Resist the Crunch of Sodium-Laden Chips and Crackers You may love their lip-smackin' saltiness, but potato chips, tortilla chips, or corn chips (including those in restaurant nachos), crackers, and pretzels are not the best food choices for people living with diabetes.
French fries, potato chips, and doughnuts are particularly bad choices for diabetics because they're made with carb-heavy, starchy ingredients, which can cause blood glucose levels to shoot up.
Low-fat types like cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, or mozzarella are high-protein choices that help keep your blood sugar in check. Enjoy a quarter-cup of cottage cheese with a half-cup of fruit, a piece of low-fat string cheese, or ricotta spread on whole-grain crackers.
Fried Chicken Restaurants
In general, poultry is a smart choice while following a diabetes-friendly diet—except when it's breaded or dipped in flour and fried. This version adds not just carbs but saturated fat and calories as well to menu items at restaurants like KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and Popeyes.
“When ordering Chinese, focus on dishes packed full of lean proteins and vegetables with limited rice and noodles,” advises Palinski-Wade, who suggests ordering steamed chicken and broccoli with the sauce on the side.
French fries are a food you may want to steer clear of, especially if you have diabetes. Potatoes themselves are relatively high in carbs. One medium potato contains 34.8 grams of carbs, 2.4 of which come from fiber ( 53 ).
Share on Pinterest In moderation, a person with diabetes may eat potatoes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommend eating starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, as part of a healthful diet. Starch is a complex carbohydrate that takes the body longer to break down than simple sugars.
Carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of energy; in fact, our brains only use glucose, a carbohydrate, for energy. 100% of carbohydrate sources consumed turn into glucose in the bloodstream, making carbohydrates the food group that impacts your blood sugar the most.
You may worry that having diabetes means going without foods you enjoy. The good news is that you can still eat your favorite foods, but you might need to eat smaller portions or enjoy them less often. Your health care team will help create a diabetes meal plan for you that meets your needs and likes.
Fish and chips
Go for thick-cut chips – the thicker the chip the less fat it absorbs during cooking.
People with diabetes can safely eat cheese as part of a balanced, healthful diet. As with other foods, moderation is key, and so a diet that includes too much cheese would be harmful to people with or without diabetes.
There's a myth about chocolate and diabetes. But you can eat chocolate, just in moderation and not too often. Try not to eat a lot in one go as it affects your blood sugar levels. If you snack on chocolate regularly it may start to increase your cholesterol levels and make it more difficult to manage your weight.
Is steak OK for diabetics? If you're choosing cuts of meat with less marbling, steak can certainly fit into a diabetes-friendly diet in moderation.
Low blood glucose at night
When blood glucose levels fall below 70 mg/dl while sleeping at night, the person experiences a condition called nocturnal hypoglycemia. Studies suggest that almost half of all episodes of low blood glucose — and more than half of all severe episodes — occur at night during sleep.
We know air frying is better than traditional frying because it cuts down on fat and calories typically added when frying in oil. So, in that sense, air fried foods are the better choice when you have diabetes, especially if you're looking to lose or maintain weight.
In case you didn't get the memo: Yes, those of us with diabetes CAN eat ice cream. Even though some outside the diabetes community don't think so, and they try to convince us we can't or shouldn't, the fact remains that an ice cream sundae or vanilla waffle cone every once in a while isn't going to kill us.
The American Diabetes Association recommends choosing whole grain bread or 100 percent whole wheat bread instead of white bread. White bread is made from highly processed white flour and added sugar. Here are some delicious and healthy breads to try: Joseph's Flax, Oat Bran and Wheat Pita Bread.
How often can a people with diabetes have a cheat meal? “Cheating once a week for normalcy is acceptable. However, cheating every other day can become an issue”, Shilpa added.