A diabetes diet is a well-balanced diet that is perfectly safe for healthy people. In the past, people with diabetes were told to follow a much stricter diet and to avoid certain foods, but now, a diabetic diet is similar to a normal, healthy diet except that it must be more carefully planned. Healthy people who are trying to maintain or lose weight can also benefit from the planning involved in a diabetic meals because portion control is a key feature of this diet, along with the balance and variety of foods.
Food Choices
A diabetic diet emphasizes the same foods most people should be eating to stay healthy. These include fresh fruits and vegetables, with an emphasis on nonstarchy vegetables; whole grains instead of processed foods made with all-purpose, or white, flour; legumes such as black beans, garbanzo beans and lentils; lean cuts of meat; fat-free dairy products, such as milk, yogurt and cheese; and liquid cooking oils such as olive, canola, corn and cottonseed oils over solid fats. The American Diabetes Association recommends cutting back on snacks and sweet desserts such as cakes and cookies, choosing water and diet drinks over sugar-sweetened beverages and controlling portion size for all foods, even those that are considered healthful.
Meal Planning
To learn how to control portion size and make smart food choices, healthy people can use the American Diabetes Association's "Create Your Plate" system or they can use the U.S. Department of Agriculture's ChooseMyPlate system. Both plans use the image of a divided dinner plate as a visual example of the types and amounts of foods that make up a healthy meal. The two plates are similar and both represent the type of diet and meal plans that are safe for healthy people.
Limitations
A diabetic diet includes all of the foods recommended for good health and excludes or limits only those that healthy people should also limit. These include sugary cereals, candies and desserts, such as pies and pastries; processed, high-fat deli meats, such as bologna and salami; fried foods, such as breaded chicken and fish; snack foods, such as chips; whole-milk and full-fat dairy products, such as heavy cream; and sugar-sweetened sodas and juices.
Health Benefits
A diabetic diet is safe for healthy people because it is nutritionally balanced and provides adequate calories for energy needs and maintaining a healthy weight. The goal of a diabetic diet is to maintain or improve blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol while controlling calories as a means to weight management. These are all the same goals of a person who wants to stay healthy and try to prevent the development of chronic diseases that may be related to diet, such as heart disease and some cancers.
