Diabetic Foods for Diabetic Patients
As a diabetic, you need to watch what you eat and follow a strict diet full of whole grains, protein and other low-fat foods. As a patient, you will notice that the hospital feeds you smaller portions more often during the day. This controls your blood sugar levels so that you fewer high-blood sugar spikes due to carbohydrate overload.
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Low-Fat Meats
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Low-fat meats are recommended for diabetic patients as a good source of protein. A diabetic should eat roughly 4 oz. of a low-fat meat such as chicken or turkey during meal time. These meats contain little or no carbohydrates and should not be counted when computing dosages of insulin. Baked or grilled meats are preferred over fried due to the added fat that frying includes.
Vegetables
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Vegetables should be consumed as side dishes or snacks on a daily basis for any diabetic. Although they differ in carbohydrate amounts, most vegetables are good for any diet. Depending on your digestive health, broccoli can be a great choice, but some diabetics with digestion problems should not eat broccoli. Tomatoes and squash are also good as well as spinach, cucumbers and peppers.
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Fruits
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Fruit is an important part of a diabetic diet as fruit often contains fiber. Many experts suggest at least two servings a day of blackberries, strawberries, apples, oranges or pears. Stay away from any sweet additives such as sugar or syrup and avoid fruit juices because they are high in carbohydrates, but low in fiber. Fiber helps with digestion as well as any digestive health problems.
Grains and Starches
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Grains and starches are the most common type of food eaten by diabetics. As they are helpful in many ways, the fact that they mainly consist of carbohydrates is less important. As a diabetic, you should eat about eight servings of whole grains, beans and potatoes per day. They aid in digestion as well and their carbohydrates can be countered by insulin injections.
Considerations
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Although many of the foods recommended for diabetics contain carbohydrates, all should be eaten in moderation. When meal-planning, a diabetic should only include a few high-carb choices and add proteins to balance the meal. Count the amount of carbohydrates and use a sliding scale for insulin amounts to counteract the effects of the different types of carbohydrates. Remember also that starches react differently than sugar from fruit in the blood.
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