Advice For Improving Your Diet If You Suffer From Diabetes
To maintain control over your glucose levels, you need to keep an eye on your eating habits and make some changes if necessary. In this article, we will tell you how to improve your diet if you suffer from diabetes.
Do not miss it!
This is how you can improve your diet if you suffer from diabetes
Adjusting your diet is one of the best ways to avoid possible complications caused by diabetes. Precisely because of this , we recommend that you keep an eye on everything you eat.
You should always choose food with good quality and a high nutritional value. Also, make sure that you do not overeat. Remember that it is best to eat small portions to keep your glucose levels under control. Another thing that is recommended is that you organize your meals. You can do this, for example, by setting up a schedule for when you should eat, and in this way you can avoid peaks in your blood sugar level.
All in all, dietary changes for people with diabetes focus mainly on eating healthy foods that meet their nutritional needs, while helping them achieve a healthy weight and keep their triglyceride and cholesterol levels under control.
Let’s take a look at some ideas.
Dietary tips for diabetics
It is very important that you adapt your eating habits to your disorder to ensure that you can maintain a good quality of life. Eating well without consuming too many calories or too much food in general will help optimize your insulin production and use, which is the main problem with diabetes.
Before changing your diet, however, you need to talk to your doctor to ask what foods you should add or remove from your diet. There is no one better qualified to give you advice than your doctor or someone he or she may refer you to!
1. Control your intake of foods that turn into sugar
Did you know that sweets are not the only foods that can cause peaks in your glucose levels? Simple carbohydrates do the same thing, as they turn into sugar when absorbed by the body.
However, this does not mean that you should avoid carbohydrates. Instead, you should choose complex carbohydrates, which are released gradually and allow you to better control your blood glucose levels.
Get enough protein
In general, foods high in protein will not increase your blood sugar level. Because of this, doctors usually recommend eating them daily, in the right portion size depending on age, height and weight.
A study from 2014 showed that a high-protein breakfast can provide metabolic benefits to people with type 2 diabetes. Talk to your doctor about this.
Choose slow carbs
Complex carbohydrates are released slowly, which means that they increase blood sugar levels gradually, and thus you will avoid the dangerous peaks. Eat potatoes, whole grain rice, pasta and bread, and legumes.
4. Monitor your fat intake
The truth is that there is no conclusive information regarding the recommended fat intake for diabetics. This is because there are several studies with different conclusions.
Although there is no single criterion, we can say that:
- You should choose foods with “good” fat over the types of saturated fatty acids. An example of this is that you should choose to eat an avocado over a sausage, or olive oil instead of butter.
5. Avoid juice if you suffer from diabetes
You should always choose to eat a fruit instead of drinking a glass of juice. Although oranges and a glass of orange juice made with an orange have the same amount of sugar, the sugar in the juice will be absorbed faster and can lead to peaks in blood sugar levels.
6. Eat nuts
A study published in February 2019 in Circulation Research analyzed more than 16,000 people with type 2 diabetes. This study concluded that eating almonds, pistachios and walnuts regularly can help reduce the risk of heart disease in adults with type 2 diabetes. .
7. Eat cinnamon if you suffer from diabetes
The data around this are contradictory. Although some studies argue that eating cinnamon regularly can help lower blood sugar levels in people suffering from type 2 diabetes, others point out that some of those who have been studied did not show any changes. Before changing your diet to include cinnamon in it, talk to your doctor.
Improving your diet if you suffer from diabetes is the first step in controlling your illness. Of course, you should not make any radical changes without talking to your doctor. Only your doctor can give you advice based on your nutritional needs and your physical condition.