Diabetes superstars
Many thanks to intern Lindsay for her work on this blog post and our social media series, Diabetes Superstars. Lindsay is a senior at the University of Delaware majoring in Nutrition and Dietetics.
Eating well with diabetes can be confusing. While we usually focus on carbohydrates in the diet when discussing diabetes and food, there are other things to consider. The combination of carbohydrates, protein, and fat in your diet can impact your health and the risk of future complications from diabetes. Let’s take a look at some foods that are diabetes superstars and should be included in your everyday diet.
The basics
Carbohydrates include starches, sugars, and fiber. It is important to find carbs that are not full of added sugars and instead choose those are high in fiber. Fiber helps control and stabilize blood sugar levels, making it one of our superstars. Find it in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and starchy beans, peas, and lentils.
Protein keeps you satisfied much longer than carbs do, with virtually no impact on your blood sugar. Lean protein is the best option when it comes to diabetes. Some superstar favorites include fish, shellfish, chicken breast, ground turkey, beans, and tofu.
Fats are important to consider with diabetes because people with diabetes are at an increased risk of heart disease. While fat itself will not impact your blood sugar, it is important to choose heart healthy fats and to limit saturated and trans fats. Heart healthy choices like olive, grapeseed, and avocado oil, along with nuts, seeds, and avocado easily achieve superstar status.
The details
Take a look at your plate to make sure the food choices you make are beneficial to your blood sugar.
Vegetables (hello, fiber!) are a well known nutrition superstar that shine extra bright for people with diabetes. A good rule of thumb is to fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables, and split the rest of the plate between lean protein and healthy carb selections. Most vegetables are non-starchy, with the exception of potatoes, yams, corn, peas, and winter squashes.
Grain selection is a small change that can make a big difference. Swapping out refined, processed grains for whole grains is an easy move that can improve blood sugar. Whole grains contain more fiber, vitamins, and minerals compared to refined grains. Whole wheat bread, oats, barley, brown rice, and whole grain products are superstars.
Finally, focus on staying hydrated - even mild dehydration can cause your blood sugars to rise. Water is the perfect drink for diabetes because it will not raise your blood sugar like juice, soda, and other sweet drinks. Cheers to our diabetes superstar foods (plus water) helping you to live a healthy life!
Resources:
Get the facts on diabetes from the CDC
Lean protein options, Healthline article
Carbs, protein, and fat from the Joslin Diabetes Center