Healthy Eating Tips to Prevent, Control, and Reverse Diabetes. What's the best diet for diabetes? Whether you’re trying to prevent or control diabetes, your nutritional needs are virtually the same as everyone else, so no special foods are necessary. But you do need to pay attention to some of your food choices—most notably the carbohydrates you eat. While following a Mediterranean or other heart- healthy diet can help with this, the most important thing you can do is to lose a little weight. Losing weight and eating healthier can also have a profound effect on your mood, energy, and sense of wellbeing. It can seem hard to make. Even if you’ve already developed diabetes, it’s not too late to make a positive change. By eating healthier, being more physically active, and losing weight, you can reduce your symptoms or even reverse diabetes. The bottom line is that you have more control over your health than you may think. However, your risk is higher if you tend to carry your weight around your abdomen as opposed to your hips and thighs.
A lot of belly fat surrounds the abdominal organs and liver and is closely linked to insulin resistance. You are at an increased risk of developing diabetes if you are. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() A woman with a waist circumference of 3. A man with a waist circumference of 4. Calories obtained from fructose (found in sugary beverages such as soda, energy and sports drinks, coffee drinks, and processed foods like doughnuts, muffins, cereal, candy and granola bars) are more likely to add weight around your abdomen. Cutting back on sugary foods can mean a slimmer waistline as well as a lower risk of diabetes. The first step to making smarter choices is to separate the myths from the facts about eating to prevent or control diabetes. Dessert doesn’t have to be off limits, as long as it’s a part of a healthy meal plan. Myth: You have to cut way down on carbs. ![]() Fact: The type of carbohydrates you eat as well as serving size is key. Focus on whole grain carbs instead of starchy carbs since they’re high in fiber and digested slowly, keeping blood sugar levels more even. Myth: You’ll need special diabetic meals. Fact: The principles of healthy eating are the same—whether or not you’re diabetic. Expensive diabetic foods generally offer no special benefit. ![]() ![]() ![]() Healthy Eating Simple Ways to Plan, Enjoy, and Stick to a Healthy Diet. Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or. ![]() Myth: A high- protein diet is best. Fact: Studies have shown that eating too much protein, especially animal protein, may actually cause insulin resistance, a key factor in diabetes. A healthy diet includes protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Our bodies need all three to function properly. The key is a balanced diet. As with any healthy eating program, a diabetic diet is more about your overall dietary pattern rather than obsessing over specific foods. Aim to eat more natural, unprocessed food and less packaged and convenience foods. Limit refined carbohydrates like white bread, pasta, and rice, as well as soda, candy, packaged meals, and snack foods. Focus on high- fiber complex carbohydrates—also known as slow- release carbs. They are digested more slowly, thus preventing your body from producing too much insulin. What about the glycemic index? High glycemic index (GI) foods spike your blood sugar rapidly, while low GI foods have the least effect on blood sugar. While the GI has long been promoted as a tool to help manage blood sugar, there are some notable drawbacks. The true health benefits of using the GI remain unclear. Having to refer to GI tables makes eating unnecessarily complicated. The GI is not a measure of a food’s healthfulness. Research suggests that by simply following the guidelines of the Mediterranean or other heart- healthy diets, you’ll not only lower your glycemic load but also improve the quality of your diet. If you have diabetes, you can still enjoy a small serving of your favorite dessert now and then. The key is moderation. Reduce your cravings for sweets by slowly reduce the sugar in your diet a little at a time to give your taste buds time to adjust. Hold the bread (or rice or pasta) if you want dessert. Eating sweets at a meal adds extra carbohydrates so cut back on the other carb- heavy foods at the same meal. Add some healthy fat to your dessert. Fat slows down the digestive process, meaning blood sugar levels don’t spike as quickly. That doesn’t mean you should reach for the donuts, though. Think healthy fats, such as peanut butter, ricotta cheese, yogurt, or nuts. ![]() Eat sweets with a meal, rather than as a stand- alone snack. When eaten on their own, sweets cause your blood sugar to spike. But if you eat them along with other healthy foods as part of your