The ability to manage your diet and food choices while managing diabetes is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. As we move through March, also known as National Nutrition Month, it’s important to focus on making informed food choices that can help prevent or control diabetes. Here are some tips on how to savor your favorite foods while managing diabetes.
Monitor Serving Size
Following a diet plan that is diabetes-friendly doesn’t have to be difficult, and you don’t have to give up all your favorite foods! Enjoying smaller portions of a tasty treat while filling the rest of your plate with foods that are low in carbs and sugar can provide balance to the meal. This method is known as the Diabetes Plate Method, which helps you control portion sizes while savoring a variety of flavors.
Eat More Fiber
Understanding what types of carbs you are eating can help you reduce the impact it has on blood sugar levels. Instead of eating refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, pasta, and rice, eat more high-fiber complex carbohydrates. Foods such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens are just a few examples of high-fiber complex carbs.
Reduce Sodium Intake
Start substituting out your salt for spices and herbs to boost the flavor of a meal while keeping it healthy. These seasonings lend themselves exceptionally well to a low-calorie, low-sodium and low-carb diet. According to the American Diabetes Association, decreasing the amount of sodium in the diet can help people lower their blood pressure, which also decrease your risk for other diabetes complications including heart attack or stroke.
Make Room for Veggies
The Diabetes Plate Method also recommends that you allocate half of your plate for non-starchy vegetables such as: broccoli, carrots, greens, peppers, and/or tomatoes. By adding more vegetables to your plate, your body gets more crucial vitamins, minerals, and fiber improving your overall health and wellness. The best part is that, according to this method of diabetes management, the other half of your plate can feature some more comfort-style foods.
Reduce Sugar Intake
Being a diabetic doesn’t mean you have to eliminate sugar completely from your diet. Slowly reducing the cravings of sweets can allow your taste buds to adjust. However, to start, you can still enjoy a small serving of your favorite desserts. Consider eating sweets with a meal, rather than by itself to avoid blood sugar levels increasing drastically. Eating your favorite sweets with other healthy foods as part of your meal allows for blood-sugar levels to rise at a much slower pace, while keeping you from having to sacrifice your favorite dessert.
A healthy diet leads to a healthier lifestyle which leads to preventing or controlling diabetes. Sometimes, even the simplest changes in diet can yield major results. By following these tips, your mental and physical health will be able to flourish.
Our Executive Chef , Mabel Prado, explains that, “Our goal is to allow our residents to have the opportunity to enjoy independence in their dining selections by offering control carbohydrate and diabetic-friendly choices of healthy yet delicious options. We help them maintain a healthy lifestyle by providing low carbohydrates and gluten-free snacks and meals that they can enjoy while managing diabetes.” At Spring Hills Senior Communities we hold diabetes and nutrition seminars that are focused on educating our clients on managing diabetes, which allow them to foster a stronger and more enriched mind, body, and spirit.