A healthy food menu for individuals with Type 2 diabetes include foods that are low in saturated and trans fats, and moderate in sugar and salt. Consuming low glycemic foods can help you control your blood sugar. Low glycemic foods do not spike your blood sugar, whereas high glycemic foods elevate your blood sugar and insulin and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Consult your doctor about a healthy menu plan for your condition.
Breakfast
Start your day with a healthy breakfast of low-glycemic fruit juice, yogurt and whole bran cereal. Low-glycemic fruit juices include unsweetened apple, grapefruit, orange or peach juice. Yogurt is a high protein food made from cow's milk or soy milk. Cow's milk contains cholesterol and saturated fat, so choose low-fat or no-fat yogurt. Soy yogurt does not contain cholesterol and is very low in saturated fat. Research by Mei Jun Chen, BSc., published in "Diabetes Care" in 2010 indicated that eating soy yogurt prior to other breakfast foods can reduce your post-breakfast blood sugar levels by 40 percent. Whole bran is a low-glycemic breakfast cereal that is high in fiber, a substance that can promote regular bowel movements.
Lunch
For lunch, eat a salad with mixed vegetables and tempeh. Vegetables, particularly dark-green leafy vegetables, such as kale, spinach or bok choy, are a good source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Tempeh is a soy food that can be steamed, sautéed, baked or grilled and added to your salad. Tempeh is high in protein and does not contain cholesterol. Add peanut dressing for flavor. Peanuts are low glycemic. If you are allergic to peanuts, then use a low-sodium soy ginger dressing.
Dinner
Begin your dinner with mushroom barley vegetable soup. Barley is a low-glycemic grain. For your entrée, eat a 3.5-oz. portion of grilled rainbow trout with a side of green peas and lima beans. Rainbow trout is high in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), omega-3 fatty acids that may reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association recommends that you eat at least two 3.5-oz. servings of fatty fish per week. Green peas and lima beans are low glycemic. Beans are high in protein and fiber. Soluble fiber can reduce your blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Snacks
Nuts contain healthy fats and are high in vitamin E, an antioxidant that can slow down the aging process. Research by Robert Pazdro, Ph.D., published in "Mechanisms of Aging and Development" in 2010 found that vitamin E reduces cellular aging associated with high blood sugar. For your morning snack, drink a glass of almond milk, a beverage that does not contain cholesterol or saturated fat and is high in vitamin E. In the afternoon eat walnuts, which contain an omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid, a healthy fat that may reduce your cholesterol levels and risk of heart disease.
References
- 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
- PubMed: Utilizing the Second-Meal Effect in Type 2 Diabetes: Practical Use of a Soya-Yogurt Snack
- Joslin Diabetes Center: How Does Fiber Affect Blood Glucose Levels?
