Friday, 27 December 2013
Diabetes- Diet tips
Friday, 27 December 2013 by Unknown
Diabetes and diet tip 1: Choose high-fiber,
slow-release carbs
Carbohydrates
have a big impact on your blood sugar levels—more so than fats and proteins—but
you don’t have to avoid them. You just need to be smart about what types of
carbs you eat.
In
general, it’s best to limit highly refined carbohydrates like white bread,
pasta, and rice, as well as soda, candy, and snack foods. Focus instead on
high-fiber complex carbohydrates—also known as slow-release carbs. Slow-release
carbs help keep blood sugar levels even because they are digested more slowly,
thus preventing your body from producing too much insulin. They also provide
lasting energy and help you stay full longer.
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Choosing carbs
that are packed with fiber (and don’t spike your blood sugar)
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Instead of…
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Try these high-fiber options…
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White rice
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Brown rice
or wild rice
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White
potatoes (including fries and mashed potatoes)
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Sweet
potatoes, yams, winter squash, cauliflower mash
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Regular
pasta
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Whole-wheat
pasta
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White
bread
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Whole-wheat
or whole-grain bread
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Sugary
breakfast cereal
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High-fiber
breakfast cereal (Raisin Bran, etc.)
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Instant
oatmeal
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Steel-cut
oats or rolled oats
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Cornflakes
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Bran
flakes
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Corn
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Peas or
leafy greens
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Making the glycemic index easy
What
foods are slow-release? Several tools have been designed to help answer this
question. The glycemic index (GI) tells you how quickly a food turns into sugar
in your system. Glycemic load, a newer term, looks at both the glycemic index
and the amount of carbohydrate in a food, giving you a more accurate idea of
how a food may affect your blood sugar level. High GI foods spike your blood
sugar rapidly, while low GI foods have the least effect.
You
can find glycemic index and glycemic load tables online, but you don’t have to
rely on food charts in order to make smart choices. Australian chef Michael
Moore has come up with an easier way to regulate the carbs you eat. He
classifies foods into three broad categories: fire, water, and coal. The harder
your body needs to work to break food down, the better.
§ Fire foods have
a high GI, and are low in fiber and protein. They include “white foods” (white
rice, white pasta, white bread, potatoes, most baked goods), sweets, chips, and
many processed foods. They should be limited in your diet.
§ Water foods are
free foods—meaning you can eat as many as you like. They include all vegetables
and most types of fruit (fruit juice, dried fruit, and canned fruit packed in
syrup spike blood sugar quickly and are not considered water foods).
§ Coal foods have
a low GI and are high in fiber and protein. They include nuts and seeds, lean
meats, seafood, whole grains, and beans. They also include “white food”
replacements such as brown rice, whole-wheat bread, and whole-wheat pasta.
Diabetes and diet tip 2: Be smart about sweets
Eating
for diabetes doesn’t mean eliminating sugar. If you have diabetes, you can
still enjoy a small serving of your favorite dessert now and then. The key is
moderation.
But
maybe you have a sweet tooth and the thought of cutting back on sweets sounds
almost as bad as cutting them out altogether. The good news is that cravings do
go away and preferences change. As your eating habits become healthier, foods
that you used to love may seem too rich or too sweet, and you may find yourself
craving healthier options.
How to include sweets in a diabetes-friendly diet
§ Hold the bread (or rice or pasta) if
you want dessert. Eating sweets at a meal adds extra carbohydrates.
Because of this it is best to cut back on the other carb-containing foods at
the same meal.
§ Add some healthy fat to your dessert. It
may seem counterintuitive to pass over the low-fat or fat-free desserts in
favor of their higher-fat counterparts. But fat slows down the digestive
process, meaning blood sugar levels don’t spike as quickly. That doesn’t mean,
however, that you should reach for the donuts. Think healthy fats, such as
peanut butter, ricotta cheese, yogurt, or some nuts.
§ Eat sweets with a meal, rather than as
a stand-alone snack. When eaten on their own, sweets and desserts cause
your blood sugar to spike. But if you eat them along with other healthy foods
as part of your meal, your blood sugar won’t rise as rapidly.