meal, your blood sugar won’t rise as rapidly. When you eat dessert, truly savor each bite. How many times have you mindlessly eaten your way through a bag of cookies or a huge piece of cake? Can you really say that you enjoyed each bite? Make your indulgence count by eating slowly and paying attention to the flavors and textures. You’ll enjoy it more, plus you’re less likely to overeat. Tricks for cutting down on sugar. Reduce soft drinks, soda and juice. Try sparkling water with a twist of lemon or lime instead. Cut down on creamers and sweeteners you add to tea and coffee. Don’t replace saturated fat with sugar. Many of us replace saturated fat such as whole milk dairy with refined carbs, thinking we’re making a healthier choice. Low- fat doesn’t mean healthy when the fat has been replaced by added sugar. Sweeten foods yourself. Buy unsweetened iced tea, plain yogurt, or unflavored oatmeal, for example, and add sweetener (or fruit) yourself. You’ll likely add far less sugar than the manufacturer. Check labels and opt for low sugar products and use fresh or frozen ingredients instead of canned goods. Be especially aware of the sugar content of cereals and sugary drinks. Avoid processed or packaged foods like canned soups, frozen dinners, or low- fat meals that often contain hidden sugar. Prepare more meals at home. Reduce the amount of sugar in recipes by . You can boost sweetness with mint, cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla extract instead of sugar. Find healthy ways to satisfy your sweet tooth. Instead of ice cream, blend up frozen bananas for a creamy, frozen treat. Or enjoy a small chunk of dark chocolate, rather than a milk chocolate bar. Start with half of the dessert you normally eat, and replace the other half with fruit. Be careful about alcohol. It’s easy to underestimate the calories and carbs in alcoholic drinks, including beer and wine. And cocktails mixed with soda and juice can be loaded with sugar. Choose calorie- free mixers, drink only with food, and monitor your blood glucose as alcohol can interfere with diabetes medication and insulin. Spot hidden sugar. Being smart about sweets is only part of the battle. Sugar is also hidden in many packaged foods, fast food meals, and grocery store staples such as bread, cereals, canned goods, pasta sauce, margarine, instant mashed potatoes, frozen dinners, low- fat meals, and ketchup. The first step is to spot hidden sugar on food labels, which can take some sleuthing: Do some detective work. Manufacturers are required to provide the total amount of sugar in a serving but do not have to spell out how much of this sugar has been added and how much is naturally in the food. The trick is deciphering which ingredients are added sugars. Aside from the obvious ones—sugar, honey, molasses—added sugar can appear as agave nectar, cane crystals, corn sweetener, crystalline fructose, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, fructose, high- fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, and more. A wise approach is to avoid products that have any of these added sugars at or near the top of the list of ingredients—or ones that have several different types of sugar scattered throughout the list. If a product is chock- full of sugar, you would expect to see “sugar” listed first, or maybe second. But food makers can fudge the list by adding sweeteners that aren’t technically called sugar. The trick is that each sweetener is listed separately. The contribution of each added sugar may be small enough that it shows up fourth, fifth, or even further down the list. But add them up and you can get a surprising dose of added sugar. Let’s take as an example a popular oat- based cereal with almonds whose package boasts that it is “great tasting,” “heart healthy” and “whole grain guaranteed.” Here’s the list of ingredients: Whole- grain oats, whole- grain wheat, brown sugar, almond pieces, sugar, crisp oats,* corn syrup, barley malt extract, potassium citrate, toasted oats,* salt, malt syrup, wheat bits,* honey, and cinnamon.*contain sugar, high- fructose corn syrup, honey, and/or brown sugar molasses. Combine brown sugar, sugar, corn syrup, barley malt extract, high- fructose corn syrup, honey, brown sugar molasses, and malt syrup, and they add up to a hefty dose of empty calories—more than one- quarter (2. Adapted with permission from Reducing Sugar and Salt, a special health report published by Harvard Health Publications. Choose fats wisely. Some fats are unhealthy and others have enormous health benefits, so it’s important to choose fats wisely. Unhealthy fats. The most damaging fats are artificial trans fats, which are created by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them less likely to spoil—which is good for food manufacturers but very bad for you. Avoid