The Diabetic MenuEverywhere you turn, there is news about what food is or isn't good for you. A few tips are listed below for making a diabetic menu that is full of healthful food choices for you and your family. v Eat whole grain foods like brown rice and whole-wheat pastas when possible. v Serve vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli and green beans with meal. v Eat several servings of fruit per day. v Eat more dried beans such as pinto or kidney beans and lentils every day. v Serve fish 2-3 times per week. v Choose lean cuts of meat and remove the skin from chicken and turkey. v Stock non-fat or low-fat dairy in your home. v Choose diet drinks over regular sodas, or calorie free drinks. v Choose a diet low in saturated and trans fats. v Take out high calorie snacks such as chips, cookies, cakes, and ice cream. Plan your diabetic menu with whole grain crackers and low fat or non-fat frozen yogurt as treats. v Lower the size of portions that you serve yourself. Spreading the nutrient load throughout the day with three main meals and three snacks, not only results in reduced blood glucose and insulin concentrations, but also guards against the development of hyperglycemia. Diet plays a lead role in the treatment and control of diabetes. It’s not a just a matter of avoiding foods rich in simple carbohydrates, but of establishing an eating regimen that prevents peaks of glucose from entering the blood. According to the World Diabetes Federation Some 80% of Type 2 diabetes is preventable by improving the living environment. This includes dietary changes and an increase in physical activity.If you are diabetic, it is essential that any time you make changes to your diet, that you should test your blood sugar in tandem in order to measure the effects of those changes. You should always consult your physician before making drastic changes to your diet. Check your blood sugar regularly in order to get a feel as to what works for your body and which foods help you achieve the best possible control of your blood sugar.If there is some food that you are skeptical about, test your blood sugar and see what the effects are. As long as you follow the rules that you have learned about portion sizes, total carbohydrate exchanges per meal or snack, and as long as you use whole foods within the guidelines your doctor has given you, you can experiment with types of foods to see which ones give you the best overall blood sugar control. Your diabetic menu and the exact number of servings you need depend on your diabetes goals, and nutrition needs, your lifestyle, and the foods you like to eat. Divide the number of servings you need to eat among the meals and snacks you have every day.
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