Nutrition Management for Diabetics

There’s a big misconception when it comes to diabetes nutrition. Some people mistakenly think that all you have to do is cut out sugar forever and you’ll be just fine.

That’s not true.

You have to eat strategically in order to keep your blood glucose levels in order. If you’re diabetic, it also means you have to plan when you eat – not just what you eat.

If you skip meals, it can make your diabetes worse – and yet, eating in moderation and losing weight can reverse diabetes so that you’re no longer dependent on insulin.

It’s important to keep your blood sugar levels at a range of 70-130 mg/dL on a regular basis. It should spike to no more than 180 mg/dL a couple of hours after you eat.

What Not to Eat as a Diabetic

The worst thing you can do is deprive yourself of your favorite foods so that you end up binging on them and causing your insulin levels to spike to dangerous levels.

However, you should also make better food choices whenever possible. When it comes to sweets, for example, there are diabetic-friendly options. Fried chips aren’t good for you, but baked chips are better.

Following our plan of ridding your body of toxic foods first, let’s look at the worst foods you can eat if you’re a diabetic. You want to adhere to a meal plan made up of mostly foods that are low on the Glycemic Index.

That means these foods spike your insulin levels the least amount. You can find foods ranked on this index so that you know what kinds of changes it will cause in your body.

Foods that are bad for your blood glucose include:

·         White bread

·         Pasta

·         White potatoes

·         Popcorn

·         Candy

·         Cereal

·         Watermelon

·         Pineapple

If you do add a food high on the glycemic index, then you can balance it out with foods lower on the scale, too. Try to moderate the portions that you consume – and watch out for seemingly healthy foods (like raisins), which have an unhealthy volume of natural sugars in them.

While you’re managing your meals, fueling your body throughout the day with foods that aren’t detrimental to your health, you want to also lay off the sodas – including diet drinks.

Drink plenty of water instead. Even juice, which sounds healthy because it comes from a fruit, is often packed with sugar that can harm your recovery plans as a diabetic.

Feed Your Body the Right Food for Diabetes

After ridding yourself of toxins that keep your body in a perpetual state of insulin dependency, you’ll want to begin reversing this health problem by feeding your body foods that help it maintain balance.

There are certain foods that are superb for diabetics to eat. 

Start by trying to add dark, leafy green vegetables into your meal plan. From spinach with your omelet to a side of greens at lunch and dinner, this superfood helps diabetics feel full without overloading them on unhealthy carbs and too many calories.

Kale is one of the best leafy greens to eat. But there are others (in addition to spinach), too. You can try a variety to see what taste you prefer – such as mustard green, collard greens, and turnip greens.

While pizza might not be healthy for a diabetic, the tomato sauce is. Pasta isn’t usually a good option, so what you can do is get your supply of tomatoes either by eating them raw or in a sauce poured over whole grain pasts instead.

Tomatoes are healthy for diabetics because they’re full of vitamins and nutrients. They include vitamin E and C as well as plenty of iron. You can get tomatoes in the form of soup, too – but make sure that however you eat them, you’re checking to see how much added sugar is in the product and how many carbs it’s loaded with.

Beans are a great food for diabetics. The fiber they pack is virtually unparalleled. They’re also very filing, and you get a lot of potassium and magnesium in each serving.

Even though they’re starches, they’re packed with protein, so you can forego the saturated fat that’s found in meat and eat healthy beans instead. The soluble fiber in beans binds to the carbs and helps slow the digestive process, keeping your insulin levels stable.

Potatoes are a food that aren’t usually good for diabetics, but those are Russet potatoes – not the sweet potatoes, which are one of the diabetic superfoods you can eat.

White potatoes have a high GI but sweet potatoes have a low GI, and they’re full of fiber and vitamin A. You can bake them whole or cut them into fries and bake them for a healthy snack.

If you’re diabetic, following a Mediterranean diet can be beneficial for you – especially if you eat fish that’s high in Omega-3 fatty acids. That includes salmon and tuna – but make sure it’s cooked in a healthy manner, like baked or broiled.

When it comes to fruit, not all fruit is good for a diabetic person to eat. But some can help – such as citrus options – oranges, grapefruit, and even lemons and limes – which you can put in your water for a flavorful option. You get fiber and vitamin C – and it helps boost your immune system in the process.

Bread is a hard thing to give up, but white bread is something that can cause a spike in your blood glucose. Go with whole grain options instead. That way you get some omega-3 fatty acids, folate and chromium to help your body heal, too.

Some of the other foods that are perfect for diabetics include berries (all kinds) – for their fiber and nutrients as well as nuts and seeds, such as walnuts and flax seeds, which fill you with fiber and help stave off hunger for long periods of time.

Dairy products can be tricky. Just make sure you choose healthy diary that’s not flooded with sugar. You need the vitamin D for strong bones and healthy teeth, but you don’t want the spike in insulin.

When it comes to shopping for foods to treat and reverse diabetes, stick to the outer edge of the grocery store, away from the processed foods that won’t serve your body well.