It was amazingly disappointing to see the American Diabetes Association referring diabetics to the food pyramid’s nutrition and cooking advice. This simplistic accuracy of the food pyramid, which has often been questioned in recent times, is not at all suitable as the be-all and end-all of a diabetic diet. There are important nutritional tips that every diabetic should know in order to live a long, healthy life with diabetes.
The basics of a diabetic diet are simple: AVOID SUGAR
This well-known aspect of a diabetic diet is usually understood to mean avoiding sweets, desserts, chocolate and other sinful sweets.
The truth is that avoiding sugar is a lot more complicated.
Here are some things the good old food pyramid doesn’t tell you:
Here is the best food pyramid for diabetics:
More vegetables and proteins
Light on the fats and dairy products
Even less sugar and starch
Do you think all fruits and vegetables are the same?
There are fruits and vegetables that naturally contain more sugar than others. Eating more low-sugar fruits and vegetables as part of a diabetic diet is a healthier choice, especially as a long-term habit.
Fruits with high sugar content
There are fruits that naturally contain more sugar than others.
These high-sugar fruits include:
bananas
Grapes
mangoes
strawberries
watermelon
Better to eat fruits are:
Cantaloupe melon
honeydew
apples
Berries – blueberries, raspberries and blackberries
Be sure to buy fresh fruit, preferably organic. Never buy canned or dried fruit. They’re loaded with artificial sugar and syrup.
Sugary Vegetables, Really?
There are vegetables that contain a lot of sugar. For real. Please do not misunderstand that any vegetable is good and much better than sweets, cakes and desserts, but there are better choices of fruit than others.
These high-sugar vegetables include:
Corn
carrots
punches
sweet potatoes
tomatoes
Red pepper
Better vegetable choices are:
Green vegetables – green beans, spinach, lettuce (anything but iceberg lettuce), zucchini
To squeeze
asparagus
broccoli
cauliflower
Carbohydrates are secretly a sugar
Most people don’t realize that carbohydrates (carbs) are just as bad as “sugar”. Carbohydrates, when broken down in the body, become sugar. So is there really a difference. Not really. A diabetic must assimilate and process carbohydrates the way he would process sugar with insulin, which a diabetic lacks.
Carbohydrates have managed too well to integrate into our daily diet. Consider the carbohydrates that encase most of the foods you eat. Open the package and just eat what’s inside.
For example, remove “wrap” like:
Hamburgers and hot bug buns
Tortillas
Sliced bread or rolls
Avoid complex carbohydrates like:
crisps
cracker
pretzels
Muffins, cakes, donuts and sweet breads
Loaves of bread (germ bread is OK)
Better choices for carbohydrates are:
Potatoes (buy small red potatoes instead of large brown potatoes)
Rice (basmati rice is best, but brown rice is ok)
Sprouted grains (Ezekiel makes breads and cereals from sprouted grains)
Education about the foods you eat and what they actually contain and contribute to your diet is key to living a long and healthy life.
The best thing a diabetic can do now is make smart food choices and establish healthy eating habits that become a lifestyle. So start choosing a smart diabetic diet now!
Thanks to Nicloe Anderson
