Best and Worst Foods for Diabetes
Diabetes and Fruits
Fruits contain carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They are naturally low in fat -- except for avocados -- and sodium. Fruits often contain more carbs than are found in vegetables.
| Best Choices | Worst Choices |
| Frozen fruit or fruit canned in fruit juice | Canned fruit with heavy sugar syrup |
| Fresh fruit | Chewy fruit rolls |
| Sugar-free or low-sugar jam or preserves | Regular jam, jelly, and preserves (unless portion is kept small) |
| No-sugar-added applesauce | Sweetened applesauce |
| 100% fruit juice or low-carb juices | Fruit punch, fruit drinks, fruit juice drinks, sweetened soda |
Diabetes, Meat, and Other Protein
These foods are high in protein. They include beef, chicken, fish, pork, turkey, and seafood. This group also includes beans, cheese, eggs, nuts, and tofu. Selecting non-meat sources of protein can help lower the amount of fat you eat. Use this list to guide your protein choices.
| Best Choices | Worst Choices |
| Baked, broiled, grilled, or stewed meats | Fried meats |
| Lower-fat cuts of meat, such as top sirloin | Higher-fat cuts of meat, such as ribs |
| Turkey bacon | Pork bacon |
| Low-fat cheeses | Regular cheeses |
| Skinless breast of chicken or turkey | Poultry with skin |
| Baked, broiled, steamed, or grilled fish | Fried fish |
| Tofu lightly sauteed, steamed, or cooked in soup | Fried tofu |
| Baked or stewed beans | Beans prepared with lard |
Diabetes and Dairy
This group includes milk and foods made from milk, such as yogurt and sour cream. Milk contains a lot of protein and minerals, including calcium. Use this list to guide your selection of milk products.
| Best Choices | Worst Choices |
| 1% or skim milk | Whole milk |
| Low-fat yogurt | Regular yogurt |
| Low-fat cottage cheese | Regular cottage cheese |
| Nonfat sour cream | Regular sour cream |
| Frozen low-fat, low-carb yogurt | Regular ice cream |
| Nonfat half and half | Regular half and half |
Diabetes and Fats, Oils, and Sweets
Fats, oils, and sweets -- and foods containing them -- often provide lots of calories and little nutrition. Many snack foods are filled with fats or oils and sugar. Eating too much of these kinds of foods can lead to weight gain, making it harder to keep diabetes under control. That doesn't mean you have to avoid fats, oils, and sweets altogether -- just select and eat them wisely. Here are some suggestions.
| Best Choices | Worst Choices |
| Baked snacks, such as baked potato chips, baked corn chips, puffed rice, or corn snacks | Snacks fried in fat, such as potato chips, corn chips, pork rinds |
| Vegetable oils, non-hydrogenated butter spreads, margarine | Lard, hydrogenated vegetable shortening, butter |
Reduced-fat mayonnaise Light salad dressings | Regular mayonnaise Regular salad dressings |
| Air-popped or calorie-controlled popcorn | Butter-flavored stove-top popcorn |
Diabetes and Beverages
Many beverages are not found on the food pyramid. Some beverages contain lots of carbohydrates while providing very little nutrition. This makes it easy for beverages to contribute to weight gain. Here are some best-choice and worst-choice examples.
| Best Choices for Beverages | Worst Choices |
| Water, unflavored or flavored sparkling water | Regular sodas |
| Light beer, small amounts of wine or non-fruity mixed drinks | Regular beer, fruity mixed drinks, dessert wines |
| Unsweetened tea (add a slice of lemon) | Sweetened tea |
| Coffee, black or with added low fat milk and sugar substitute | Coffee with sugar and cream |
| Home-brewed coffee and hot chocolate | Flavored coffees and chocolate drinks |
| Sport drinks | Energy drinks |
WebMD Medical Reference
Is This Normal? Get the Facts Fast!
Answer:
0-69
70-130
131+
Your level is currently
If the level is below 70 and you are experiencing symptoms such as shaking, sweating or difficulty thinking, you will need to raise the number immediately. A quick solution is to eat a few pieces of hard candy or 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey. Recheck your numbers again in 15 minutes to see if the number has gone up. If not, repeat the steps above or call your doctor.
People who experience hypoglycemia several times in a week should call their health care provider. It's important to monitor your levels each day so you can make sure your numbers are within the range. If you are pregnant always consult with your health care provider.
Congratulations on taking steps to manage your health.
However, it's important to continue to track your numbers so that you can make lifestyle changes if needed. If you are pregnant always consult with your physician.
Your level is high if this reading was taken before eating. Aim for 70-130 before meals and less than 180 two hours after meals.
Even if your number is high, it's not too late for you to take control of your health and lower your blood sugar.
One of the first steps is to monitor your levels each day. If you are pregnant always consult with your physician.
Did You Know Your Lifestyle Choices
Affect Your Blood Sugar?
Use the Blood Glucose Tracker to monitor
how well you manage your blood sugar over time.
This tool is not intended for women who are pregnant.
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