Which Types Of Dairy Can People With Diabetes Eat
When picked well and eaten in moderation, dairy can be a great choice for people with diabetes. In fact, a review published September 2017 in Nutrients revealed that dairy products such as milk and yogurt offer protective benefits against type 2 diabetes. Whenever possible, opt for low-fat and fat-free dairy options to keep calories down, and unhealthy saturated fats at bay. Also, try to avoid flavored dairy, such as milks and yogurt, without added sugar.
Best options, per the ADA and the Mayo Clinic:
- Unsweetened almond milk
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Breakfast Ideas When You Have Diabetes
Diabetes wont stop you from enjoying your food, but knowing some simple hacks and swaps will help you choose healthier options and make planning your meals a little easier. These ideas may not look much different from what you eat already, and your favourite recipes and meals can usually be adapted to be healthier without you noticing too much difference.
Here are some healthy breakfast ideas to choose from:
- a bowl of wholegrain cereal with milk
- two slices of wholegrain toast with olive oil-based spread
- a pot of natural unsweetened yogurt and fruit
- two slices of avocado with a hardboiled egg.
What Foods Can I Eat If I Have Diabetes
You may worry that having diabetes means going without foods you enjoy. The good news is that you can still eat your favorite foods, but you might need to eat smaller portions or enjoy them less often. Your health care team will help create a diabetes meal plan for you that meets your needs and likes.
The key to eating with diabetes is to eat a variety of healthy foods from all food groups, in the amounts your meal plan outlines.
The food groups are
- nonstarchy: includes broccoli, carrots, greens, peppers, and tomatoes
- starchy: includes potatoes, corn, and green peas
Use oils when cooking food instead of butter, cream, shortening, lard, or stick margarine.
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I Am My Own Toughest Critic
Even though type 1 diabetes isnt caused by unhealthy habits, there can still be a lot of self-judgment from managing it. Having type 1 is like being graded over and over again each day, says McKean. Every time I check my blood sugar, I’m finding out if I get a good or bad grade. There can be a lot of guilt and frustration if my blood sugar is too high or low. Why didn’t I give the right amount of insulin? How could I have gotten that wrong? What did I do yesterday that is making this happen? I must have eaten too much how stupid! Why didn’t I feel my blood sugar dropping before now?
Goals can seem very black and white, says Ramage, and when patients dont meet them, it can lead to shame and guilt. As healthcare providers, we have specific sugar goals that we share with patients in order to reduce risk, says Ramage, adding that the numbers are only one part of the bigger picture. Stress and micromanaging over hitting a number isnt healthy either. Working with patients as individuals to gain an understanding of his or her challenges and goals can lead to better outcomes.
The Basics Of The Type 2 Diabetes Diet: What Should You Eat
To follow a healthy diet for diabetes, you must first understand how different foods affect your blood sugar. Carbohydrates, which are found to the largest degree in grains, bread, pasta, milk, sweets, fruit, and starchy vegetables, are broken down into glucose in the blood, which raises blood sugar, potentially leading to hyperglycemiaaccording to the Mayo Clinic. Protein and fats have little, if any, impact blood sugar, notes a past review. However, both should be consumed in moderation along with carbs to keep calories down and weight in a healthy range.
To hit your blood sugar level target, eat a variety of foods but monitor portions for foods with a high carbohydrate content, says Alison Massey, RD, a certified diabetes educator in Frederick, Maryland. have the most impact on blood sugar level. This is why some people with diabetes count their carbohydrates at meals and snacks, she says.
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The 21 Best Snack Ideas If You Have Diabetes
Choosing healthy snacks can be difficult when you have diabetes.
The key is to choose snacks that are high in fiber, protein and healthy fats. These nutrients will help keep your blood sugar levels under control.
Its also important to snack on nutrient-dense foods that promote overall health.
This article discusses 21 excellent snacks to eat if you have diabetes.
How Does Type 2 Diabetes Affect Your Weight
The food you eat on a daily basis plays an important role in managing your diabetes, as well as ensuring you keep well and have enough energy for your daily activities. The same healthy-eating principles apply whether you have diabetes or not. In fact, getting the whole family to eat this sort of balanced diet if you have diabetes can benefit their health as well as yours.
Rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals. Low in calories and fat.
- Aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
- Potatoes are very high in carbohydrates, so don’t ‘count’ as a vegetable in terms of your five a day.
- Try to ‘eat a rainbow’ – combine several different vegetables or fruits of different colours to get the maximum vitamins and minerals.
- These can be fresh, frozen, canned or dried .
- Remember that on the whole, vegetables have less impact on your blood sugar than fruits.
