When you have diabetes, you might believe your days of enjoying the food you eat are over. Long gone are your favorite tasty meals, as you say hello to the bland, boring breakfasts, lunches and dinners. If this is your thought process, think again. While you need to alter your eating habits and prohibit some items, you can still enjoy many delicious foods to satisfy all your cravings.
Do: High-Fiber Foods
Fiber -- a type of carbohydrate -- does not digest like other carbohydrates. It derives from the part of the plant that your body cannot absorb easily; therefore, it has little or no effect on your blood sugar levels. If you love pasta, buy whole wheat and enjoy your favorite spaghetti dinner. When making a sandwich, opt for whole-grain bread instead of white. The American Diabetes Association explains that one slice should contain a minimum of 3 g of fiber. Peanuts, almonds and walnuts are a healthy snack alternative to potato chips, but eat them in moderation; they are high in calories, which can lead to weight gain. Your daily, dietary goal should be between 25 and 30 g of fiber each day.
Don't: Simple Carbohydrates
Sugar is another type of carbohydrates -- simple carbs. They break down quickly, and your body absorbs them quickly. This results in a rapid spike of blood sugar levels. Some foods contain natural sugar; the foods you want to avoid are those added during processing. The best way to remember it is this: if it ends in "ose," stay away from it. Fructose, lactose and sucrose are all types of fast-acting sugars. Sources include soda, candy, sugar cereal, maple syrup, honey, powdered sugar, brown sugar and molasses. Read your food labels and keep an eye out for the "-ose."
Do: Complex Carbohydrates
These slow-release carbohydrates are similar to fiber in the way your body reacts to them. Rather than breaking down quickly into sugar, they do so gradually, regulating your blood sugar levels. Many complex carbs are high in fiber and include vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, carrots and sweet potatoes. Legumes fall under this category as well and include beans, black-eyed peas and split peas. Oats, barley and brown rice are slow-release as well.
Don't: Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are full of calories and increase your risk of heart disease and high cholesterol, all of which complicate your diabetes. A mere 7 percent of your total daily calories should come from these fats, whose major sources include egg yolks, whole-fat dairy and red meat.
While you should omit these foods from your diabetes diet, you can replace them with other tasty items such as skinless, white meat poultry; fish such as tuna, cod, halibut and salmon; nonfat dairy products like skim milk, nonfat yogurt and nonfat cheese, and when the desire for eggs strikes, scramble egg whites together with peppers and onions. If egg whites aren't your style, try egg substitutes instead.
Do: Fruit
Fruit contains natural sugar, so you must moderate the amount you eat. Instead of five to six servings a day, cut back to three or four. The good news is that fruit is full of fiber, so its sugars break down more slowly.
Helpguide.org recommends satisfying your sweet tooth with a tasty fruit smoothie made with frozen berries, or topping your yogurt with pieces of apple.
