Understanding The Diabetes Food Guide
The diabetes food guide can best be understood by building a food pyramid from the different food groups. The food pyramid should classify foods into six different food groups. The foods which are located at the bottom of the pyramid are the foods which can be eaten in the largest quantity. The foods at the top of the pyramid are the foods which need restricted moderation.
The bottom, or largest, group on the diabetes food guide is the grains, beans, and vegetables. This is the food group where you can have the largest portion of your daily food. The smallest group which is located at the top is the fats, sweets, and alcohol group and this is the group where you should severely restrict you intake.
The diabetes food guide is a little different from a daily food guide of a non-diabetic. Diabetics are usually recommended to eat several smaller meals throughout the day instead of three larger meals. The smaller meals tend to equal out the glucose production instead of causing highs and lows.
Understanding the Food Groups
The diabetes food guide differs from the normal food guide because it pays close attention to proteins and carbohydrates. Some foods, such as potatoes are considered to be starches instead of vegetables. The same goes for most beans. Cheese is considered to be a meat instead of a dairy product. Here we will take a look at the different groups and attempt to understand the foods in each of the groups.
Grains and starches are the foods at the bottom of the pyramid. These foods consist of potatoes, peas, corn, bread, beans, pasta, and cereal. You can usually have six to eleven of these foods daily. If you are watching calories you will want to stay near the six mark instead of eleven.
Vegetables are naturally low fat foods and can be eaten either raw or cooked. When cooking it is best to stay away from oils and fats. Steaming is a good way to enjoy fresh vegetables. Also a fresh salad can be enjoyed as long as you stay away from the heavier dressings and stick with the lighter vinegar or lemon juice dressings with a small amount of olive oil. Fruit is the next layer and should be eaten two to four times daily. Fruit is usually high in natural sugar so you need to choose wisely when making your fruit choices.
Milk is another group which allows you two to three servings daily. It is best if you choose low fat or non fat dairy products so you can avoid the extra calories and fat servings and still get the nutritional values. Meat and meat substitutes includes chicken, turkey, beef, fish, eggs, cheese, and peanut butter. In this category you will need to limit you intake to four to six ounces per day.
The final group in the diabetes food guide is the fats, sweets, and alcohol. This should usually be reserved for a special treat and not a part of your every day diet. You can have these items on occasion but you need to limit the portion size and the frequency you eat them.
Hopefully this diabetes food guide will help you get started in the right direction. A qualified nutritionist can take these foods and help you work out an eating plan that you can live with without feeling deprived.
