Feel Great with Our Diabetes Prevention Diet

Avoid Diabetes with our Diabetes Prevention Diet



What did you eat today? Keep reading to see how it compares to our diabetes prevention diet. If you think about the choices you make in selecting breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can have a good idea how serious you are about making healthy food decisions. In the past 10 years, many people have improved the way they eat by eating less fat and sugar. Have you made any personal decision to improve your diet? Do you seriously want to prevent diabetes?

You need knowledge as well as willpower to get excellent nutrition. Making healthy food choices is what good nutrition is all about. A great diabetes prevention diet includes all the foods that our bodies need for normal function, and excludes foods which lead to impaired function.

It is important that we choose a variety of nourishing foods to stay healthy. But how can we tell if we are getting all the right nutrients? The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed the Food Guide Pyramid to help people choose what -and how much- to eat from each food group to get the right nutrients, without taking in too many calories, fats, cholesterol, sugar or salt. With just a few changes, the Food Guide Pyramid can give useful guidelines for our diabetes prevention diet.

The Food Guide Pyramid urges eating at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day and reducing the amount of fat, especially saturated fat, in the diet. But to help prevent diabetes, it is best to eat more vegetables than fruits since fruits tend to raise the blood sugar. Fats, oils and sweets are at the top of the Pyramid, which means they should not be eaten often, and then only in small amounts. The best fats to use for your diabetes prevention diet are omega fats which help suppress appetite,convert unwanted body fat into energy, and increase your metabolic rate.

The majority of our food should be whole grains, nuts and legumes (peas and beans). These complex carbohydrates are an important source of energy, are high in fiber and low in calories. Ounce for ounce, carbohydrates have less than half the calories of fat. Nutrition experts recommend that at least half of our daily calories should come from complex carbohydrates. Examples include broccoli, carrots, cabbage, sweet potatoes, brown rice, whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, whole grain cereals.

It is important that you balance your carbohydrates with protein in order to help prevent diabetes. Since proteins are absorbed into the blood slower than carbohydrates, proteins minimize the increase in blood glucose which may result from eating carbohydrates. And complex carbs are absorbed slower than simple or refined carbs such as white rice, white flour and pastries, white pasta and juice. While they may be more expensive, organic food choices decrease our exposure to harmful chemicals, which can injure health.

The Food pyramid suggests that people use two to three servings from the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts group. Since people who follow a plant-based diet live on average seven years longer than the average American, it may be wise to consider reducing the amount of dairy products and meat we eat. Rest assured, we can get all the calcium we need from dark green leafy vegetables. If you want you can still enjoy your favorite meat dish at extra-special family gatherings such as weddings, major holidays or other special occasions if you desire, without guilt. If you choose to include dairy products in your diet, it is probably best to choose dairy products which are lowfat and organic in order to reduce the harmful effects of saturated fats and chemicals. As I suggested above, you might want to consider eating meat rarely, or not at all. If you choose to eat meat, make sure you select the most healthy varieties. Organic lean meats, organic and free range poultry and small ocean fish are probably your best bets.

Choosing healthy fish on the diabetes prevention diet will require that we learn about the possible harmful effects of eating fish and how we can stay away from these dangers.

People who decide to avoid meat and meat products (like eggs, cheese and milk) can also get high-quality protein from nuts, and from a variety of beans and peas, especially when combined with whole grains. Soy products (like tofu, tempeh and vegetarian meats made of soy) have become a very popular and reliable source of protein. Be aware, though, that since a plant-based diet does not provide adequate vitamin B12, people following a vegetarian diabetes prevention diet should ensure they get enough of this important vitamin by taking B12 supplements. Intramuscular or sublingual B12 formulations are most likely to be usable by the body.

The decision to follow a healthy diabetes prevention diet may involve giving up many of your favorite foods and beverages. Colas, coffee, tea and other drinks containing caffeine may be best avoided since they can have adverse effects on your health. But pure water is essential for good health and promotes weight loss.

Nutritionists say you can learn how to balance your food choices by fitting in your traditional favorites and enjoying your meals and snacks while still promoting good health. But they say you must rethink your meals from the first bite through dessert. Ideally, brown rice, whole grain pasta and other whole grains should be the largest portion on your plate. Vegetables and fruit should be the second largest portion, followed by a selection from the meat group. A serving from the meat group should be about the size of a deck of cards or the palm of your hand.

Occasionally you can eat some foods with more fat or more sugar, as long as you choose small portions infrequently. The goal is to moderate, not eliminate, fat and sugars in your food choices. In summary, each day, choose a variety of foods from the five major food groups and build your Pyramid from the bottom up. This will contribute significantly to your efforts to prevent diabetes.

Unfortunately, some people feel they can eat anything as long as it is fat-free. But in reality a lot of these foods simply increase sugar, salt or artificial flavoring to compensate. Nutritionists agree that to improve your food choices, you must read food labels, focusing on calories and grams of fat, then choose products which are low in both. This will help you to be more aware of the calories and fat in foods you eat and thus you'll have a better sense of the calories you take in each day without counting every mouthful. So, remember to always exercise portion control.

Now, when you make the decision to switch to a more healthy diet, you can begin by modifying your food choices gradually. Eat foods lower in fats and sugars, and try to prepare old favorites in a more nutritious manner. Bake, broil, boil, steam and stew rather than fry meats, fish or poultry. Trim all visible fat from meats, fish and poultry. Remove skin from poultry, preferably before cooking. Learn to add flavor with garlic, lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, liquid aminos , herbs and spices. Saute vegetables in broth or water instead of oil. Try using vegetable cooking spray to stir-fry. Also try adding some new vegetables and fruits to your meals. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover how delicious fruits and vegetables can be and how easy it is to include them in your daily diabetes prevention diet.

For a delicious start, try these favorite Smoothie recipes to prevent diabetes

For a plethora of delicious vegetarian recipes which will work very well in a diabetes prevention diet, please visit vegkitchen.com - there you will find tasty soups, salads, casseroles and more.