Diabetes is considered a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. If you have diabetes, you'll want to follow the principles of healthy diabetic eating and make heart-healthy food choices. Luckily, many of the same rules apply when eating for diabetes and heart health. The first step to eating diabetic-friendly and heart-healthy meals is to learn how to plan what to eat each day.
Meal Planning
Meal planning is a useful diet tool that can help you determine what to eat each day and how many calories to consume. It is a helpful way to lose weight and track your progress. Meal planning is also essential to a diabetic's lifestyle. In planning meals, you are better able to monitor your blood glucose levels. High blood glucose levels can damage your arteries and nerves, which can result in heart disease. Meal planning for diabetes includes what to eat throughout the day and at what times. You may also want to consider a few snacks to bring with you in case of emergency.
Breakfast
To control blood glucose levels as a diabetic you'll need to eat three small meals and several snacks throughout the day. Breakfast is important because you need to reboot your body after a night's rest. When planning your breakfast meals, include several different food groups, particularly grains. Grain sources contain carbohydrates, which help to stabilize your blood sugar. Begin your morning with a cup of oatmeal or oat bran topped with your favorite fruit and a glass of low-fat milk. Low-fat yogurt topped with fruit and a piece of peanut butter toast is another diabetic and heart-healthy option. For both diabetic and heart health, limit your intake of baked goods in the morning and stick to whole wheats, fruits and vegetables.
Lunch
Include several food groups in your diet when preparing a healthy lunchtime meal. Use your discretion when determining what groups to include but remember to add in a complex carbohydrate to help balance blood sugar levels. Fruits such as apples, strawberries and bananas can be consumed separately or with your favorite salad to get a boost of fiber in your meal. Fiber-rich foods help prevent heart disease and lower cholesterol levels. Change up your typical salad recipe and get more fiber by using spinach instead of iceberg lettuce. If you choose a sandwich, use whole-wheat bread instead of white. Whole wheat is more nutritious and will help you control blood sugar. Your sandwich should also contain lean meats such as poultry instead of higher fat meats such as ham.
Dinner
When preparing dinner, have several small portions on your plate. Lean meat and fish are both diabetic-friendly and heart-healthy options. Add a side of vegetables, either steamed, baked or stir-fried. A carbohydrate such as brown rice or wheat pasta is heart-healthy and will help fill you up. Another tip is to try some of the recipes you currently use, but substitute full-fat diary products with low-fat options and cook with olive oil instead of butter or margarine.
References
- Rush University Medical Center: Meal Planning
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse; Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke; December 2005
- American Diabetes Association: Carbohydrate Counting
- American Heart Association; Why Cholesterol Matters; April 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Heart-Healthy Diet: 8 Steps To Prevent Heart Disease; March 2011
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