commercially- baked goods, packaged snack foods, fried food, and anything with “partially hydrogenated” oil in the ingredients, even if it claims to be trans fat- free. The safest fats are unsaturated fats, which come from fish and plant sources such as olive oil, nuts, and avocados. Omega- 3 fatty acids fight inflammation and support brain and heart health. Good sources include salmon, tuna, and flaxseeds. Saturated fats. Found mainly in tropical oils, red meat, and dairy, there’s no need to completely eliminate saturated fat from your diet—but rather, enjoy in moderation. The American Diabetes Association recommends consuming no more than 1. The Truth about the Diabetes Diet. Despite all the publicity surrounding new research and new nutrition guidelines, some people with diabetes still believe that there is something called a . Unfortunately, neither are quite right. What's the truth about diabetes and diet? We know now that it is okay for people with diabetes to substitute sugar- containing food for other carbohydrates as part of a balanced meal plan. Prevailing beliefs up to the mid- 1. A review of the research at that time revealed that there was relatively little scientific evidence to support the theory that simple sugars are more rapidly digested and absorbed than starches, and therefore more apt to produce high blood glucose levels. Now many patients are being taught to focus on how many total grams of carbohydrate they can eat throughout the day at each meal and snack, and still keep their blood glucose under good control. Well- controlled blood glucose is a top priority because other research studies have concluded that all people with diabetes can cut their risk of developing diabetes complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney and eye disease, nerve damage, and more, by keeping their blood glucose as closely controlled as possible. What does this mean for people with diabetes? This means that a person who has worked with a dietitian and a diabetes treatment team to figure out how many grams of carbohydrate they can eat throughout the day can decide at any given meal what they will eat. Those with diabetes who are not on insulin need to focus on keeping the amount of carbohydrate they eat consistent throughout the day. Those on insulin can decide both what and how much to eat at a given meal (as long as it doesn't exceed their daily allotment), and can then adjust their insulin accordingly. They work with their healthcare team to make adjustments in their food intake, physical activity, and medication to keep their blood glucose as close to normal as possible. How does carbohydrate counting work? Most foods- -except meat and fat- -contain some carbohydrate, and carbohydrate increases blood glucose faster than any other food. The number of grams of carbohydrate that a person can eat each day or at each meal is determined by: - Weight and weight loss goals- How physically active an individual is (because physical activity will lower their blood glucose)- What diabetes medication or insulin they are taking, and when- Other factors such as age or the presence of high blood fats (or any other medical issue, for that matter)For example, a 6' 2. His goal would be to spread those grams out over the course of the day so that he doesn't send his blood glucose too high at any one time. If he is taking insulin or oral diabetes medication, he might also have to manage when he eats his carbohydrate in such a way that there is enough sugar from his meals in his bloodstream when his medication is working its hardest. One time he may have 2/3 cup of rice and one cup of peas. Another time he may decide, for his carb choices, to eat a small baked potato, a cup of milk and have the brownie for dessert. Being overweight makes it more difficult for their bodies to use insulin to convert food into energy. For this reason, many patients with diabetes also have weight loss as a goal. Because each gram of fat contains 9 calories (while a gram of protein or carbohydrate contains only 4 calories), fat gram counting as a means of losing weight becomes an additional nutritional tool for many patients. Frequently people with diabetes also have problems with high blood fats and/or cholesterol levels, and will be prescribed a meal plan that is low in fat as well. So even if they aren't overweight, some patients may be counting grams of fat eaten at each meal or over the course of the day, as well as how many grams of carbohydrate. There are many food lists available that show how many grams of carbohydrate and fat are in most foods. Also, most any food you purchase in a grocery story lists carbohydrate and fat content as part of the food label requirements mandated by the federal government. Not a do- it- yourself project.
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