What’s The Best Diet For People With Diabetes?
Whether you are trying in order to prevent diabetes or controlling diabetes, your nutritional needs are virtually the same as other, so no special foods are necessary but you need to pay more attention to some of your food choices like carbohydrate you include in your daily diet.
Eating certain foods while limiting others can help people with diabetes that can manage the level of their blood sugar. A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and healthful proteins can have more benefits for people who are having diabetes. Balancing certain foods can help you balance your health and also improve overall well-being and prevent further complications.
Those people who are living with diabetes does not have to mean feeling deprived. People can learn to balance meals and make healthy food choices while they can still include the foods which they can enjoy.
Below are the lists of the best food for people with diabetes:
1) Green Leafy Vegetables
Leafy greens, including spinach and kale which are a major plant-based source of potassium, Vitamin A, and calcium which also provide protein and fiber.
Green leafy vegetables include:
- spinach
- kale
- cabbage
- broccoli
- bok choy
Kale juice may help you with regulating blood sugar levels and also improve blood pressure in people with subclinical hypertension. People can also include green leafy vegetables in their diet in salads, side dishes, soups, and dinners while you can combine them with the source of lean protein, such as chicken or tofu.
2) Whole Grains
Whole grains contain a high amount of fiber and lots of nutrients than refined white grains. Eating a high diet of fiber is important for people with diabetes. As fiber slows down the digestion process as well as a slower absorption of nutrients helps keep blood sugar level at a normal level.
Good examples of whole-grain to add in your diet are:
- brown rice
- buckwheat
- whole-grain bread
- whole-grain pasta
- millet
- rye
3) Fatty Fish
Fatty fish is a healthful addition o any diet as it contains omega-3 fatty acid which is called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
People need a certain amount of healthful fats to keep their body functioning and to promote the function of the heart and brain. These are;
- Salmon
- trout
- herring
- albacore tuna
- sardines
people can also eat seaweed such as kelp which is a plant-based alternative source of these fatty acids.
4) Walnuts
Nuts are another excellent addition to the diet like fish, nuts contain healthy fatty acids which keep our heart healthy. Walnuts are especially high in omega-3 fatty acid which is called alpha-lipoic acid (ALA ). Like other omega-3s, ALA is needed for our good health.
Walnuts also provide key nutrients such as protein, Vitamin B-6, and iron. People can also add a handful of walnuts to their breakfast.
5) Citrus Fruits And Berries
Consuming citrus fruits is a good way to get vitamins and minerals from the fruit without carbohydrates whereas, berries are full of antioxidants that can prevent oxidative stress.
Berries also contain important other vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Manganese, and Potassium. People can add berries to their breakfast in order to stabilize their blood sugar levels.
Citrus fruit is also a great source to balance your blood sugar levels that involve folate, potassium, and Vitamin C.
6) Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes have a lower GI in comparison with white potatoes. It can make a great alternative for people with diabetes as they released sugar more slowly and do not raise the blood sugar level.
Sweet potatoes are also a great source of fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and potassium.
Foods To Limit
One way to manage diabetes with the diet is to balance between the high and low GI foods where the high GI foods raise the blood sugar more than low GI foods.
When choosing the high GI food, you need to limit the portions and pair these foods with protein or healthful fat in order to reduce the negative impact on blood sugar and feel full of hunger.
Foods high on the GI scale include:
- White bread
- puffed rice
- white pasta
- white potatoes
- pumpkin
- melons
- pineapple
People with diabetes may wish to avoid/ limit or balance the following foods that include:
- Carb-heavy foods
- High GI fruits
- Saturated and trans fats
- Refined sugar
- Sugary drinks
- Salty foods
- Alcohol
Last Updated on October 11, 2023 by anup