diabetes cures just by following a good daily diet.
So yes, it does take a little bit of advance planning and learning some new substitutions to find foods that diabetics can eat but good diabetic nutrition practices can be learned as easily as you learned how to tie your shoelaces. It takes a little bit of practice, some patience, and the on-going knowledge that "not tripping over your own feet" has to be an advantage over time for your health and safety.
Additional Related Topics:
- Diabetes and Sugar
- Adult Obesity
- Diabetic Weight Loss Program
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This site is not intended to replace the advice and supervision of your professional medical treatment plan. Although all of the information is true and accurate to the best of our knowledge, we still recommend you carefully check all food labels before consuming any food product. We can not assume any legal responsibility for any illness obtained while following the advice contained on this site.
