Incontinence Supplies
Diabetes:
What to Eat?
No doubt, one of the biggest challenges in taking care of your
diabetes is making healthy food choices and eating at regular times.
Mastering these challenges is a key to controlling blood glucose levels
and staying healthy.
Answers:
1. If you have diabetes you should avoid foods with sugar and not
eat sweets.
False. It is now known that it is the total amount
of carbohydrate (both starches and sugars) you eat that raises blood
glucose levels, not whether the carbohydrate is from bread, potato or
gum drops. While foods that contain carbohydrate do affect blood glucose
differently, these differences are minor. The American Diabetes Association
suggests that into their food choices once in a while as long as they
substitute them for other carbohydrate-containing foods.
2. Starchy foods, such as bread, cereal, and pasta are the only
foods that contain carbohydrate.
False. Beans, peas, crackers, bread, dairy food, fruits,
vegetables, sugary foods, and sweets also contain carbohydrate.
3. A key to controlling blood glucose levels is to eat similar amounts
of carbohydrate at meals each day.
True. It’s the carbohydrate in foods that raises
blood glucose levels the most and the fastest. So, your first priority
is to eat similar portions of these foods at similar times each day,
or that you learn to adjust your food and medicine to control your blood
glucose levels.
4. The most important place to look on the food label’s Nutrition
Facts is at “Sugars”
False. When you look at the Nutrition Facts, note that
“sugars” is indented from Total Carbohydrate. This tells
you that the sugars are counted within the Total Carbohydrate. The term
“sugars” does not just mean added sugars, like corn sweeteners
or table sugar. It also includes natural sugars, such as the sugar in
milk and fruit. Focus on the Total Carbohydrate, not the grams of sugars.
5. People with diabetes should buy as many “sugar free”
and “no added sugar” and “fat-free” foods as
they can.
False. The nutrition claims “sugar free”
and “no added sugars” are allowed on products that contain
the type of sugars called “sugar alcohols” or “polyols”
such as sorbitol, mannitol, or isomalt, or low-calorie sweeteners, such
as aspartame, saccharin, or sucralose. The “sugar free”
and “no sugar added” claims do not mean that these foods
contain no carbohydrate or calories. Remember, the most important place
to look on the Nutrition Facts label is at the Total Carbohydrate per
serving. You will find that some foods that use the claim “sugar
free” and “no added sugars” contain similar amounts
of carbohydrate and calories as foods with regular sweeteners, such
as corn sweeteners and sugar.
6. If you take diabetes medicines you don’t need to worry
about what you eat.
False. Taking care of diabetes and controlling blood
glucose levels most often requires eating healthy, being active, and
taking diabetes medicines. Healthy food choices and a regular eating
schedule help your diabetes medicines control your blood glucose levels
better.
Eating with diabetes: Three Basics
1. Carbohydrate is key!
It is the carbohydrate in foods that raise blood glucose levels the
fastest and the highest after you eat. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t
eat foods with carbohydrate. In fact, foods with carbohydrate are some
of the healthiest to eat. They’re packed with energy, vitamins
and minerals, and they don’t contain much fat. Most adults need
about 4 to 5 carbohydrate servings at each meal. Find a dietitian you
learn how much carbohydrate you need to eat. (See the back page to learn
how to find a dietitian.) To control your blood glucose levels, your
first priority should be to eat a similar number of carbohydrate servings
at each meal and eat at the same time each day.
2. Watch those portions!
It’s not just a matter of what foods you eat. How much you eat-
your food portions- is important too. You can still eat the foods you
enjoy, but you need to eat less of them. If you need to lose weight
to help control your blood glucose levels, try simply eating smaller
portions. That is an easy way to begin. The chart on the previous page
lists the typical serving size for different food groups.
3. Skim the fats!
Fat is loaded with calories. You find fat in meats, salad dressing,
margarine, oil, chips, fried foods and more. And too much saturated
fat is unhealthy for your heart. You find saturated fat in meats, whole
milk, other full-fat dairy foods, butter, and coconut palm and hydrogenated
oils. To cut down on calories and eat “ heart healthy,”
skim the fats.
Change….
One step at a time
Eating right with diabetes is no longer about following a “diet.”
It’s about making healthy food choices and eating similar amounts
of foods at regular times. To do this you will likely need to slowly
change your eating habits. Don’t expect to make quick and drastic
changes just because you now have diabetes. First, think about your
current eating habits and food choices. Next, think about a few easy
changes you can make, like fitting in one more serving of vegetables
a day, switching to fat-free milk, or eating smaller portions of the
foods that are high in fat or carbohydrate.
Becoming more active is another thing you can do to lower your blood
glucose levels. Start by doing a few minutes of activity each day. Walk
to the bus stop, work in the garden, clean the house, or ride a bike.
Work up to a total of 30 minutes of activity each day. Being active
also has other health benefits. It can help control your blood lipids
(fats) and blood pressure.
 |
Farmingdale, New York 11735 - 1-877-929-4633