A List of Foods for Diabetics

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When someone is diabetic, they are unable to produce or correctly use insulin throughout the body. Insulin is the hormone that is responsible for changing sugar, starches and other food into energy. To manage diabetes, a person must eat healthy, exercise and take medication, if needed. One of the ways to eat healthy, is to make sure you eat foods that cover the four basic food groups.

There are many books that you can read, which describe healthy eating for a diabetic. You could purchase one of the following or check them out at your local library. They include Mr. Food's Quick & Easy Diabetic Cooking: Over 150 Recipes Everybody Will Love by Art Ginsburg; Forbidden Foods Diabetic Cooking by Margaret Powers, Joyce L. Hendley; The Diabetic's Brand Name Food Exchange Handbook by Clara G. Schneider, Andrea Barrett; The Whole Foods Diabetic Cookbook by Patricia Bertron.

When a diabetic is eating out at a restaurant, there are a few tricks to watching what you eat. Try to avoid foods that have characteristics, such as “fried,” “creamed,” or “sautéed.” This means that the foods will probably be high in fat. Avoid foods with a lot of cheese, butter, oil or mayonnaise. Try ordering these items on the side so that you can watch how much you are eating during your outing. Diabetics also have to watch their carbohydrate intake when eating out. Keep in mind that foods prepared with “sweet and sour sauce,” “barbeque sauce” or “teriyaki” are high in sugar and carbohydrates.

If you are craving a few sweets and other treats, you should check out www.goldenchoicefood.com, which offers an array of sugar-free, calorie-reduced, as well as carb-reduced products. Some of the items you can purchase include:

Calorie and Carb Reduced Brownie Mix

Sugar Free Icing

Low Calorie Cheesecake Mix

Low Calorie Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix

Sugar Free Pie Filling Mix

Sugar Free Mousse

Calorie and Carb Reduced Muffin Mix

Sugar Free Hot Cocoa Mix

Sugar Free Deluxe Whipped Topping

Low Sodium Sugar Free Spaghetti Sauce

Cooking and Eating Tips for a Diabetic

1) Eat fewer high-fat starches, such as biscuits or muffins

2) Eat small pieces of fresh fruit and drink fruit juice in small amounts.

3) Use mustard on a sandwich instead of mayonnaise.

4) Avoid shortening, butter or margarine. Use vegetable oil or cooking spray.

5) Bake, broil, steam or grill your food. Avoid frying your foods in oil.

6) Trim away extra fat from your meats.

Below you will find a list of foods that are good for a diabetic to eat:

Whole Grain Bread

Whole Grain Cereal

Bran Flakes

Brown Rice

Whole-Wheat Pasta

Bulgur

Skim Milk

1% Milk

Carrots

Peppers

Eggplant

Broccoli

Tomatoes

Spinach

Small Apple

2-3 Ounces Cooked Chicken

2-3 Ounces Cooked Fish

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter

1 Slice of Cheese

Small Banana

½ Grapefruit

Fat-Free Yogurt

½ Cup Chopped Fruit

Animal Crackers

Graham Crackers

Oyster Cracker

Whole-Wheat Crackers

Fat Free Cream Cheese

Sweeteners Such as:

Equal

Sprinkle Sweet

Sweet One

Sweet 10

Sweet 'n Low