The content of this article is for U.S. institutions/medical services and is intended as a guide only. Please consult your physician or your street or community for further needs.
For people with diabetes, food choices are critical. Some foods are appropriate for people with diabetes, while others are contraindicated.
Eating any food needs to be moderated, and even the foods that patients consider “most off-limits” can be eaten occasionally and sparingly.
But this does not help improve the patient’s nutritional status, and it is easier to manage diabetes if the patient sticks to the “optimal” strategy.
Starchy foods
Patients’ bodies need carbohydrates, but they need to choose them carefully. Use the following list as a guide.
Best choices
- Whole grains, such as brown rice, oats, quinoa, millet, or amaranth.
- Roasted sweet potatoes
- Products that are whole grain and have no (or little) added sugar.
Worst choice
- Processed grains, such as refined rice or refined pasta
- Cereals with very small amounts of whole grains and lots of sugar
- White bread
- French fries
- Fried semolina tortillas.
Vegetables
- Eat more vegetables so you can get fiber and a little fat or salt (unless you add it yourself).
- Remember, potatoes and corn are carbohydrates.
- Remember that potatoes and corn are carbohydrates.
The best choice
- Eat fresh vegetables raw or slightly steamed, simmered, or roasted before eating
- For regular frozen vegetables, steam them slightly before eating
- Green vegetables such as kale, spinach and arugula. Curly lettuce is less nutritious, so it is not recommended to go for it.
- Low sodium or non-pickled canned vegetables
- Vegetables of all colors: dark green, red or orange vegetables (such as carrots or red peppers), white vegetables (onions) and even purple vegetables (eggplant.) The 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend 2.5 cups (about 590 ml by volume) of vegetables daily.
Worst choice
- Canned vegetables with lots of added sodium
- Vegetables cooked with lots of butter, cheese, or sauce
- Kimchi (if the patient needs to control sodium levels, otherwise kimchi can be consumed)
- Kraut (for the same reason as kimchi control, so patients with high blood pressure need to abstain)
Fruit
- Fruits are good for carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fiber.
- Most fruits are low in fat and sodium. However, they usually have more carbohydrates than vegetables.
The best choice
- Fresh fruit
- Plain frozen or canned fruit with no added sugar
- Jams or preserves without or with low sugar
- Applesauce with no added sugar.
Worst choice
- Canned fruit with lots of added syrup
- Chewy dried fruit
- Plain jams, jellies and preserves (unless eaten sparingly)
- Sweetened applesauce
- Mixed fruit juices, fruit drinks, juice drinks.
Protein
Patients can choose foods such as beef, chicken, fish, pork, turkey, seafood, beans, cheese, eggs, nuts, and tofu.
The best choice
- The American Diabetes Association lists the following foods as the best choices:
- Plant proteins, such as beans, nuts, seeds or tofu
- Fish and seafood
- Chicken and other poultry (preferably breast meat, if available)
- Eggs and low-fat milk
- If you eat meat, please eat less fatty meat and please do not eat the skin of poultry.
- Even if the patient is not a vegetarian, he or she should eat beans, nuts, or tofu and consume some plant protein. This way, some nutrients and fiber can be absorbed that are not found in animal-related foods.
Worst choice
- Fried meats
- High-fat meats, such as ribs
- Pork bacon
- Plain cheese
- Poultry with skin
- Fried fish
- Fried tofu
- Beans cooked in lard
Dairy products
Eat low-fat dairy products. If you want to eat full-fat dairy products, you should eat them sparingly.
The best choice
- milk with 1% fat or skim milk
- Low-fat yogurt
- Low-fat white cottage cheese
- Low-fat or nonfat sour cream
Worst choice
- Whole milk
- Plain yogurt
- Plain white cottage cheese
- Plain sour cream
- Plain ice cream
- Plain blended milk
Fats, oils and sugars
It’s hard to do without fats, oils, and sugars, but it’s easy to get heavy when you eat too much of them. This can make it more difficult to control diabetes.
The best choice
- Natural plant fats such as nuts, seeds, or avocados (high in calories, so should be eaten in small amounts)
- Foods containing omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, tuna or mackerel
- Vegetable oils such as canola, grapeseed, or olive oil
The worst choice
- Any food that contains artificial trans fats, which are bad for your heart. Even if the label says it has zero trans fat, check the ingredient list for any “partially hydrogenated” ingredients.
- Large amounts of saturated fats are found in most animal foods, as well as in coconut oil and palm oil. If you have heart disease and diabetes, ask your doctor to confirm the limits.
Beverages
When you drink your favorite beverage, you may be consuming more calories, sugar, salt, or fat that you would otherwise need to eat less of. Read the label and know how much of each ingredient is in each serving.
Best choices
- Water, unflavored or flavored sparkling water
- Unsweetened tea (with a slice of lemon)
- Light beer, a small amount of wine or a non-fruit flavored mixed drink
- Black coffee or coffee with low-fat milk and as a sugar substitute
Worst choice
- Plain soda
- Plain beer, fruit-flavored mixed drinks, sweet wine
- Sweet tea
- Coffee with sugar and cream
- Flavored coffee and chocolate drinks
- Energy drinks