Diabetic Diets|Diabetic Cooking

by Delynda Lardone
Many people often hate to go on a diabetic diet, even if they have diabetes, because they feel they will only be allowed to eat all the bland boring foods that contain no sugar and taste awful. This is not true. Diabetics can still eat the foods they already enjoy eating. All they have to do is learn how to shop for foods by learning how to read labels and choose the same foods, sometimes using different brands.

Many  diabetic diets fail because you are forced to eat foods you do not like, but this does not need to be the case on your diabetic diet. I can show you 5 things to look for when grocery shopping so you can still purchase the same foods with some simple changes such as switching to a different brand.

One way is to watch the total carbohydrates that are in the foods you are purchasing. Many people who start on a diabetic diet think that sugar is the only thing that will raise your blood sugar level, but that is not true. Starchy foods can also increase your blood sugar level which is why you also need to keep a close eye on the carbohydrates you eat as well. A good thing to look for is products that have 10 grams of total carbohydrates or less because it only takes 1 gram of carbohydrate to raise your blood sugar level by 5 points. The fewer carbohydrates that are in a product, the better it is for your health.

A second way is to keep an eye on the amount of fiber in your diet. In this case, the more fiber in your meals, the better your health will be. This is because fiber, even though it is a carbohydrate, actually helps your body slowly digest the sugar and carbohydrates over a long period of time thus keeping you with a normal level of blood sugar. A good point is to look for products that have at least 5 grams of fiber or more.

A third way is to keep an eye on how much sugar is in the products you purchase. But beware of sugar free products because their labels may be misleading. Often times manufactures will place less sugar but the total carbohydrates will increase which means you are still getting way too much sugar even if the label says no sugar added. You should always look at the sugar content in combination with the carbohydrate content. A good point is to look for products where the label says the sugar content is 5 grams of less, and remember the carbohydrate content is 10 grams or less.

A fourth way to shop for food on a diabetic diet is to purchase what the experts call, free foods. This simply means that they contain 20 total calories and less than 5 grams of total carbohydrates. Although it is called a free food, diabetics are only allowed to have these foods only three times a day and you have to eat them throughout the day and not all at once. Some examples of free food items are a dill pickle (which can lower your blood sugar level), diet soda, lettuce, water, sugar free drink mixes, decaf coffee, and sugar free gelatin.

A fifth way to shop for food on a diabetic diet is to look for products that are low in fat or contain no fat at all. You should try to purchase meats that contain at least 7 percent or less in fat. Some good meats that you can buy are skinless poultry, shellfish, and fish.

By following these five guidelines when shopping for your food, you can begin to develop an enjoyable diabetic diet that you can happily follow for life. All you have to do is purchase the same kinds of foods while perhaps changing brands to ones that contain 10 grams of carbohydrates or less, 5 grams of fiber or more, 5 grams of sugar or less, free food with 20 calories or less and 5 grams of carbohydrate or less per serving, and meat that has 7 percent or less of fat. You will enjoy your diet more by eating the foods you love just by following these 5 guiding principles when you shop.

About the Author:
Delynda Lardone supplies information on diabetes, including tips on how to make sure the level of your blood sugar remains low, in depth examination of many diabetic diet programs, and diabetic diet recipes which serves up to 6. To learn more information about a diabetic diet plan, please visit: http://diabeticdietsreview.com/