Use the Diabetes Diet to Live better as you choose the one that suits your needs!

In the diabetes diet, first off, let me dispel a myth about the diabetic diet. There actually is no such thing as a single diabetic diet. Let me say that again.

there is NO SUCH THING as ONE single diabetic diet

A registered nutritionist is a great place to start once you learn that you may have a tendency towards, or even once you get diabetes. But as a general overview, allow me to single out some ideas that are generally agreed upon in a diabetes diet.

Understanding the basics of a Living Diabetic Diet

A good place to start is to understand how your body breaks down food. Sugars, such as fruit and soda, hit the blood stream and break down as glucose within minutes of consumption. Starchy foods (Carbohydrates) such as potatoes, rice, etc. take a bit longer, but still break down into glucose entering the blood stream fairly quickly. When you consume meat, it takes up to 6 hours to break down into glucose and be utilized by your body. Fats are last, taking as much as 8 hours to break down and enter your blood stream as glucose.

The goal of any balanced diabetes diet is to maintain a mixture of fats, carbohydrates and proteins to keep an even release of glucose into the blood stream all day, every day. The job of a Registered Nutritionist is to take into account all of your personal factors, and design a plan specifically for you to accomplish this task.

Generally speaking, a meal consists of the following:

1. a portion of protein (3 oz of broiled fish, chicken, lean beef in or out of a dish such as a casserole or taco)

2. One portion of dairy (cheese, milk or sour cream)

3. One portion of brightly colored vegetables such as a dark green salad

4. a portion of Carbohydrates (whole grain bread, brown rice, tortilla or ½ cup pasta)

5. One portion of fruit (½ cup)

6. Small amounts of fats such as a little dressing, olive oil, avocado, etc.

With this diabetic diet, most experts agree that you should avoid these foods:

1. red meat with visible fat

2. organ meat

3. fried food

4. heavily processed food

When you shop for a balanced diabetes diet, a good rule of thumb is to avoid the center of the store, and spend your time on the edges, where the fresh foods, vegetables and dairy generally reside, avoiding the heavily processed food on the inside aisles.

As you will see as we delve further into the methods of staying healthy on a diabetic diet, there are a number of theories and practices, each of them with there own believers, and detractors. You and your doctor should decide what's right for you. See below for the CDC's take on a good diabetic diet.

What healthy food choices should I make?

• Eat smaller portions.
• Learn what a serving size is for different foods and how many servings you need in a meal.
• Eat less fat. Choose fewer high-fat foods and use less fat for cooking. You especially want to limit foods that are high in saturated fats or trans fat, such as:
• Fatty cuts of meat.
• Fried Foods
• Whole milk and dairy products made from whole milk.
• Cakes, candy, cookies, crackers, and pies.
• Salad dressings.
• Lard, shortening, stick margarine, and nondairy creamers.

What should I eat more of?

• Eat more fiber by eating more whole-grain foods. Whole grains can be found in:
• Breakfast cereals made with 100% whole grains.
• Oatmeal.
• Whole grain rice.
• Whole-wheat bread, bagels, pita bread, and tortillas.
• Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day and choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit and 100% fruit juices most of the time - Eat plenty of veggies like these:
• Dark green veggies (e.g., broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts).
• Orange veggies (e.g., carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash).
• Beans and peas (e.g., black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils).

What should I eat less of?

• Eat fewer foods that are high in sugar, such as:
• Fruit-flavored drinks.
• Sodas.
• Tea or coffee sweetened with sugar.
• Use less salt in cooking and at the table. Eat fewer foods that are high in salt, such as:
• Canned and package soups.
• Canned vegetables.
• Pickles.
• Processed meats.

(source www.cdc.gov/diabetes)

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