Diabetes and foods.
As it has been mentioned in our Diabetes and Diet Plan
page, suffering from  diabetes does not mean you have to be deprived from your
favorite foods. You can eat almost everything you want, providing this is done within
certain limits. Although these limits must be set by a qualified dietician or your health
advisor, we will try to give some useful information about certain categories of foods
and simple tips which will help you to enjoy your meals in a healthy way.
The title of the page may not be accurate, because only the issues about starches,
sweets, sweeteners and fruits apply to people suffering from diabetes. The rest of the information and
guidelines, regarding meats, processed meats, fish, seafood, eggs and diary products, are
appropriate to anyone who wants to prevent conditions, like atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, coronary
heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer. However, these matters may be more
important for diabetics, since they are more prone to cardiovascular disease than others. You may also
want to find more information about healthy eating in the Recommendations about Dietary Fat, Regulative Measures for Low
Cholesterol Levels and the Principles of a
Healthy, Balanced Diet pages on this site.
 Sweets and
sweeteners. Giving advice to a diabetic person how to eat sweets is a very
difficult task. Because such foods include huge amounts of sugars, they can affect your
blood glucose balance very easily. Some specialists are very skeptical, whether people
with diabetes should eat sweets at all. The best way for you to find out if and how many
sweets you can eat is to consult your healthcare advisor, because each case is individual
and general directions might be risky for your health. It would be good for you to seek
information about the sweeteners you can use, as well. Not all of the sweeteners are as
innocent as they seem to be. Aspartame, for instance, has been accused for a huge list of
serious side-effects, including high blood pressure, menstrual changes, blindness,
depression, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.
Starches. Starches are complex carbohydrates or poly-saccharides. The
most typical starches are amylopectin and amylose. Both of them present similar
properties  and are derived from plant sources, like
potatoes, wheat, corn, chestnuts and rice. During digestion, starches break to simple
sugars, like maltose and eventually to glucose. Although starches are sugars, they give
very poor sweet taste or they are not sweet at all.
In every day life, all the foods that contain high percentage of poly-saccharides are
referred to as starches. Examples of such foods include cereals, rice, potatoes, pasta,
beans, lentils, grains, peas, crackers, bread and nearly all of bakery preparations. Keep
in mind that whole meal products are far healthier, because they contain more fiber, vitamins and trace minerals.
Contrary to the general notion, starches are not excluded from diet plans for people
suffering from diabetes. However, they should be eaten in moderation. A specialist must
determine the safe daily intake for each individual, depending on the state of
diabetes.
Fruits and
vegetables. It is well acknowledged that fruits and vegetables are
excellent sources for dietary fiber, vitamins and trace minerals, especially if eaten
fresh. Apart from potatoes, green beans and beetroots, which contain high amounts of
starches and simple sugars, you can eat as many vegetables as you want. You have to be
more cautious with fruits, though, since they contain large amounts of calories and sugars and they may increase your body
weight of affect your blood glucose levels. You should consult your dietician about the
kind of fruits and the servings you have to eat daily. Although certain vegetables, such
as tomatoes, spinach, lettuces, carrots and peppers, contain small amounts of
carbohydrates, they can be eaten on a daily basis without any problem.
Scientists believe that the colored vegetables are more beneficial in prevention of
cataract, due to the contained vitamin A. Cataract is a typical diabetes complication. Regarding fruits, it is well
known that great amounts of vitamins are contained in the skin.
We have to bear in mind that vitamin C
disintegrates if fruits or vegetables are cooked. The vitamin is also very sensitive in
exposure to oxygen and light. Moreover, deep freezing and canning decrease a
fruit’s or a vegetable’s nutritional value. Frozen vegetables and canned
fruits are good solutions for you to find off-season dietary plant sources but they
cannot be compared with the fresh ones. When it comes to canned fruits and vegetables,
you can get the dietary fiber from them but you shouldn’t expect to obtain the
vitamins you need. In other words, the healthiest way for all of us to consume fruits and
vegetables is to eat them fresh and cut or chopped in considerably large pieces. Please
remember it would be better for you to prepare one serving of salad or glass of juice
each time and not to cut or squash large amounts of vegetables or fruits and keep them in
the fridge for many days, instead. If you do that, the oxygen found in the air will
degrade the  nutritional value of your favorite salad or
juice.
