Diabetic Diet

A List of Foods a Diabetic Can Eat

Diabetic diet—is there a list of foods a diabetic can eat? The answer might surprise you. It’s a resounding no. That’s correct. In a diabetic diet, there is no list of foods a diabetic can eat. Anyone who tells you so is off his or her rocker. Please, read on, the important stuff is right around the corner!

Now, there is a lifestyle a diabetic should be following, a diabetic diet in a more general sense. Let’s look at the important aspects of a proper diabetic diet. A healthy diabetic diet should consist of the following things: a rich assortment of foods with a low Glycemic Index (GI), small amounts of protein with every meal, healthy fats rich in omega-3 fatty acids and a little moderation when it comes to eating highly processed foods.

The Glycemic Index

Let’s back up a minute. Is there a list of foods a diabetic can eat? Well, sort of. The Glycemic Index is this really great carb-ranking system, so to speak, that tells you how quickly a carb-rich food will hit your bloodstream and thus, raise your blood sugar. This list of foods is a long one and contains everything from crackers, cakes and cookies to sweet potatoes, carrots and alfalfa sprouts.

Now, this isn’t a list of foods a diabetic can eat, per se. It is, however, a key to which foods you can eat to help keep your blood sugars more stable. If you always try to eat foods with lower GI ratings, your blood sugar is more likely to stay even. If your diabetic diet consists of only foods that are considered low on the Glycemic Index, that’s even better.

Small Amounts of Lean Protein with Every Meal

The second part of the diabetic diet equation is making sure you’re eating small amounts of protein with every meal. Why? No, this has nothing to do with Atkins. It does, however, have to do the way our bodies prefer to breakdown certain foods. You see, our bodies have a preference when it comes to nutrients. First and foremost, our bodies need protein because they are building blocks we cannot live without.

By eating a little bit of protein with every meal, you’re telling your body to slow down the speed at which those carbs reach your bloodstream. In essence, you’re lowering the Glycemic Index even further. This is exactly what you want to keep a nice, stable blood sugar.

Now, that isn’t to say any protein will do. Protein is protein is protein is not something I agree with. Some are better than others. As a diabetic, you want lean proteins. This is essential. Lean proteins can consist of 96/4 extra-lean ground beef, chicken breast, turkey breast, top round steak, flank steak, fish like Orange Roughy, snapper, tuna—both canned and fresh, mahi mahi, perch, white fish, sole, flounder, haddock, halibut, sea bass, etc., shellfish (assuming you have no allergies) like shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, crab and lobster, egg whites and many more options. This list is in no way exhaustive.

Also, when I state “a little” protein with each meal, I’m not talking an entire turkey. I really do mean a little. Two to three ounces should be perfect for most people. You simply want enough protein for your body to be kept busy getting a start on digesting that protein before it gets to the carbs you just ingested. Does this make sense?

So, it seems we’re coming up with a list of foods a diabetic can eat for a healthy diabetic diet. It’s not set in stone but more offered as a smart way of living and eating.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Since we just discussed fish, I think it’s necessary to mention omega-3 fatty acid-rich fish like Alaskan salmon, herring, fresh tuna, lake trout and halibut. You may hear other people placing mackerel, swordfish and shark in this category of good fish to consume for omega-3s. I have chosen to leave these out as their mercury levels are now so high that to me, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. Pregnant and nursing women should always avoid these fish high in mercury.

Perhaps you’re not a fish-eater? There are other sources of omega-3 fatty acids. You can find decent amounts in flaxseed oil, ground flaxseeds, rape seed oil, tofu and walnuts. Of course, the fish source is better and more bioavailable. However, if you cannot tolerate fish, these vegetable sources of essential fatty acids (EFAs) are just fine.

Choose Whole Foods Over Highly Processed Foods

Finally, in completing our “list” of foods a diabetic can eat, I need to discuss processed foods. To a diabetic diet, these foods are indeed the devil. OK, maybe not but they sure are close. Now why is that, you ask? When thinking about foods a diabetic can eat, fiber comes to mind almost immediately. Unfortunately, most highly processed foods have had all the fiber-rich shells and such removed in the refining process. This fiber helps stabilize your blood sugars. Why on earth would you want to get rid of it?

This lack of fiber isn’t the only reason to avoid highly refined foods. You want your body to have to work at getting the nutrients from the foods you eat. When you eat whole foods - foods left as Mother Nature made them (or as close to it as you can get)—your body is given compound assignments. It has to deal with the protein. Then it has to deal with the fiber. Then, it can get to the carbohydrates. This waiting period assists in keeping stable, level blood glucose levels.

What are we talking about here? Let’s say you have the option of drinking a glass of orange juice or eating the orange. It’s always better to eat the orange when thinking of a diabetic diet. You want all the fiber you can get. You want the least amount of processing possible. You want the whole food. Let’s look at another example. You can have toast in the morning with your eggs. If you choose white toast, that’s about as processed and worthless as you can get. Now, make that stone-ground whole wheat bread and you’re better off. Make that sprouted grain bread and you’re still better off. Eat the whole wheat grain as a hot morning cereal and you’ve just hit a homerun in the whole foods department.

Don’t get me wrong, no one can eat like this all of the time. I know you can’t be perfect in everything you eat. But, you sure can try to make small changes each week until you’re eating by the guidelines in this article. It takes time to adjust to a diabetic diet. Take your time. Make the right choices and soon, you will learn that in a diabetic diet, there is no such thing as a list of foods a diabetic can eat.