Your diet plays an important role when you are trying to manage your diabetes. So, making healthier food choices is crucial if you want to reduce the risk of diabetes.
Also, these health choices help diabetic patients manage the glucose level of their body, even helping manage cholesterol, high blood pressure, weight, and other health conditions including stroke, etc.
So, here we’ve come up with some tips that can help you make healthier eating choices.
Add Healthy Carbs To Your Diet
All types of carbs affect blood glucose levels so first of all, be aware of foods that contain carbohydrates and select the healthier ones.
Here are some healthy sources of carbohydrates that you can include in your diet:
- Brown rice, buckwheat, and whole oats
- Fruits and vegetables
- Chickpeas, beans, and lentils
- Unsweetened yogurt and milk.
Also, take care of the portion of your food. Portion sizes are important to consider whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes as it helps you in carb counting and managing weight as well.
Limit Salt Intake
Try to limit your salt intake or take a spoonful of salt a day. Also, ensure buying pre-packaged foods that contain less salt.
High salt intake can lead to blood pressure problems and when you are already fighting with diabetes, inviting other problems could only worsen the situation.
You can try different types of herbs and spices to add that missing flavor in your recipes due to less salt.
Cut Down on Added Sugar
Cutting out sugar from your diet can be hard initially. So, small practical swaps are the best way to start like cutting sugary drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, etc.
You can also give zero calorie sweetener a try (also known as artificial sweeteners) to have that missing sweet taste. Sweeteners provide taste without calories and help control your blood glucose levels. Also, some older studies suggest that zero-calorie sweeteners help in weight loss.
Treat Your Snack Craving Smartly
The cravings for snacks are the most challenging when it comes to managing a balanced diet. Thereby, you can try to replace chips, cookies, chocolates with unsalted nuts, fruits, and yogurts. But above all, watch your portions – it’ll help you keep a check on your weight.
Stay Away From Saturated Fats
There are various types of fats that affect our health in different ways. And fats in the diet are essential as it gives us energy. Eatables like unsalted nuts, avocados, olive oil, sunflower oil seeds are healthier fats. Whereas fatty meat, such as lamb chops, processed meat, butter, lard, ghee, dripping, margarine, goose fat, and suet, are all saturated fats that increase the risk of cholesterol and heart problems.
Eat Fruits In Small Portions
Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, fiber, and minerals your body needs every day. So including them in the diet is always a good idea. The best way to have fruits is to replace them with usual snacks or have them when you’re hungry. Also, avoid taking one bigger portion at one time; instead, you can have small amounts throughout the day.
Fruits contain sugar, but it’s different from the added sugars available in chocolates, cakes, and beverages.
Conclusion
Aside from managing your diabetes, a healthy meal plan can would help you reduce the chances of other problems like cardiovascular diseases and certain types of cancers. So make sure to add recommended eatables to your diet plan. Also, try to consume dairy products for reducing the risk of low bone mass.
