DIABETES FOOG LÍST: Six Food Groups in Diabetes Food Pyramid

Diabetic Food List: Six Food Groups in Diabetes Food Pyramid

What is Diabetes Food Pyramid?

Diabetes food pyramid categorizes food based on what they contain. Basically, there are six groups of food: starches, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat & meat substitutes, as well as fats & sweets.

At the very bottom of the pyramid are the starches and above it are the vegetables and fruits. Going higher are the milk and meat & meat substitutes. At the very top of the pyramid are the fats & sweets. Diabetics should take more food from the bottom and less towards the top. 

6 Diabetic Food Groups in Diabetes Food Pyramid

Diabetic Food Group 1: Starches

Starches are great sources of vitamin, mineral, carbohydrate and fiber. When selecting starchy food, complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, potatoes,etc. should be given the priority as they are absorbed slower than simple carbohydrates.

Diabetic Food Group 2: Vegetables

Vegetables contain lots of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. They can be served fresh as salad with healthy salad dressing (e.g. lemon olive oil vinaigrette or fat-free salad dressings). If served cooked, prepare them in healthy ways (e.g. blanched and grilled) and season with spices and herbs. Avoid adding too much salt or soy sauce. Try to avoid canned vegetables too as these products always have a lot of sodium added to them. 

Diabetic Food Group 3: Fruits

Fruits are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Always choose fresh fruits as they will have more vitamins. If drinking fruit juice, opt for the 100% fruit juice without added sugar. For canned or dried fruits, all should also be sugar-free, this applies to fruit jams and sauces as well. Canned fruits with heavy-syrup, sweetened juices and other fruit products with added sugar should always out of the diabetic food list. 

Diabetic Food Group 4: Milk & Milk Products

Milk and milk products are main sources of calcium, protein, carbohydrate and vitamins. Always go for low-fat (1%) or fat-free and unsweetened options, instead of whole or full cream and sweetened regular milk products. 

Diabetic Food Group 5: Meat & Meat Substitutes

Meat & meat substitutes are high protein foods. Among the foods included in this food group are poultry, beef, lamb, seafood, eggs, cheeses, nuts and soy products. Always select lean meat or skinless poultry which are lower in fat. Cook these foods in healthy ways, such as steaming, baking, grilling or broiling. For cheese, go for low-fat options instead of regular cheeses. 

Diabetic Food Group 6: Fats & Sweets

Fats and sweets are at the very top of the diabetes food pyramid, which means that diabetics should eat less of these foods. Diabetics should make their choices wisely when it comes to fats and sweet treats. Only go for healthy unsaturated fats and non-hydrogenated oils or spreads. Avoid unhealthy animal fats and hydrogenated oils. For snacks, choose healthy unsalted baked chips, puffed rice or air-popped popcorn, avoid highly salted or butter-flavored choices. 

DIABETES AND SOLUTION

What one tip would you give someone who is newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes?

So I thought it would make a perfect post right here, sharing many of their tips. So that means these tips I’ve compiled for you are from people who have experienced this themselves and here’s what some of them had to say.

20 Tips To Help You Out

1. Your life depends on you checking your blood sugars. The numbers don’t lie so you cannot claim denial. Love yourself enough to take care of yourself and report you true numbers to your doctor often.
2. Check your blood sugars often, take your medications when you’re supposed to, exercise, eat right, and NEVER GIVE UP!!
3. You have diabetes, it doesn’t have you. It’s not a death sentence when a few life choices are changed.
4. Never ignore your symptoms.
5. Educate yourself and educate the people around you that will be with you daily.
6. Don’t panic, it’s not the end of the world.
7. Drink lots of water.
8. Eat right, no pasta, no sweets, take your medication and exercise.
9. You can live a normal life while maintaining blood sugars.
10. Limit carbs and eat the right carbs.
11. Don’t give up.
12. Cut way back on carbs.
13. Check your sugar often, take it one day at a time. It isn’t going to be easy but before you know it, it will become second nature to you. Keep your head up and remember what you do now affects you later on in life.
14. Don’t get scared it won’t accomplish anything.
15. Educate yourself and exercise.
16. Get rid of diet soda
17. Life will be normal again, just a new normal.
18. Be sure to weight and portion everything and keep a food log until you know portions and have your blood sugar and eating routine under control.
19. Join a support group and know that you aren’t the only one and some days are better than others.
20. Change the way you eat and remember that almost everything has carbs!

There’s lots of good stuff there right?

If you’re newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes it can be quite a shock. There is no doubt that it adds another level of complexity to your life and in the early stages it can seem overwhelming.

But like many people pointed out, it’s not a life sentence and you can live a ‘new’ normal life again.

One thing is for sure, you do need to learn a thing or 2 so I’ll give you a word of warning and provide some resources to help you get started.

Newly Diagnosed? A Word Of Warning

Let me just say that you will read a lot of conflicting information out on the internet so make sure you’re careful. There is A LOT of misinformation, outdated information, and just plain bad information. Just keep this in mind as you look around.

Make sure the places you source information from are places like Diabetes Meal Plans. We are qualified nutritionists and dietitians and most of our information is evidence-based, meaning it comes from proper science.

We also don’t have any investment in supporting large food companies, like many large health sites do. You’d think that large government diabetes websites would have your best interests at heart and share only the most up to date information. But often times this isn’t the case, which is very surprising.

For example: The amount of carbohydrates recommended by large government diabetes organizations is still 45-75 g per meal. This is way too much! You will really find it difficult to control your blood sugar levels with a carb intake this high.

That’s just one simple example but on these sites there are many examples I could point to. It’s one reason why many people struggle to get control over their blood sugar, because they are trusting the wrong information. Just be aware of this okay