A majority of the food you eat turns into glucose, or sugar, upon digestion, for your body to use as energy. For this to happen, insulin, a hormone the pancreas produces, must help the glucose enter the cells of your body. Diabetes occurs when your body either doesn't produce enough insulin or doesn't respond to the insulin being produced. This results in high glucose levels. When left untreated, diabetes can lead to a number of complications, including kidney failure, heart disease and blindness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Changes in your diet can help you manage and control this disease.
Step 1
Change your kitchen into one that is diabetes-friendly. Before you can eat to overcome your disease, you need to cleanse your kitchen. Rid your cabinets of all high-sugar foods like cookies, candy, high-sugar cereal and chips. Go to your refrigerator next and throw away deli meats, soda, whole-fat dairy products and ice cream. Once these areas are empty, replace them with fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grain foods, suggests HelpGuide.org.
Step 2
Make an effort to learn what a serving size is. Serving sizes are different for various foods but an essential aspect to controlling and overcoming your diabetes. You need to eat to be healthy, but in the right amounts. In the beginning you may need to measure everything, however, as time goes on, you will know the proper serving sizes by looking at them.
Step 3
Write down a regualr eating schedule and maintain it. The goal of any diabetic is to regulate your blood sugar levels and keep your weight under control. This is achieved by setting a regular eating schedule along with an everyday caloric intake you do not rise above. Always begin with breakfast to fuel your body, and then eat three small meals and three small snacks through the day, explains HelpGuide.org. Be sure to evenly divide your caloric intake among your meals and snacks. If you are consuming 1,200 calories per day, you will eat 400 calories, six times a day.
Step 4
Cut your portions. Your vegetables should account for half your plate, and your carbohydrates and proteins should each account for one-fourth. Examples of acceptable vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, while carbohydrates may be 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta.
Step 5
Eat more fish and less red meat. You should consume fish such as cod, tuna and halibut at least twice a week, according to MayoClinic.com. They are a nice option for replacements of both red meat and poultry, which are higher in fat and cholesterol. Fish also contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are heart healthy and help lower cholesterol.
Step 6
Switch to whole grain. Whole grains, also known as the complex carbohydrates, are the healthiest carbs a diabetic can eat, as MayoClinic.com explains. These foods are the part of the plant the body cannot digest, therefore they do affect your blood sugar levels. In addition, they cause you to feel fuller sooner. This means you do not eat as much. Sources of whole grain include fruits, vegetables, breads, pasta and rice.
