When you are diabetic, it is important to plan your meals carefully to prevent your blood sugar from going too low or too high. Eating small meals and snacks frequently, choosing foods wisely, and combining foods for nutrition and variety are all important when planning your meals.
Eating Frequent but Small Meals
Eating small meals helps to reduce the amount of sugar that is absorbed into your bloodstream at any given time. This helps to keep your blood glucose levels from going too high, and lowers the amount of insulin you have to inject. Ensuring that you don't go more than two hours or so without eating will keep your blood sugar levels from dropping too low. The insulin you inject can cause hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, if you don't keep food in your stomach. Protein snacks, such as cheese or nuts, are a good way to keep your blood sugar levels stable between meals.
Choosing Foods
When choosing the foods to add to your daily meal plans, be aware of the foods that can affect your blood sugar adversely. Sugary treats, for example, should be limited or eliminated entirely, due to their effect on blood glucose levels. Refined flour, found in white bread, should also be avoided. Bread products made from whole grains, such as whole wheat, oats, and bran, are all complex carbohydrates, and raise the blood sugar more slowly. Vegetables and fruits also provide complex carbohydrates to the daily diet. Protein does not increase your blood sugar at all, and can be added to your diet with various types of lean meats, as well as eggs, beans, tofu and peanuts. Dairy products are a great source of calcium, and should be a part of your daily meal plan.
Food Combinations
Protein foods are very important when combining foods, since they slow the absorption of carbohydrates, which keeps your blood sugar from rising as fast. For example, if you eat a protein food, such as cheese, with a carbohydrate, such as bread, it results in a more moderate rise in your blood sugar than if you ate the bread alone. Healthy fats, such as those found in nuts or avocados, can also slow the absorption of carbohydrates.
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