Fish and
seafood. Fish and seafood are very good sources of essential fatty acids, vitamin A, coenzyme
Q10 and trace minerals, including phosphorus, potassium and selenium. Contrary to a common
misconception, seafood is not rich in cholesterol.
Try to eat fish at least three times during the week. If you ask a cardiologist to name
the three most important dietary sources that can help in prevention of cardiovascular
problems, the answer will be fish, vegetables and fruits.
If you cannot afford fresh fish and seafood, deeply frozen products are a very good
option. However, you should avoid breaded, pre-fried preparations. Raw whole fish and
filets are the best.
Meat. Meat along with fish is the main source of
complete protein. Vitamins included in
B complex, retinyl esters the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 and trace minerals, such as iron, chromium and selenium are other important nutrients.
Meat is a very important dietary source for anyone, including people who have  been diagnosed with diabetes. The problem with meats
is that they contain high amounts of saturated
fats. Prolonged intake of the latest can increase the risk for atherosclerosis and
cardiovascular disease. Everyone should remember that and especially diabetics who are
more prone to such problems. However, if simple rules are followed, meats can be very
beneficial dietary sources. We are giving some ideas below, hoping they will help you to
enjoy your meat and keep your diet within healthy limits at the same time.
Eat red meats no more than
once a week and always choose the lean parts of the animal. The most common red meats are
beef, veal, pork and lamb. Such kinds of meats contain large amounts of cholesterol and saturated fats.
Eat white meats two or three
times a week, providing you take away the skin of the poultry. The latest is important,
because the skin is rich in harmful fats and cholesterol. Common examples of white meats
include chicken, turkey, duck and rabbit. White meats contain far less saturated fats and
cholesterol.
There are many ways you can
eat white meats. For instance, you can make your hamburgers with turkey mince or you can
order your kebab being with chicken and not lamb or pork, instead. Try to find
Mediterranean recipes, where meat is cooked with vegetables. Replace any red meat that is
used in them with small pieces of turkey. You will be surprised how similar turkey feels
and tastes to veal.
Processed
meats. Eat processed meats as rarely as possible, since they contain
significant amounts of saturated fats, sugar and salt. Apart from that, these foods are
under severe criticism because of their content in artificial taste or color enhancers
and chemical additives as the preservative sodium nitrite. The latest has been accused
for increasing the risk for colorectal and pancreatic cancer. Examples of processed meats
are salami, sausages, hot dogs, corn beef, ham and bacon.
The trouble with these foods is that they are quite tasty. If you get tempted and really
desperate for them, try to choose preparations that are based on poultry and not red
meats. At least you will be able to avoid the high intake of saturated fats and
cholesterol.
Eggs. Eggs are a typical example of food with high
nutritional and low caloric values at the same time. An average egg contains only seventy
five calories. On the other hand, it provides vitamin B12, choline, vitamin B5, riboflavin, complete protein and trace
minerals, like chromium, vanadium and selenium. However, eggs
must be eaten in moderations, since the yolk contains 70% cholesterol and 8% saturated
fats. Unless your healthcare advisor recommends something different, eating two eggs per
week would be safe for you.
Diary
products. Calcium, vitamin D and protein are the most beneficial nutrients contained in
diary products. In order to avoid high intake of saturated fats that are naturally
contained in this category of foods, always stay far away from butter and any kind of
milk creams. Prefer semi-skimmed milk and fat-free or low-fat cheese and yogurt, instead.
Eat ice cream as rarely as possible, since it is rich in saturated fats, sugars and
calories.
Fried
foods. Try to avoid them as much as you
can. Deep frying results in the production of trans
fatty acids which are equally harmful with the saturated ones.
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