You can successfully manage your diabetes by following a healthful, balanced diet. However, you cannot discontinue taking diabetes medications without consulting a doctor. Diabetes occurs when your body can no longer produce enough insulin in the pancreas or because it does not use insulin efficiently -- causing high blood sugar. Blood sugar is controlled through diet, exercise and, for some people, with medication and insulin injections.
Healthy Eating Tips
There is really no food that you cannot eat when managing your diabetes through diet. The key is to limit the least nutritious foods and have more of the healthful foods. Not skipping meals and eating every four to five hours with snacks in-between meals will help you manage your glucose levels. Control portion sizes and eat the most nutritious foods to lose and manage weight. Steam or cook vegetables with little or no salt. Try alternative ways to season food by using spices, broths, onions and garlic.
Diabetes Food Pyramid
The diabetes food pyramid is a meal-planning tool. It is based on similar food pyramids in that the triangular design shows you which foods you should eat more of -- at the bottom -- and which foods to eat less often -- at the top. The base of the pyramid represents the starches. Depending on your age, gender and physical activity level, you may have six to 10 servings of starches a day. Starches include bread, grains, cereal, pasta and starchy vegetables such as corn and potatoes. Starches are converted to sugar during the digestion process, so make half of your grain servings whole grains because they are higher in nutrients and fiber.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are better for you than fruit and vegetable drinks with added sugar and salt. Eat lean protein from chicken, fish, tofu and peanut butter. The top of the pyramid -- fat and sweets -- consists of foods that you should eat the least. Eat sweets only when you have your blood sugar controlled.
The Plate Method
The American Diabetes Association's plate method is an alternative to carbohydrate counting in helping you manage blood glucose levels. It is a simplified way for you to organize the food on your plate by dividing your plate in thirds using imaginary lines. The largest section -- which is half of your plate -- is made up of non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, lettuce, greens, cabbage, bok choy, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes. In the other half of your plate, one small section has starchy foods, including whole grains, rice, pasta, tortillas and beans. In the second small section, add meat and meat substitutes, including fish, seafood, tofu, eggs and lean cuts from chicken and beef.
Warning
Although there is a lot of flexibility in this diet, there are some foods you should eat less often. A diet high in processed foods -- especially those high in table sugar and salt, saturated or animal fat and calories -- can lead to uncontrolled cholesterol and blood pressure and cause you to gain weight. These are major risk factors for diabetes. A healthful, balanced diet can reduce the risk of health problems, such as heart disease, caused by diabetes.
