Easy tips for eating healthy with diabetes

| January 3, 2018 | Health, Medical, NATIONAL, NEWS | No Comments
Facebooklinkedin

Having diabetes shouldn’t keep you from enjoying many types of foods including some of your favorites. Learn to plan healthy meals to help you manage your diabetes, and enjoy your food while eating healthily. Once you get used to eating healthier, it will begin to come naturally. You will be able to relax and enjoy different delicious meals.

 

Making healthy food choices

Planning your meals ahead of time can help you put together balanced meals without stressing about making last-minute decisions on what to eat. Here are some guidelines to follow for meal planning.

  • Make sure your meals are balanced. This means eating breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks. Don’t skip meals.
  • Include fruits and vegetables. Your meals should have about eight servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
  • Count your calories. Your calorie needs will change based on your age, gender, activity level and weight goals. Find out how many calories you need to eat per day.
  • Pay attention to carbohydrates. About 45 percent of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates.
  • Limit “bad fats.” People with diabetes have a higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Try not to eat a lot of foods with saturated fats, like pork, butter and cheese.
  • Watch your cholesterol. People with diabetes should have 300 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol or less per day. Look for foods that can help lower your cholesterol, like oatmeal, beans and fruits such as apples and grapes.
  • Get more fiber. You can get fiber from foods like whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and beans.
  • Eat less salt. Watching salt, called sodium on food labels, is important for blood pressure control. People with diabetes should have less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day.

If you have diabetes, it’s important to learn what to put on your plate for a healthy, balanced meal. To learn more about how to build a healthy plate, go to www.ParklandDiabetes.com/Healthy for a short video with easy tips to get you on the right track today.