Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that involves monitoring and managing blood sugar levels through healthy diet and exercise. If left untreated, high blood sugar can damage your heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves and lead to cardiovascular disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and neuropathy. Consult your doctor about the foods you can safely eat.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are foods, such as fruit, bread and grains, containing sugar that your body needs for energy. You may consume carbohydrates but may need to limit your portion sizes. It is wise to select carbohydrates that have a low glycemic index, a measurement of the speed and effect a particular food has on increasing your blood sugar levels. Low glycemic foods are those that are absorbed slowly and do not induce abrupt and massive changes in your blood sugar. High glycemic foods are those that induce a rapid and potentially extreme increase in blood sugar levels. Low glycemic carbohydrates are foods with a glycemic index below 50. These foods include unsweetened apple juice, grapefruit, cherries, peaches, bran cereal, whole grain pumpernickel bread, barley and whole wheat spaghetti.
Fats
A healthy diet includes foods with healthy fats and avoids foods with unhealthy fats. The American Diabetes Association recommends that you consume foods with polyunsaturated, monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids and avoid foods with saturated fat and trans fat. Polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids can help you reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease, whereas saturated fat and trans fat can increase your risk for cardiovascular disease. Olive oil, vegetable oil, nuts, seeds, avocados and fish contain healthy fats. Animal products, such as meat and dairy, contain saturated fat. Trans fat, also called hydrogenated vegetable oils, is an industrial processed fat used in fast foods and processed foods, such as margarine, breads, cakes and salad dressings.
Proteins
Healthy plant-based protein foods include soy products, such as tempeh and tofu, nuts, seeds, legumes and quinoa. The benefit of eating plant-based protein foods is that they do not contain cholesterol and may have minimal or negligible amounts of saturated fat. If you eat animal products, then you should consume cold-water, fatty fish, such as salmon and herring, and foods that are low in fat, such as no-fat or low-fat dairy and lean poultry or meat. Research by Neal Barnard, M.D., published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2009 compared the effects of a low-fat vegan diet with a conventional diet following the American Diabetes Association guideline that includes lean meat and dairy and discovered that while both diets reduced weight and blood levels of cholesterol and fat, the low-fat vegan diet improved blood sugar, cholesterol and fat more than the conventional diet.
Micronutrients and Fiber
Fruits, vegetables and other plant-based foods contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber that may enhance your health. Soluble fiber can reduce your blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Insoluble fiber may help you sustain regular bowel movements.
References
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse: Diabetes
- American Diabetes Association: Diabetes Myths
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University: Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load
- University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Center for Integrative Medicine: Glycemic Index
- American Diabetes Association: What Can I Eat
