Diabetic Diets: How To Select Food At The Grocery Store
How many times have you tried to go on a so called diet and failed? Most likely everyone has and the main reason people fail is because they are forced to eat foods they do not like to eat and are not used to eating. Eventually people on these kinds of diets will quit and then feel like a failure but this does not need to be the case if you are a diabetic. You need to follow a diabetic diet to save your life. You can still enjoy all the foods you normally eat now, all you have to do is learn how shop differently for the same foods.
Many 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 keep an eye on the amount of carbohydrates that are in one serving of the food you are purchasing. Many people often think that sugar is the only thing that can raise your blood sugar level, but in truth, carbohydrates do as well. This is why you also need to keep an eye on how many carbohydrates you consume in your meals. A good point to look for is if the total carbohydrates are 10 grams or less. The reason for this is because it only takes 1 gram of carbohydrates to raise your blood sugar level by 5 points, so the fewer carbohydrates the better.
A second way to shop for food on a diabetic diet is to try to buy products that are high in dietary fiber. Fiber, even though it is counted as a carbohydrate, actually works on your behalf to help slow down your body’s consumption of the carbohydrates and sugar that enter your body. Thus fiber helps keep your blood sugar level at a normal rate. A good guide is to try and purchase products that contain 5 grams or more of dietary fiber.
A third way to shop for food on a diabetic diet is to look for products that have as little sugar as possible. Sugar, as with carbohydrates, are a diabetics worse nightmare because they help raise our blood sugar levels to a dangerous level. Our body still needs these carbohydrates and sugars to help it function. You have to be very careful though, as some sugar free products actually may seem like they have less sugar but they will have a higher amount of carbohydrates which eventually turns into sugar. A good guide to follow is to try to purchase products that have 5 grams or less of sugar.
A fourth way is to keep an eye on what experts call free foods. Free foods are items that contain a total of 20 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrates or less per serving. Even though these foods are called free foods, this does not mean we can eat as much as we want. You are still limited to eating your free foods to at least three times a day over the course of your day and not all at once. Some examples of free foods are water, lettuce, diet soda, sugar free gelatin, sugar free drink mixes, decaf coffee, and a dill pickle (which can actually lower your blood sugar level).
A fifth way is to watch what kind of meat products you buy at the grocery store. You need to select low-fat cuts that have no fat visible to your eye. You should choose meats with 7 percent fat content or less. Again, the lower the percentage of fat, the better it will be for your health. Some good meats you can purchase are fish, shellfish, and skinless poultry.
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.