|
|||||
|
Best Diets When You Have Diabetes
1/15
Check All the Boxes
The right diet will help
you control your blood sugar, get a handle on your weight, and feel better.
Several well-known and popular eating plans may give you the road map to do
just that. You'll want to choose something you can follow, with foods you like,
so you can stick with it.
1/15
Start With the Basics
Watch your portion sizes
and calories. Cut back on fried foods, sweets, sugary drinks, and anything
salty or fatty. Focus instead on lots of veggies, with whole grains, lean
protein, low-fat dairy, fruit, and healthy fats. You may need to eat every few
hours to keep your blood sugar levels steady. Your doctor or diabetes educator
can help you fine-tune a diet so it works for you.
1/15
Low-Carb
You don't have to give
up carbohydrates because you have diabetes. If you want to try a diet that
limits them, like Atkins or South Beach, talk to your doctor about it. Research
on the benefits of low-carb diets for type 2 diabetes is still mixed. But a review
written by 25 leading experts says this style of eating should be the first
step in managing the disease, since it can "reliably reduce high blood
glucose."
1/15
Mediterranean Diet
This heart-healthy diet
uses lots of fruits and veggies as well as fish, chicken, nuts, olive oil,
legumes, and whole grains. What you won't eat often: Red meat,
butter, and salt. Studies have shown the diet can help keep blood sugar levels
under control. You can have wine with meals, but the American Diabetes
Association recommends no more than one drink per day if you're a woman, two if
you're a man.
1/15
DASH
Nutrition experts
recommend this eating plan, designed to help lower blood pressure, to lots of
people because it emphasizes fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, whole grains,
lean meats, fish, nuts, and beans. (It does allow for some sweets, too. You
should eat those in moderation.) A 2011 study found that it can improve insulin
sensitivity when it's part of an overall weight loss program with exercise.
1/15
The Zone Diet
Its goal is to keep
blood sugar levels stable. Meals are 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat. Carbs
are ranked as good or bad based on the glycemic index. You'll have foods like
chicken and barley, but not potatoes and egg yolks. A 2015 study found it had a
positive effect on glycemic control and waist size, so it may be a good choice.
Ask your doctor about it.
1/15
Weight Watchers
You get a set number of
points to "spend" as you eat. Most vegetables have zero points, so you
can eat as much of them as you like, while fast foods and desserts are assigned
high point values. Studies say it's effective. And the company offers a program
for people with type 2 diabetes that includes fitness advice and support from a
counselor with expertise in treating the disease.
1/15
Prepackaged Diet Meals
Whether you have them
delivered to your home or pick them up at a grocery store, there's a huge
variety of ready-made meals out there. Be careful: They can have very long
lists of ingredients, and they aren't always diabetes-friendly. Some brands,
like Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig, do offer meals tailored for diabetes. Talk to
your doctor to help narrow down your choices.
1/15
Paleo
The idea behind this
trendy diet is to eat the way early humans did before modern farming, when we
were hunter-gatherers. That means no dairy, refined sugar, grains, or legumes,
and no processed vegetable oils like soybean oil or canola oil. You can have
fruits and veggies, lean meats (preferably grass-fed), fish, nuts, and seeds.
It may sound healthy, but there's little scientific data looking at how it
affects diabetes.
1/15
Gluten-Free
Gluten is a protein
found in grains including wheat, rye, and barley. People with digestive disorders
like celiac disease need to avoid it. Popular belief is that going gluten-free
will help you lose weight, improve digestion, and boost energy. But these
claims aren't backed up by science. Plus, gluten is in everything from salad
dressing to vitamins. There's no need to follow this diet unless your doctor
advises it.
1/15
Vegetarian and Vegan
Limiting or avoiding
animal products like chicken, fish, and yogurt can be a healthy way to eat.
Just get plenty of fresh produce and other whole foods, as opposed to gorging
on meatless "chicken" nuggets out of a box. Research shows that people
who eat a plant-based diet get more fiber and take in less calories and fat
than nonvegetarians.
1/15
Raw Foods
People who follow this
diet believe that high cooking temperatures destroy vital nutrients in food.
They eat lots of fresh produce, seeds, and nuts, and they make meals with the
help of gadgets like blenders and dehydrators. Although eating this way is likely
to help you lose weight, there's no evidence it does anything to improve
diabetes symptoms. The bottom line: There are healthier, more effective diets
out there.
1/15
Alkaline Diet
The theory behind this
diet is that foods like wheat, meat, and sugar make your body more acidic,
which can lead to long-term diseases. Foods like vegetables and seeds, on the
other hand, can shift your body chemistry and make it more alkaline, helping
you slim down and stay healthy. There's very little research to back these
ideas up, so pass on this one for now.
1/15
Fasting or Intermittent Fasting
All of the different
fasting diets out there are based on the thinking that taking an occasional
break from eating could help you lose weight and possibly fight off chronic
disease. But going without food for too long can be dangerous for someone with
diabetes. It can lead to problems like low blood sugar and dehydration.
This tool does not provide medical advice.
মন্তব্যসমূহ
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন