For the 23.6 million diabetics in the United States, what they eat can affect their lives. According to the American Diabetes Association, 8 percent of the American population has diabetes. The majority of adult diabetics are Type 2 diabetics. They produce enough insulin, but their cells are insensitive to it, and as a result, their blood sugar levels skyrocket. High blood glucose levels can lead to a number of complications, such as heart disease, kidney failure, nerve disorders, blindness and even amputation. The key to managing diabetes is to ensure that your blood glucose levels do not spike or remain too high. One of the best ways to manage your blood glucose levels is through your diet.
The Glycemic Index Simplified
All carbohydrates are rated by how quickly they're digested, converted into glucose and enter the bloodstream. Carbohydrates can be rated using a scale called the glycemic index (GI), which rates foods according to how quickly they make your blood glucose levels spike. Low GI foods are from 0 to 54. Medium GI foods are 55 to 70, and high GI foods are over 70. The goal is to avoid high GI foods that will raise your blood glucose.
Breakfast
Diabetics should stay away from any breakfast foods that rate higher than 70. Examples are white bread (with a GI rating of 71), bagels (71), cream of wheat (74), frozen waffles (76), donuts (76) and scones (92).
Lunch
Just as with breakfast foods with high GI ratings, diabetics should stay away from any carbohydrate rated higher than 70. Examples are a plain bagel (72), a French baguette (95), white bread (70), graham crackers (74), corn chips (72), pretzels (83) and vanilla wafers (77).
Dinner
Poor choices for dinner include fruit salads with watermelon (72), dates (103) and pineapple (66). Just as with lunch, avoid bread products such as croissants (67), cheese pizza (60), white bread (70), mashed potatoes (70), baked red beans (93), French fries (75) and tofu frozen desserts (115).