- Limit your intake of fruit juice or smoothies to 150 ml per day, as these drinks have their fibre and carbohydrates already broken down. This means they can cause your blood sugar to rise more quickly. They are also very easy to drink so you can end up having too much, which means extra calories, carbohydrate and sugar!
- Try to avoid the more sugary tropical fruits like bananas, oranges or pineapples . Instead, eat lower glycaemic index fruits like blueberries, strawberries or raspberries.
- Instead of eating a banana, snack on an apple, which has less impact on your blood glucose.
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A Cautionary Word About Salt
Some people are sensitive to salt, which causes higher blood pressure when too much sodium is consumed. Since we have no way of testing who is salt-sensitive and who isnt, the best precaution is to limit salt and avoid sodium-containing foods if you may be at risk for high blood pressure.
Simply put, the excess salt in most peoples diets comes from processed foods, so check the package for sodium content. By adopting a diabetes diet that contains mostly whole foods, this issue will no longer present a problem. Also, foods that are flash frozen are as good as fresh.
Canned vegetables usually have added salt as a preservative. Your best bet when buying is to check the food labels for sodium content. Youll want to stay well below the upper recommended limit of 2,000 mg/day, and you can certainly look for low-sodium varieties of canned, and processed, prepackaged food products.
Is There An Ideal Type 2 Diabetes Diet
Picking the right foods to eat when you have diabetes can help lower your blood sugar or keep it stable. Find out what to put on the menu when planning your diabetes diet.
Following a type 2 diabetes diet doesnt mean you have to give up all the things you love you can still enjoy a wide range of foods when managing this disease. Indeed, creating a diet for type 2 diabetes is a balancing act: It includes a variety of healthy carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases . The trick is ultimately choosing foods that are naturally rich in nutrients to help keep your blood sugar level in your target range and avoid big swings that can cause type 2 diabetes symptoms notes the Mayo Clinic from the frequent urination and thirst of high blood sugar to the fatigue, dizziness, headaches, and mood changes of low blood sugar , per the American Diabetes Association .
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Best Fruit For Diabetes Type 2
Reader question:
Can I have any kind of fruit to eat?
If youre also wondering whether fresh fruit can be part of a healthy diet or what type of fruit is best to eat with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, youre in the right place.
Unfortunately, when it comes to fruit there are some limitations, which can be a bit disappointing for some people who do love their fruit.
However, there are still plenty of options and when you stick to the right types of fruit in an appropriate portion size, you can still keep blood sugar levels within a healthy range.
Lets talk about why certain fruit can be problematic, then go over your best fruit options. Plus weve got some frequently asked questions and a blood testing technique you can use to evaluate how different fruits affect you.
Of course you probably know that added sugar is your enemy.
Consuming added sugar, which is now found in thousands of food products, is linked to increased risk of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and other health conditions.
But fruit, its often considered a healthy food, right? But the thing is, fruit also has a fairly high sugar content.
Although fruit is a natural food source, one thing to keep in mind is that fruit is high in natural sugar, predominantly fructose. This can be slightly problematic for a few different reasons.
One thing you have to keep in mind at all times is your primary goal: keeping your blood glucose and A1c within the healthy range.
Choose Wisely At The Salad Bar
This is a good place to fill up on nutritious vegetables. Pile your plate with low-carb picks, like leafy greens, broccoli, and bell peppers. Then add lean protein, such as grilled chicken or chickpeas. Cheese, croutons, dried fruit, and bacon bits are high in calories, so only sprinkle on a small amount. Skip the creamy pasta and potato salads, and go easy on the dressing.
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Can I Snack In Between Meals
Some people with type 2 diabetes hear about hypos and think they need to eat snacks to avoid them. But this isnt the case for everyone.
You dont need to eat snacks if youre not taking any medication for your type 2 diabetes. If you treat your diabetes with medication that puts you at risk of hypos, like insulin, you may need a snack to prevent a hypo. But if you find youre having to snack a lot to prevent hypos, talk to your healthcare team so they can give you more advice.
Snacking in general can make it harder to manage a healthy weight though, which is really important for managing your diabetes. So if you do feel like a snack, go for a healthier option like carrot sticks and hummus or some dark chocolate rice cakes.
Weve got lots of simple snack swaps to try.
Which Type Of Fats Are Recommended
Fats have little direct effect on blood sugar but, as part of a meal, they are useful in slowing down the absorption of carbohydrates. Fats also have effects on health that are not related to blood sugar. For example:
- Animal meat fats increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, dairy, and specifically fermented dairy such as yogurt, appears to decrease this risk.
- Plant-based fats such as olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocado are associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk.
- Fat also contributes to feelings of satiety and can play a role in managing overeating and carbohydrate cravings. A portion of healthy fats is much more satisfying and healthy than jam on white toast.
