Good Food Choices for Diabetics

Diabetics are required to pay special attention to their diets in order to help manage their conditions more effectively. This means that diabetics need to be careful to eat the recommended servings of all of the foods groups each day. By eating the right foods and cutting back on foods that are high in carbohydrates, diabetics can have an easier time managing their conditions.

Here are some tips for making good food choices that diabetics should follow:

Get plenty of protein

It's important for diabetics to make sure that they get plenty of protein as part of their daily diets. Protein helps the body to make amino acids, which cells use to then make new proteins that will repair their muscles, skin, organs, and other body parts. Insulin is also a protein and insulin is the primary element that is used to break down sugars in the body. Diabetics have problems with their insulin because they either don't consume enough or their insulin is not effective enough at processing their food, according to TypeFree.

Here are some great sources of protein that are healthy for diabetics to eat, according to Sugar Busters:

• Lean beef

• Lamb

• Pork

• Chicken

• Turkey

• Duck

• Milk

• Cheese

• Eggs

• Yogurt

• Cream

• Butter

• Nuts

Eat your veggies

Vegetables not only have important vitamins and minerals that are healthy for everyone to eat, but they are also low in fat and can be low in carbohydrates. Diabetics need to pay special attention to consuming foods that are low in fat and carbohydrates in order to lose weight and keep it off. After all, obesity exacerbates problems associated with diabetes. Diabetics also do not process carbohydrates as efficiently as nondiabetics, therefore, it is important for diabetics to eat foods that have low quantities of carbohydrates.

Here are some healthy vegetables that diabetics can consume, according to Sugar Busters:

• Beans

• Lentils

• Peas

• Spinach

• Lettuce

• Watercress

• Squash

• Zucchini

• Mushrooms

• Asparagus

• Artichokes

• Okra

Diabetics should always be sure to speak with their physicians if they make any drastic changes with their diet. Physicians may be able to make specific recommendations for diabetics depending on their specific medical needs. Diabetics also need to be aware that some food items may interact with their medications.

Sources:

­Sugar Busters­; by H. Leighton Steward, Morrison C. Bethea, M.D., Sam S. Andrews, M.D., and Luis A. Balart, M.D.; 1995

http://www.imtypefree.com/Protein-and-Diabetes.html