A diabetes diet — medically known as medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for diabetes – is recommended to help you control your blood sugar (glucose) level and manage your weight.
Diabetics recommended foods
The key things in every diabetics diet plan are: You should eat mostly plant foods, cut back on refined carbs and sugary drinks, and choose healthy fats over unhealthy fats; You should keep regular meal and snack times which also affects your blood sugar levels and will help to keep them more constant; and divide your meal into small portion sizes since even though you eat very healthy meals, you eat too much you will gain weight, which is a factor in diabetes.
So here are an overall diabetic diet plan suggestions:
1. Should:
- focus on the healthiest carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans, peas and lentils) and low-fat dairy products.
- choose foods which high in fiber include vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes (beans, peas and lentils), whole-wheat flour and wheat bran.
- eat heart-healthy fish at least twice a week such as cod, tuna and halibut which have less total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than do meat and poultry. Fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which promote heart health by lowering blood fats called triglycerides
- consume monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — such as avocados, almonds, pecans, walnuts, olives, and canola, olive and peanut oils — to lower your cholesterol levels.
2. Should not:
- eat too much sweets. So that, why do not you try to substitute sparkling water for soda, a bowl of frozen fruit instead of ice cream, one slice of your favorite cheese instead of cake, a piece of fruit instead of pie.
- avoid all Carbs but balance it. You just need to be smart about what types of carbs you eat and how you balance them in the rest of your diet. Usually, Carbohydrates include simple sugars and complex starches and fibers.
- skip breakfast since eating breakfast every day will help you have energy as well as steady blood sugar levels. So, start your day off with a good breakfast
3. A diet sample from Mayoclinic
Your daily meal plan should take into account your size as well as your physical activity level. The following menu is tailored for someone who needs 1,200 to 1,600 calories a day.
- Breakfast. Whole-wheat pancakes or waffles, one piece of fruit, 1 cup of low-fat milk.
- Lunch. Chicken kabob, 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli, 1/2 cup of cooked rice, 1/2 cup of juice.
- Dinner. Pasta primavera prepared with broccoli, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash and Parmesan cheese, 1 cup of low-fat milk.
- Snacks. Six homemade crispy corn tortilla chips, 1/2 cup fresh vegetables with a seasoned garlic sauce.