Healthy Eating with Diabetes

Making dietary changes can be challenging. Learn about small steps for healthy eating to aid in weight management.

For more information, visit
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/diet-eating-physical-activity


Healthy eating is important for controlling blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol in people with diabetes and those attempting to prevent type 2 diabetes.

When you have diabetes, losing and maintaining a healthy weight is also critical.

Because they are at a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, your family members can benefit from the same foods you eat.

Maintaining a healthy weight for a person with diabetes is critical to managing blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol and preventing complications such as heart disease and stroke.

A diabetic's target blood sugar range would be 70-130 before meals and 182 hours after meals.

However, the best thing to do is consult your healthcare team about a good target range for a person trying to control their blood sugars.

The carbohydrates they consume have the greatest impact on their blood sugar levels.

Knowing how many carbs you're eating can help you keep your blood sugar in check.

Carbohydrates are found in more places than you might think, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy products.

A dietician can help you count carbohydrates and identify foods that contain them.

Because so many foods contain carbohydrates, you're attempting to reduce the number to a level that will benefit your blood sugar.

A dietician can assist you in balancing all of that; eating a healthier diet makes you feel much better, in addition to having better blood sugars for someone living with diabetes or trying to prevent diabetes and maintain a healthy weight.

These foods can help lean protein sources like chicken or fish, whole grain foods, crackers, cereal, and vegetables, especially those that grow above ground and those used in salads, eating whole fruits instead of juices, and using low fat and nonfat dairy products like milk and yogurt.

If making significant changes to your eating habits appears daunting.

Consider small steps and look for a quick win.

To help you control your portions, divide a nine-inch plate in half and fill it with vegetables and fruits.

This leaves room on the other half for a quarter of the plate to be meat, probably about the size of a deck of cards or three ounces, and a quarter to be starch, grains, potatoes, or bread.

Eat your meals and snacks simultaneously every day to avoid becoming overly hungry at any one time, which could lead to overeating.

Take your time while eating, chew your food slowly, and enjoy it.

When it comes to seasoning your food, give your brain a chance to detect that your stomach is full.

Use herbs and spices, leave the salt and butter on the side, make a shopping list and stick to it.

Don't go shopping when you're hungry because you'll make bad choices.

Instead of eating out, bring your lunch to work.

This will help you control your portions and avoid overeating like you would in a restaurant.

When cooking at home, wrap up and store your leftovers as soon as possible.

You won't be tempted to go back for seconds and think about stir fries this way.

They're an excellent way to increase your vegetable intake while decreasing your meat consumption.

Furthermore, they make excellent leftovers.

People frequently get off track when trying to eat a healthier diet.

It's perfectly normal. Don't get too worked up about it.

Just try to get back on track as soon as possible after falling off so you don't completely derail.

It's natural to feel discouraged from time to time. Consider consulting a dietician.

They can assist you in tailoring these diet recommendations to your specific needs and developing an easier-to-follow plan.

For someone who has diabetes. There are no special foods that must be purchased.

There are no foods that you must completely avoid. With meal planning and portion control.

Even if you have diabetes, you can enjoy eating various foods.

Timeline
00:08 Healthy Eating
00:38 70 to 130 before a meal
01:33 Whole Grains
03:12 Staying on Track