Diabetic Diet – Tips for Some Do’s and Dont’s

by | May 3, 2012 | Healthcare Systems

When you are diagnosed with diabetes, there are several things that will have to change in your diet. You may have to give up certain foods while increasing the intake of others. You may also have to change your activities. Many people diagnosed with diabetes find it difficult to find a healthy diabetic diet to help improve their health. If you are facing this challenge, there is good news for you. You can be reasonably flexible with a diabetic diet as long as you take note of some of the following dos and don’ts.

Avoid eating anything out of a box or bag. Yes, even if you are hungry and tired. Avoid that bag of chips, burger or chicken nuggets. Many people diagnosed with diabetes will give into the temptation of eating junk food when they are hungry and reason that as long as they limit the amount and do it only once in a while there will be no serious effect. The point to note here is that as a diabetic you must limit the amount of carbohydrates you consume. Junk food is packed with carbohydrates. A small bag of chips can easily contain 60 grams of carbohydrates. You will therefore be consuming a high amount of carbohydrates without realizing it.

If you really must eat junk, use your kitchen utensils to measure out a portion. Use a small bowl instead of eating out of the bag. You will realize there is a big difference between the amount in the bag and what you can fit into a bowl.

A diabetic diet should have as little sugar as possible. You should only consume sugary foods when you are having a hypoglycemic episode. It is therefore important to avoid sugary drinks such as regular soda and other sweetened drinks. Many people reason that having a soda only once a week will not have any negative impact on their health. A can of soda contains at least 40 grams of carbohydrates. Instead of drinking all these empty carbohydrates you would do better eating a healthy diet that will fill you up and provide you with the energy you need for various activities.

When planning a diabetic diet it is important to avoid making starchy foods the central meal in your diet. We are used to having bread, pasta and other starchy foods as the main meal in our diets. However, it is important to reduce these starchy portions and increase in proteins and vegetables. This will leave you feeling full for longer.

Remember that when you are planning a diabetic diet, you will need to consult your doctor before implementing it. This will ensure that you are meeting all your nutritive needs while keeping your blood sugar within manageable levels.

Latest Articles

Categories

Archives