Meals for diabetics should balance proteins, fats and carbohydrates through food choices, while limiting added fat, salt and sugar through cooking choices. The way in which you cook a food can determine whether or not you may safely include it in your diet. Besides blood sugar irregularities, diabetics are prone to heart disease. Taking dietary precautions can help you manage both concerns. Controlling your weight should always be a priority in your shopping and cooking plans, which will optimize your health and let you enjoy your meals.
Use Less Fat
Consuming less total fat will reduce your saturated fat intake, note the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. As you make cooking plans, routinely choose the lowest-fat recipes or techniques. For example, a dish that calls for milk should incorporate nonfat milk. Instead of frying or sauteing, cook foods by poaching, steaming, baking, broiling or grilling.
If you must add fat to meals, cook with unsaturated cooking oils, rather than butter. Use nonstick pans and cooking spray to cut down on the amount of oil you need, or skip it altogether when it won't change the outcome of dish.
Increase Nutrition
As you move toward lower-fat foods for a diabetic diet, add nutritious items to round out your meals. If you reduce your quantity of meat or tofu, add a sprinkling of protein- and mineral-rich nuts or seeds. Enhance the protein content of a bean dish by pairing it with cooked brown rice or barley.
You can up the nutrient value of vegetables such as carrots, broccoli and spinach by cooking them to concentrate their fiber, vitamin and mineral content. The American Heart Association notes the importance of cooking with whole versus refined grains to increase your fiber intake. Avoid white bread and white flour ingredients, substituting whole-grain breads or oatmeal in recipes.
Avoid Added Sugars
While diabetics can have some sugar, factor it in to your total carbohydrate intake. Limiting or eliminating added sugar in cooking will afford you more leeway when you do eat sugar-sweetened foods. The American Diabetes Association reports that artificial, or non-nutritive, sweeteners make acceptable substitutes in cooking.
Sweeteners the FDA recognizes as generally safe to use include aspartame, sucralose and stevia, which are sold under various brand names. Experiment and use your favorites in baking or in cooking hot cereals. Substitute small amounts of healthy fruits, such as blueberries, applesauce and bananas, for sugar or sweetener in baked goods.
