Healthy Eating for Diabetics
Healthy eating for diabetics is vital to minimizing possible complications resulting from diabetes. Generally, healthy eating for diabetics means eating more grains, fruits, and vegetables, while eating less meat, sweets, and fats. While this article provides meal planning advice to encourage healthy eating for diabetics, be sure to talk to your doctor before making any changes to your diet.
Healthy Eating for Diabetics: An Overview
Healthy eating for diabetics -- as part of a healthy lifestyle to control and manage
diabetes -- is vital to minimizing possible complications resulting from the disease.
Healthy eating for diabetics begins with a balanced diet. Healthy eating means eating more grains, fruits, and vegetables and eating less meat, sweets, and fats.
Healthy Eating for Diabetics: Creating a Healthy Meal Plan
To create a healthy meal plan, you should do the following:
- Eat a variety of foods, as recommended in the Diabetes Food Pyramid (see the following section), to get a balanced intake of the nutrients your body needs -- carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals.
- Make changes gradually. It takes time to achieve long-term goals.
- Reduce the amount of fat you eat by choosing fewer high-fat foods and cooking with less fat.
- Eat more fiber by eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
- Eat fewer foods that are high in sugar, like fruit juices, fruit-flavored drinks, sodas, and tea or coffee sweetened with sugar.
- Use less salt in cooking and at the table. Eat fewer foods that are high in salt, like canned and packaged soups, pickles, and processed meats.
- Eat smaller portions and never skip meals.
- Learn how to determine the right serving sizes for you.
- Learn how to read food labels.
- Limit use of alcohol.
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
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