If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, you already know how important it is to maintain a healthy diet. A well-balanced diet will help you manage your diabetes and keep your symptoms in check. Sometimes, it can be difficult to eat healthily, but with a few lifestyle changes, you can transform the way you eat and make it easy to eat healthier every day. Read on for some tips you can try to improve your diet and eat healthier.
Switch Out Your Staples
For many people, white bread and pasta are a diet staple, but these can wreak havoc on your blood sugar. Try switching out classic white bread for whole wheat and choose foods with ingredients like oat and barley. You can do the same thing for pasta, and it’s an easy switch that you’ll hardly notice. Instead of white rice, try whole grain rice.
Stay Fuller, Longer
When you feel full, you can resist the urge to overeat or indulge in unhealthy foods. You can stay fuller for longer when you eat foods that are rich in fiber. Fiber not only manages your blood sugar, but it’s also good for your heart. Try to get at least eight grams of fiber in every meal. Some fiber-rich foods you can eat include peas, beans, oats, barley, a variety of fruits like apples and berries, and vegetables like carrots, broccoli, and sweet potatoes.
Try Good Fats
Believe it or not, some fats are actually healthy for you. Replace “bad” fats with healthy ones found in foods like nuts, avocados, and olive oil. These fats can help to lower your blood sugar and even your cholesterol. Be aware when replacing fats and try to avoid eating too much of them or else they can still cause weight gain. Reduce the number of carbohydrates you eat and replace salty snacks like potato chips with nuts. Enjoy delicious salad dressings made with canola or olive oil.
Avoid Blood Sugar-Spiking Foods
Some foods can cause your blood sugar to skyrocket. It’s important that you try to avoid these types of foods whenever possible. Fortunately, there are plenty of delicious, filling alternatives that you can snack out that won’t cause your numbers to rise. Some delicious choices you can incorporate into your diet include eggs, cheese, fish, avocados, poultry, and lean meats. These foods will balance out your meals and encourage you to eat plenty without the need for excess carbohydrates which can spike blood sugar.
Eagle’s Landing OB/GYN in Stockbridge, GA wants you and your family to thrive. For any questions or concerns regarding pregnancy, parenting or related issues, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 770-474-1919.