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Common Foods Impact On Blood Sugar Compared To Table Sugar
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that healthcare professionals should “Encourage high-fibre, low-glycaemic-index sources of carbohydrate in the diet, such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains and pulses.”
Where you do include carbohydrates in your diet, always opt for wholemeal or wholegrain ‘complex’ carbohydrates. These are absorbed more slowly into your system than refined carbs and do not tend to cause the same spikes in your blood sugar. In addition, they provide dietary fibre, which is important for gut health.
Easy Breakfast Ideas For Type 2 Diabetes
Make breakfast a no-brainer. These simple ideas will help keep your blood sugar steady and get you on with your day in no time.
Ruth Black/Stocksy
For many people, breakfast is the most neglected meal of the day. But if you have type 2 diabetes, breakfast is a must, and eating this meal can have real benefits for your health. Breakfast is especially important for someone who has diabetes, because it helps control blood sugar for the rest of the day, says Rahaf Al Bochi, RDN, CDCES, an Atlanta-based spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the owner of Olive Tree Nutrition.
, agrees that its a crucial meal when youre managing diabetes. Its important for people with diabetes to keep in mind that the first meal of the day sets the tone for how theyll feel as the day progresses, says Stefanski, also a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a certified diabetes care and education specialist in York, Pennsylvania.
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On the other hand, choosing a breakfast that isnt balanced wont do your blood sugar any favors. As an example, a sugary cereal paired with a plant milk or coffee with a lot of sugar has very little protein or fat, and blood sugar will immediately begin rising, says Stefanski.
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What Sources Of Fat Are Good And Bad For Diabetes
Fat is not the enemy! In truth, getting enough of the right kind of fat can ultimately help you lower insulin resistance and attain better control over your blood sugar, according to a meta-analysis published July 2016 in PLoS Medicine. The key is knowing how to tell good fat from bad fat.
The monounsaturated fats found in avocados, almonds, and pecans or the polyunsaturated fats found in walnuts and sunflower oil, which can help lower LDL cholesterol, are great picks when eating for type 2 diabetes, according to the ADA.
Meanwhile, saturated fats and trans fats can harm your heart and overall health, according to the AHA. To spot trans fats, look for the term hydrogenated, or partially hydrogenated oils on labels of processed foods, such as packaged snacks, baked goods, and crackers. I always tell my clients to double-check the ingredient list to make sure they dont see any partially hydrogenated oil in their food products, Massey says.
Best options, per the ADA:
- Avocados
Why Is Food Portion Size Important
Controlling your portion size can be a really helpful way to stabilise or lose weight. It can also help you to manage your blood sugar levels better. Top tips for portion control include:
- Use smaller-sized plates.
- Measure out portion sizes.
- Fill your plate with low-calorie food, such as salads and vegetables, before adding other types of food.
- Drink a glass or two of water about 15 minutes before a meal.
- Eat slowly. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register how much you’ve eaten, so if you eat fast you may have overeaten long before your brain tells you you’re full.
- Don’t do anything else while you’re eating. Research shows we all tend to eat more if we’re distracted .
- Resist the temptation to return for seconds.
Example portions: 30 g cheese, a palm-sized piece of meat/fish/poultry, 2-3 tablespoons rice, pasta or cereals, 1 slice of bread. You can find fruit and vegetable portions above.
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White Cheddar Zucchini Muffins
Did your registered dietitian tell you its important to fit more veggies into your meals? Heres an easy way to do that: white cheddar zucchini muffins. It’s a satisfying option that can easily be made ahead for a quick and easy breakfast, says , a culinary and integrative dietitian in Atlanta.
Another perk? Theyre made with almond flour, which helps pump up the protein, per the USDA youll get 10 g in each serving . Youll also get only 5 g of carbs, plus 2 g of fiber.
On the zucchini front, the ADA puts this veggie on its list of the nonstarchy vegetables they encourage people with diabetes to eat more of. Plus, zucchini is low in carbohydrates with one-eighth of a small zucchini per serving, youre getting less than ½ g carbs from the zukes, according to the USDA.
Bonus: You can put together these gluten-free and ketogenic dietfriendly muffins in a blender, so you wont have a sink full of tools to scrub down when youre finished.
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When Youre Managing Diabetes And Prediabetes Your Eating Plan Is A Powerful Tool
But figuring out what to eat can feel like a hassle, right? Well, it doesn’t have to because there are easy things you can do to add flavor to your daily routineincluding healthy twists on your favorite foods.
One key to feeling your best lies in the food you eat. You can start by working with a registered dietitian nutritionist to make an eating plan that works for you. In it, be sure to include the foods you likeand dont be afraid to try something new.
Most importantly, remember that eating welland adding activity to your daily routine by moving moreare important ways you can manage diabetes. And were here to help you every step of the way.
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