Diabetic Foods to Eat

The Vedas, a part of the plethora of religious scriptures on which the Indian culture and Indus valley civilization is based upon, say that the kind of food you eat, determines your personality. That too, thousands of years ago, when there were no scientific experiments which could conclusively prove this. Now science has definitely proved to us that what we are - in matters of health, looks and behavior, a good amount of it does emanate from what we eat. This is more so in situations when people are diagnosed with ailments which can be controlled with your eating habits primarily. To give you an example, diabetes is one of such ailments, along with a few others. This leads us to the question of what a person dealing with diabetes can eat. Coming up therefore is diabetic foods to eat!

Diabetic Foods to Eat and Avoid

There are big no-no's to a diet when it comes to food people eat in case they have diabetes. But hey this does not mean that you cannot eat anything. There are things you can eat without batting your eyelid or thinking twice about it! Take a look at what all can you include and not, in a diabetic diet menu plan!

Food Items Suitable for Diabetics
In diabetes, one thing the individual has to take care is that the sugar levels should not shoot up. Diabetic foods list basically includes fruits, and any food item which is high in fiber and complex carbohydrates are advised. These items are -

• Bran
• Oats porridge
• Barley
• Fruits
• Vegetables like avocados, beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, celery, cucumber, onions, lettuce, mushrooms, olives, peas, spinach and tomatoes
• Cereals
• Fish - for its Omega 3 fatty acids and protein
• Nuts are great as diabetic foods to eat because they are full of good fats to keep the heart in good health
• Chicken and turkey (skin to be removed)

In addition to that, these are loaded with Vitamin E, which is an anti oxidant, good for nerve health. Along with this, try and have palm sugar or jaggery instead of white sugar in the diabetic diet. Having fenugreek seeds will help further. Another very important thing is to not hog loads of food at one time. Eat less, more times. Unsaturated fats are recommended for dealing with diabetes.

All these were best diabetic foods to eat in a diabetes diet menu. Now let us take a look as to what is not recommended for diabetes patients.

Foods Items - Big No No for Diabetics
There are a number of food items which, if consumed, can spell doom for your body if their consumption is not controlled. From processed foods to trans fats and food items high in glucose a diabetic has to take care to not trample upon these dangerous paths of food and follow the diabetic diet guidelines! Here is a list of diabetic foods to avoid.

• Foods with preservatives
• Processed foods
• Alcohol
• Salty and oily foods - chips, fries and the like
• Food made from white flour - like pasta, cakes, biscuits, pies, etc.
• Starch loaded vegetables
• Concentrated dairy products

When you are talking of diabetic foods to eat, you also have to see what you cannot eat, isn't it? So a person gets a contrasting idea of what is good and what is not in the list of diabetic foods to eat and obviously to avoid.

What a diabetic person eats has an unmistakable connection with his or her overall health and that is what will determine sugar levels in the body. Food items which release sugar slowly in the blood stream are the best bet. If you have no option but to eat out, go for baked, roasted, steamed or grilled food. Moreover, these rules apply be it Type 1 diabetes diet or type 2 diabetes diet.

All the other intricacies about list of foods for diabetic to eat can be given to you by the health care provider. Apart from keeping tabs and being on your toes about what you eat and what you avoid, exercising is equally crucial. Do not forget to burn those calories. I sign off here and close my article on diabetic foods to eat. Have a healthy life.