§ When you eat dessert, truly savor each bite. How
many times have you mindlessly eaten your way through a bag of cookies or a
huge piece of cake. Can you really say that you enjoyed each bite? Make your
indulgence count by eating slowly and paying attention to the flavors and
textures. You’ll enjoy it more, plus you’re less likely to overeat.
Tricks for cutting down on sugar
§ Reduce how much soft drinks, soda and
juice you drink. A recent study found that for each 12 oz. serving
of a sugar-sweetened beverage you drink a day, your risk for diabetes increases
by about 15 percent. If you miss your carbonation kick, try sparkling water
with a twist of lemon or lime or a splash of fruit juice. Reduce the amount of
creamers and sweeteners you add to tea and coffee drinks.
§ Sweeten foods yourself. Buy
unsweetened iced tea, plain yogurt, or unflavored oatmeal, for example, and add
sweetener (or fruit) yourself. You’re likely to add far less sugar than the
manufacturer would have.
§ Reduce the amount of sugar in recipes by ¼ to ⅓. If a
recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, for example, use ⅔ or ¾ cup instead. You can also boost sweetness with cinnamon, nutmeg,
or vanilla extract.
§ Find healthy ways to satisfy your sweet
tooth. Instead of ice cream, blend up frozen
bananas for a creamy, frozen treat. Or enjoy a small chunk of dark chocolate,
rather than your usual milk chocolate bar.
§ Start with half of the dessert you
normally eat, and replace the other half with fruit.
Diabetes and your diet tip 3: Choose fats wisely
Fats
can be either helpful or harmful in your diet. People with diabetes are at
higher risk for heart disease, so it is even more important to be smart about
fats. Some fats are unhealthy and others have enormous health benefits. But all
fats are high in calories, so you should always watch your portion sizes.
§ Unhealthy fats – The two most damaging fats are saturated fats and
trans fats. Saturated fats are found mainly in animal products such as red
meat, whole milk dairy products, and eggs. Trans fats, also called partially
hydrogenated oils, are created by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to
make them more solid and less likely to spoil—which is very good for food
manufacturers, and very bad for you.
§ Healthy fats –
The best fats are unsaturated fats, which come from plant and fish sources and
are liquid at room temperature. Primary sources include olive oil, canola oil,
nuts, and avocados. Also focus on omega-3 fatty acids, which fight inflammation
and support brain and heart health. Good sources include salmon, tuna, and
flaxseeds.
Diabetes and diet tip 4: Eat regularly and keep a
food diary
If
you’re overweight, you may be encouraged to note that you only have to lose 7%
of your body weight to cut your risk of diabetes in half. And you don’t have to
obsessively count calories or starve yourself to do it.
When
it comes to successful weight loss, research shows that the two most helpful
strategies involve following a regular eating schedule and recording what you
eat.
Eat at regularly set times
Your
body is better able to regulate blood sugar levels—and your weight—when you
maintain a regular meal schedule. Aim for moderate and consistent portion sizes
for each meal or snack.
§ Don’t skip breakfast. Start your day off with a good breakfast.
Eating breakfast every day will help you have energy as well as steady blood
sugar levels.
§ Eat regular small meals—up to 6 per
day. People tend to eat larger portions when they are
overly hungry, so eating regularly will help you keep your portions in check.
§ Keep calorie intake the same. Regulating
the amount of calories you eat on a day-to-day basis has an impact on the
regularity of your blood sugar levels. Try to eat roughly the same amount of
calories every day, rather than overeating one day or at one meal, and then
skimping on the next.
Keep a food diary
Research
shows that people who keep a food diary are more likely to lose weight and keep
it off. In fact, a recent study found that people who kept a food diary lost
twice as much weight as those who didn’t.
Why
does writing down what you eat and drink help you drop pounds? For one, it
helps you identify problem areas—such as your afternoon snack or your morning
latte—where you’re getting a lot more calories than you realized. It also
increases your awareness of what, why, and how much you’re eating, which helps
you cut back on mindless snacking and emotional eating.
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19 November 2017 at 18:42
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