Diet plays a big role in managing diabetes, a chronic condition characterized by high blood sugar. If you have diabetes, you are also at risk for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. Eating foods that help control blood sugar and lower blood pressure and cholesterol can enable you to manage diabetes and decrease your risks of complications that include heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, deafness and blindness.
Low-Glycemic Foods
The first step to a simple diet plan for managing diabetes is to eat low-glycemic foods that can help you control your blood sugar. Low-glycemic foods are slowly digested and absorbed into your blood. The shorter the amount of time sugar from food stays in your blood, the less damage it can cause your blood vessels. Low-glycemic foods include legumes, such as soybeans, red kidney beans and peanuts; nuts, such as almonds, pecans and hazelnuts; whole grains, such as whole wheat, pumpernickel and barley; fruits, such as grapefruit, peaches, apples and pears; and green leafy vegetables and carrots.
Healthy Fats
Eating foods with healthy fats is part of a simple diet for diabetes. Healthy fats can help you lower total and LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol, and increase HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol; they can also reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and complications. Healthy fats include monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fat is found in avocado, olives, olive oil, peanuts, almonds and sesame seeds. Polyunsaturated fats include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in walnuts; flax seeds; and fish such as salmon, tuna and herring. Omega-6 fatty acids are found in vegetable oils, such as sunflower, safflower and corn oil, and pumpkin seeds.
High-Fiber Foods
Eating high-fiber foods, particularly soluble fiber, provides two big benefits in helping you manage diabetes. Soluble fiber helps you control your blood sugar by slowing down the absorption of sugar from foods into your blood. It also can help lower blood cholesterol levels by reducing the amount of cholesterol the body absorbs from food. Foods high in soluble fiber include legumes, fruits and vegetables.
Low-Sodium Foods
Eating foods low in sodium can help you lower and manage your blood pressure and reduce your risk of stroke, according to the USDA Dietary Guidelines. Whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, are naturally low in sodium. Avoid eating processed foods and fast foods, which are often high in sodium content.
References
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse; Diabetes Overview; 2010
- American Diabetes Association; Complications; 2010
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University; Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load; 2010
- University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Center for Integrative Medicine; Glycemic Index; 2010
- American Diabetes Association; Fat and Diabetes; 2010
- MayoClinic.com; Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet; 2009
