Healthy Eating with Diabetes

Making changes in the way you eat can be difficult. Learn about small steps for healthy eating to help you manage your weight.

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Transcript:

For people living with diabetes and for those trying to prevent Type 2 Diabetes healthy eating is important for controlling blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol. It's also really critical for losing and maintaining a healthy weight.

When you have diabetes, your family members can eat the same food that you're eating and benefit from it because they are at higher risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes themselves.

Maintaining a healthy weight for a person living with diabetes is critical to manage blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and to prevent complications such as heart disease and stroke. A target blood sugar range for a person living with diabetes would be 70 to 130 before meals and 180 two hours after a meal.

But the best thing is to check with your healthcare team about a target range that's good for
you. For a person who is trying to control their blood sugars, carbohydrates that they eat have the biggest impact on the blood sugar. So knowing how many carbs you're eating helps you keep your blood sugar in a good range. Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products -- more places than you expect. A dietician can really help you count carbohydrates and find the foods that contain them.

Since so many foods contain carbohydrates and you're trying to get the number down to a level that helps your blood sugar, a dietician will help you balance all of that.

Eating a healthier diet actually makes you feel much better in addition to having better blood sugars. For a person living with diabetes or trying to prevent diabetes and maintain a healthy
weight, these foods can really help: lean sources of protein like chicken or fish; whole grain foods -- crackers, cereal; vegetables, especially those that grow above the ground and the kind you put in
salads; eating whole fruits in place of drinking juices and using low-fat and non-fat dairy products like milk and yogurt.

If making big changes in the way you eat seems overwhelming, think about small steps and try to find a quick win.

One thing you can do to help you control your portions is you eat using a nine-inch plate. If you divide that plate in half and fill it with vegetables and fruits that leaves you room on the other half for a quarter of the plate to be meat, probably about the size of a deck of cards or three ounces and a quarter of the plate to be starch, grains, or potatoes or bread. Try to eat your meals and snacks at the same time each day and that way you won't get too hungry at any one time which could lead to overeating.

Take time when you're eating. Chew your food slowly and enjoy it. Give your brain a chance to know that your stomach is full.

When it comes to seasoning your food use herbs and spices. Leave the salt and butter on the side.

Make a list when you go shopping and stick with it. Don't go shopping when you're hungry because
that can lead you to some poor choices. Bring your lunch to work instead of eating out. This will help you control your portions and avoid overeating like you would in a restaurant.

When you're cooking at home, wrap up and put away your leftovers promptly. This way you won't be tempted to go back for seconds. And think about stir-fries; they're a great way for you to boost your vegetables and cut back on meat, plus they actually make very good leftovers.

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People fall off-track all the time when they try and eat a healthier diet. It's normal. Don't get upset about it. Just try to get back on-track soon after you fall off so you don't get totally derailed.

It's normal to get discouraged periodically. Think about talking to a dietician. They can help you tailor these diet recommendations to fit your needs and come up with a plan that's easier for you to follow. For a person living with diabetes there are no special foods you need to buy.

There are no foods you need to avoid entirely. With portion control and meal planning, even
with diabetes, you can really enjoy eating.

[music]

[anotherwallweed]

*My daughter drinks lots of water and urinates with the same rate, there are no other symptoms to show if those have anything to do with diabetes. This is a good information that I have gone through **Diabets.Care** She is 2 years 9 months, hale and healthy, have not done any blood test. But I am not certain if one can get diabetes at such a tender age. Please I will like to know more on that*

[mr.wiseass]

No carbs no sugar and exercise. You’ll be alright. I changed the way I eat and within 3 weeks I’ve lots 25lbs. It works if you stick to it.

[BartBVanBockstaele]

Tips are exactly that: tips, not rules. I always go shopping when I am hungry, because otherwise I am tempted to run around and find things that are not so great that I want to try. Being hungry motivates me to go home and eat instead.

[marianhervey]

When I was first diagnosed as a Type 2 diabetic I was referred to a diabetes nutritionist. By that time I had time to research what healthy eating was for a diabetic so I knew some about it. The nutritionist was very little help to me. I only saw her once. If I had followed her advice I would still be on insulin. As it was I got off from it the second month after being diagnosed. I saw an Endocrinologist twice and the second time he told me I didn’t need to come back. I continue to monitor my glucose and eat accordingly. I do not feel deprived but I do watch my carb intake.

[FightBackAgainstDiabetes]

*You Did Not Choose To Be Classified As Diabetic, But You Can Choose To Fight Back Against Diabetes* 💪

[jayrome]

I don't have a kitchen to cook so I'm always going out to eat - what are some good choices within the fast food industry?

[jameskantor]

From a diabetic standpoint what is not the best about whole milk Greek yogurt?

[sisterrose]

At 2:33 - I eat that much in 1 day! That looks like a lot of Food, to me. Just on 1 Plate. However, my Blood Sugar is still not under control, even though I do not have an appetite. What's going on, here? 🤔

[timcox]

Diabetes is symbology for “not enough sweetness of life, afraid to truly live.”

Also…

When a soul is destined to be in the body & out of it, it’s called the grounded & ungrounded phenomenon & that affects energy levels, so when a soul is destined to be more out of body, can feel very faint, floaty, light, even what science calls vertigo & other type symptoms. So when people drink, take drugs, or are ready to sleep & getting tired is ungrounded symptom examples.

Grounded then is obviously being in destined emotions, trauma, just knowing you are fully in body having a real experience, that kind of sensing/feeling & awareness of in your body & more surrounds too.

Yes science & medical don’t understand this truth about Grounded/ungrounded of each soul when it’s destined in each person’s life in their body.

[rossannavargas]

I weigh 119 5'2 and have always been thin, I've never been a big eater. Haven't had red meat in decades. I stopped working out a bit before the pandemic for about 1 year. I've been told by my doctor my sugar is high and recommends I start diabetic diet

[chrismower]

She's talking about the right food to eat and what not to eat and she says that yogurt's okay well yogurt has one of the highest contents of sugar

[stefania]

That salad is sad.... what I don't understand is why you're pushing chicken and dairy? Refined carbs are bad not all carbs you need to give the right information that's why everyone's so confused

[henrybird]

Carbohydrates or sugars will raise your blood sugar.

[wellbodisalone]

Remember to always include regular physical activity.

[northyland]

if the food is high in carbs (rice, potatoes, bread), or high in sugar, or processed stay away. What is good to eat? Salad (but watch the dressing), Meats, eggs, cheeses, and some fruits and veggies.

[smileymaria]

Can someone help me, my dad has very high sugar and I just need to know basic stuff to give him please help

[alec_baldman]

The advice at the beginning about counting carbohydrates conflicts with the advice later on recommending Whole Grains. This kind of advice is confusing for someone who-say- is coming from the Atkins diet and might think chugging a cup of heavy whipping cream or eating fried chicken everyday is healthier than eating an apple or a half cup of oatmeal. You might think I'm kidding but my dad really believes this because he's been led to believe carbs are bad by (1) Atkins and (2) vague advice like this.

[dhrtiwalter]

So don’t eat if blood glucose is above 130, right

[mikeross]

What a lot of common else this lady speaks.

[aruglaempire]

There is a lot of money tied up with keeping a diabetics sick for years and years.