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 Diabetics
who take insulin must be especially careful to eat the exact
amounts of food listed on the diet. Insulin is prescribed
to take care of a certain amount of food, and if the correct
amount of food is not eaten, an insulin reaction can occur.
If you or a member of your family has diabetes, preparing
meals may, at first, seem overwhelming. Remember - preparing
a diabetes diet for your loved one is a necessary part of
keeping them healthy.
Question: Why is a special diabetic
diet needed for diabetes?
Answer: the body does not produce enough insulin to use
the sugar obtained from digesting food.
A diabetes diet includes well-balanced meals and snacks
to help control blood sugar levels.
Question: What types of foods can
be eaten on a diabetic diet?
A variety of foods include: milk, vegetables, fruits, breads,
cereals, meats and fats. Your doctor will prescribe a diet
with a certain number of calories and specific amounts of
protein, carbohydrates and fats. A registered dietitian
or diet counselor can help plan a diabetes diet.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) issued new guidelines
for the diabetic diet in the spring of 1994, giving people
with diabetes more flexibility in their food choice. There
used to be an idea that people with diabetes had to have
a highly restrictive 'diabetic diet,' but the ADA's new
guidelines made clear that what a person with diabetes needs
is what everyone needs: a healthy diet. Mostly, this means
eating a variety of healthy, low-fat foods and not overeating.
The American Dietetic Association offers
these tips on the diabetic diet:
- Eat more starches such as bread, cereal, and starchy
vegetables - 6 servings a day or more.
- Have cold cereal with nonfat milk or a bagel with a
teaspoon of jelly/jam for breakfast.
- Emphasize starch -- have pasta with tomato sauce, baked
potato with chili, rice and stir-fried beef and vegetables.
- Add cooked black beans, corn, or garbanzo beans to salads
or casseroles.
- Eat 5 fruits and vegetables every day.
- Have a piece of fruit or two as a snack.
- Add vegetables to chili, stir-fried dishes, or stews.
- Pack raw vegetables for lunch.
- Eat sugars and sweets in moderation.
- Include your favorite sweets in your diabetic diet once
or twice a week at most.
- Split a dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth while reducing
the sugar, fat and calories.
While people with and without diabetes should have the
same kind of healthy diet, one major difference in the NEW
diabetic diet is that a person with diabetes should eat
about the same amount of food at the same time each day.
Timing may not be everything, but it will go a long way
toward keeping blood sugar levels where they should be.
Everyone who has diabetes should consider seeing a dietitian
and developing a meal plan.
You can enjoy food again! Get beyond the
diabetic diet by following the ADA guidelines above.
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