If you are diabetic, you may be constantly asking yourself, "what can I eat?" Knowing what to each can be confusing because there is always conflicting news about what is good and bad for you. Here are a few tips on making healthy food choices for you and your family:
- Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Try picking from the rainbow of colors available to maximize variety.
- Eat non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or green beans with meals.
- Choose whole grain foods over processed grain products. Try brown rice with your stir fry or whole wheat spaghetti with your favorite pasta sauce.
- Include dried beans (like kidney or pinto beans) and lentils into your meals.
- Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week.
- Choose lean meats like cuts of beef and pork that end in "loin" such as pork loin and sirloin. Remove the skin from chicken and turkey.
- Choose non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese.
- Choose water, unsweetened tea, coffee and calorie-free "diet" drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
- Choose liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats. Remember that fats are high in calories. If you're trying to lose weight, watch your portion sizes of added fats.
- Cut back on high calorie snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream.
- Eating too much of even healthful foods can lead to weight gain. Watch your portion sizes.
A healthy diet doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself of all your favorite foods. Choosing your food wisely can help you feel better from day to day, lose weight if you need to, and lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other problems caused by diabetes.