The diabetic diet should be designed to maintain desirable body weight and close to normal blood glucose levels to minimize the complications associated with this disease. Therefore, patients with diabetes should eat measured amounts of cereal-based foods and at smaller intervals. They should eat fewer carbohydrates and fatty foods, as well as not take pure sugar. They should be balanced with plenty of fiber-rich foods such as greens and vegetables, as well as moderate amounts of citrus and other fruits that are low in sweetness.
Quick tips:
* read the label for sugar content, especially in packaged foods.
* select foods that contain whole grain carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat milk.
* Limit total fat intake to 30% or less of total daily calories.
* Reduce consumption of saturated fats such as red meat
* Eat less trans fats like shortening, cakes, pies, chips
* Avoid fruit canned in heavy syrup.
* Be consistent in your meals, especially in the total calorie intake and in the balance of the basic food groups.
* Eat less cholesterol
* Keep a healthy weight.
* Exercise at least 30 minutes most days
* Limit the amount of salt in the diet.
* Experiment with recipes by reducing the amount of sugar.
* Make up for Special Activities by eating extra food.
Foods allowed for this diet
Milk and milk products – 2-3 servings each day
* Light milk, 1/2% or 1%
* Yogurt, plain, fat-free or low-fat
* Skimmed evaporated milk
* Cottage cheese (1-2%)
* Non-fat powdered milk
* Skim milk (non-fat milk)
* Nu-skim
* Low fat cheeses
Fruits and Vegetables – 5-9 servings each day
* Fruit canned in water
* Fruit and vegetable juices without sugar
Breads and Grains – 6-11 servings each day
* Low-fat crackers such as breadsticks, rye chips, crackers, rice cakes, popcorn
* Homemade baked goods with allowed ingredients
* Breads: white, whole wheat, whole wheat, rye and pita
* Cereals: oats, grits, farina, cream of wheat, most dry cereals except granola cereals
* Pasta, barley, bulgur, brown and white rice, couscous
Meat and meat alternates – 2-3 servings or 6 oz total per day
Beef:
* filet mignon
* Away: Sirloin, Top Tenderloin Steak
* Loin: sirloin, ribeye, tenderloin
* Round: roast, churrasco, roast tip
* Veal: chop, loin chop and roast rib
Fish:
* All fish such as tuna (canned in water), scallops, shrimp,
* lobster, sole, flounder, crab, sardines, haddock, halibut
* clams rainbow trout, salmon, red snapper, swordfish, sole,
* sturgeon, mussels, oysters, cod, perch, pike, crayfish
Lamb:
* Front leg, stewed leg or shank
* sirloin medium far, whole, roasted
Pig:
* Half ham, leg or rump,
* Sirloin, cuts far from the center
Birds (without skin):
* Chicken (light meat is leaner than dark meat)
* Chicken, thigh, breast
* Roasted duck
* Turkey (light meat is leaner than dark meat)
* Extra Lean Ground Breast Turkey Shop
Eggs: (limit egg yolks to 3 per week)
* Egg whites
Nuts and Beans:
* broad beans
* Natural peanut butter (use sparingly)
* Dried peas and beans, such as split peas, blackeye peas,
* Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), red beans, white beans,
* Lentils, soybeans, bean curd (tofu)
FATS (use sparingly)
* Cocoa for baking
* Unsaturated vegetable oils: corn, olive, peanut, canola, safflower, sesame, soybean
* Margarine or butter
* Salad dressing, low-fat or fat-free
* Cream cheese, low-fat or fat-free
* Imitation sour cream
Foods to Avoid
* Nestlé Quick Powders,
* Flavored milk (ie chocolate, strawberry)
* Whole or 2% milk (regular, evaporated, condensed, chocolate),
*Whole milk yogurt
* Fruity or flavored yogurt
* Milkshakes, Frozen Malts or Iced Milkshakes, Frappes
* Instant breakfast
*Eggnog
* Whole milk cottage cheese (4% fat)
* High fat cheeses
* Cheese spread
vegetable fruit
* Fruits and vegetables in candied sauces
* honey, syrup, sugar, jelly, marmalade or marmalade.
* Canned, fresh or frozen fruit with added sugar
*fruit packed in syrup.
* Sweetened juice
*Coconut
* Vegetables prepared in butter, cream, cheese, or high-fat sauce
Fats and oils
*Non-dairy creamer
* Coffee whitener/creamer substitute
* Cream (light, cream or table)
* Sour cream, cream cheese, whipped cream
* Regular salad dressings (sour cream base, French, Caesar,
* Ranch, blue cheese, any cheese-based dressing)
* Green and black olives
* Butter, coconut and palm oils, bacon, fatty bacon
* Margarine or shortening made with the saturated fats mentioned above.
* Salad dressings made with egg yolk, coconut, or chocolate
* Cream, half and half, most non-dairy creamers, whipped toppings
Appetizers and Desserts
* buttered, caramelized or cheese popcorn
* prepackaged microwave popcorn
* carbonated drinks or soft drinks
* Sweetened fruit drinks, Kool-Aid, Hi-C
* Tonic water
* beer, wine, alcohol, hard liquor
* Sweetened carbonated and mineral waters
* Juice Smoothie
*Spike
*Chocolate
* Pop tarts, fruit rolls
* fatty drinks like Frappes, shakes, floats, and eggnog
* Cocoa butter
* Cream
* Fructose
*Honey
* Molasses
* BBQ sauce
*Ketchup
*Honey
* frozen desserts: ice cream, frozen tofu or custard, most store-bought frozen cakes, cookies, candy, chocolate bars
* potato and corn chips prepared with saturated fat
*Jam
* Jelly
* regular chewing gum
* Sweet pickles
* Teriyaki sauce
