Eating habits play a major role in keeping ourselves healthy. Eating fresh and healthy food becomes even more important when one suffers from any sort of complications.
Diabetic patients seem to have their tasks cut out for them whenever it comes to meal preparation since there isn’t much they can choose from.
But there is still hope and if you are a patient who has type-2 diabetes and wants to look for ways to come up with healthy and enjoyable meals, this is the perfect place for you as today’s blog will shed light on the same.
Here are some things to keep in mind for people who have type 2 diabetes when it comes to eating meals.
- You should know which staple foods to include in your diet
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Here are some of the things that are a must-have for people with type 2 diabetes.
- Veggies and fruits come off as a good choice, but one should enjoy their fruits and veggies in moderation. One can contact an experienced healthcare team to understand better what moderation means.
- Vegetables with no starch can be a great choice. Veggies like carrots, broccoli, spinach, and green beans.
- Addition of legumes to your diets like lentils, pinto beans, and kidney beans in your meal plans.
- Whole grain meal foods including brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, or basic delights such as whole wheat bread can be a great pick.
- If you want to lean on the non-vegetarian side, you can choose pork or lean pork and beef. Chicken and turkey after the removal of skin are good options as well.
- For dairy products, the likes of cheese, yogurt, and milk are essentials but make sure to opt for non-fat ones, even if it is ice cream that you are eating.
- Try to avoid or limit certain foods from your diet
Studies show that there are some foods that one should try to avoid for as long as possible when they are trying to manage diabetes. These sorts of foods can lead to weight gain, which can further mean that they can cause a spike in the sugar spike. The nutrition part is also something to consider.
- Junk food should be avoided at all costs. They generally tend to contain high amounts of saturated fats and sodium. If the food you are eating is high in carbohydrates, it is important to eat it either in moderation or infrequently to maintain a balance.
- Snacks that include sugar, such as cookies and ice cream, can become a good reason for you being filled up with empty calories. This is why it is influential in picking healthier snacks like hummus.
- Fruit punches, sodas filled with sugar, and other sweet drinks are unacceptable. Diet soda, on the other hand, maybe ingested in moderation. The safest bet is to enjoy sparkling water without any added sugar.
- Resort to diabetes-friendly methods while cooking food
- Baked or boiled food is a good way of reducing fat instead of frying it.
- Vegetable oil may not be the best of choices. Switch to extra virgin olive oil instead, since olive offers a number of heart benefits. Statistics show that people who have diabetes have a higher chance of suffering from heart disease when compared to the normal population.
- Strictly avoid trans fat, generally used in processed foods and other preserved things. Also, keep in mind to limit saturated fats to about 20 g per day if it is possible for you to do so.
- Opt for fresh fruits and frozen veggies instead of canned products with no salt.
- The use of sodium should be limited to about 2k to 2.4 kg per day until the doctors have advised you of a sodium-restricted diet. In such a scenario, make sure to follow the doctor’s orders.
- Forget about takeouts and fancy dining, use these instead
Home-cooked meals are better in every sense of the word when compared to takeouts since you can control what gets in your home-cooked meal. Not only that, but if you are looking to get takeout, you have two things to take care of, the pandemic being on the rise and diabetes that are to be kept in check.
You will experience more complications with the virus if you get affected by it, so you will need to be extra precautious. There are also chances that people who do not have the symptoms might already be affected by the virus, so keep that in mind as well.
Ordering food the right way is pretty important and prepaying for it with a tip can be considered a good way to get it done since many food platforms offer the option of contactless delivery these days. As per the diabetes part, try to choose whole grain meals as much as possible over-processed food.
- Packaged food is not as bad as it looks
Even though the best possible option is to opt for fresh or frozen food, if that is not available, packaged food can also be a good choice, although nothing comes close to the former version.
Products such as canned beans are high in fiber and protein, keeping your tummy filled for a longer period of time.
In case you don’t like the taste of black beans, other healthy alternatives with the same benefits are also available.
Meals shouldn’t be boring anymore. Make use of dried spices to add flavor to all the dull meals you have been eating for way too long. There have also been studies that certain spices even lower blood sugar levels, including the likes of turmeric, cumin, and ginger.
These are some of the healthy ways to prepare your meal when you have type 2 diabetes but you don’t want your health to get in the way of your taste buds.
Eating healthy will ultimately help you battle diabetes in the long run to lead a happy and stress-free life.
