Diabetic Food List: Best and Worst Choices

You're ready to head off to the grocery store and looking for your list. If you've got diabetes, though, you need more than a traditional shopping list. You need a guide that will let you quickly determine whether a food is a good choice or a bad choice. Making the best choices will help you maintain good health and control your blood glucose levels, keeping them as close to normal as possible. WebMD has compiled a list of best and worst food choices for diabetes that you can use either in the super market or in your own kitchen when you want something to eat.

The categories for the food choice list are taken from the Diabetes Food Pyramid. They include six food groups. The Diabetes Food Pyramid starts with breads, grains, and other starches at the base and rises to fats, oils, and sweets at the top. Here's the full list of categories from bottom up:

• Breads, grains, and other starches
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Meat, meat substitutes, and other protein
• Dairy
• Fats, oils, and sweets

Your goal for shopping and preparing meals is to choose more food from the base of the pyramid and less as you move toward the top.

What follows are some of the "best" and "worst" choices that can be made from each group. In addition, you'll find tips for making best choices for beverages. Keep in mind, though, if a food falls in the "worst" group, that doesn't mean you should never eat it. If you see something you really like on the "worst" list, you can think of it as an occasional treat. But in general, it will be easier to manage your diabetes if you choose most of your foods from the "best" lists.

Diabetes Food List: Breads, Grains, and Other Starches

Along with essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber, foods in this first category contain mostly complex carbohydrates that your body turns into sugar for energy. Even though carbs make glucose levels rise, complex carbs are absorbed more slowly than simple carbs, and you need carbs for energy. Use this list as a guide to help you choose the complex carbs that are best for you.

Diabetes Food List: Vegetables

Vegetables contain carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. They usually contain fewer carbs than fruits. Many vegetables contain fiber and are naturally low in fat and sodium (unless they are canned). Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and corn, aren't included in this category. They are considered part of the breads, grains, and other starches group. Use this list to guide your shopping and cooking choices.