Ask a Dietitian

The foundation for nutritional care for diabetics is a healthy diet.  However, there are a few strategies individuals with Type II diabetes can take to better manage their blood sugars.

1. Consistency is important.  Try not to skip meals and if there is more than 4 hours between meals, add a small snack.  Skipping meals can lead to hypoglycemia, overeating at the next meal or choosing the wrong type of food.
2. Pay attention to portion size, especially of carbohydrates.
3. Cover ½ your plate with vegetables
4. Reduce added sugar to <10% of total energy
5. Go for high fibre: 25-38g/day
6. Add protein to all meals and some snacks
7. Reduce saturated and trans fats and increase monounsaturated and omega 3 fats
8. Be active daily
9. Manage your stress.
10. Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight

Grocery Shopping Tips- what your patients need to know

1. Have a plan. Decide what dinners you plan to eat that week and write your grocery list based on these.  Add foods for lunches, snacks and breakfasts.
2. Shop once or twice per week and take your list
3. Don’t shop when you are hungry

At the store, work through the Food Groups:

Vegetables and Fruit:

Most people don’t get enough.  None are forbidden.  We need 7-10 half cup servings per day.  Aim for 2-3 fruit and the rest vegetable.  They are all nutrient rich, full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre and fluid.  Go for variety.  Include one green and one orange vegetable each day. Fresh or frozen and canned are all great choices.  Limit or avoid juice and be sure it is 100% pure.  Orange has a lower GI Index than apple or grape juice.  Tropical fruit have a higher GI index.  Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, yams, beets, squash, peas and corn are higher in carbohydrates so watch the portions.

Grain Products.

Bread: First check the ingredient list and look for 100% whole grain.  Be sure the first ingredient is a whole grain such as rye or whole wheat.  “Enriched flour” or “wheat flour” means white flour.  Use the food label, check the serving size on the nutrition facts panel.  Look for bread with at least 2grams of fibre per slice.  Compare the sugar and total carbohydrates between different brands.

Pasta:  Consider whole grain or pasta with added fibre such as inulin or pea fibre.  Cook it “al dente”.  If you choose regular semolina pasta be sure to add vegetables to the sauce for fibre, use tomato sauce or olive oil not cream sauce and serve protein at the meal.  ½ plate vegetables not pasta.

Cereal: Look for 100% whole grain with few added ingredients and ideally no added sugar.  (Wheatabix, All-Bran, Shredded wheat, Oatmeal, Cheerios) On the nutrition facts table look for cereals with 4g fibre/serving or more and some protein is great.

Snack foods such chips, crackers and cookies: usually not that nutritious, mostly carbohydrate, often high in salt.  Limit portion size, choose the higher fibre option, 0g trans fat and add some protein and fat to help stabilize blood sugars such as nut butter, cheese or hummus.

Granola bars: choose bars with nuts, 5g or less added sugar, contain at least 2g fibre and 2 grams sugar.

Dairy and Alternatives

Contain protein, carbohydrates and fat, calcium, Vitamin D, potassium, phosphate, B vitamins etc. Choose low sugar or plain yogurts and plain milk not chocolate.  The higher the fat in yogurt, milk or cheese the better the blood sugar control however the higher the calories so portions need to be smaller.  A diet low in saturated fat remains a dietary recommendation for reducing LDL cholesterol and is a recommendation by the Canadian Diabetes Association.  Some research shows saturated fats from dairy are protective of diabetes. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27006479#

Soy beverages are good alternatives that contain 9g protein per cup.  Almond, cashew and rice are low protein and fat.  Unsweetened can be as low as 35 calories per cup.

Meats and Alternatives

Meat and Poultry: choose lean cuts such as tenderloin, loin, sirloin, chuck, round, lean and extra lean.  Remove skin from poultry.   Limit processed high fat meats such as bacon, sausages, salami.  Consider using leftover grilled chicken and turkey for sandwiches.

Fish: aim to eat fish at least twice per week.  Fresh, frozen or tinned.  Fatty fish like trout, halibut, salmon, sardines and herring are all great.

Nuts and seeds: great snacks, high in calories so watch portions.  Good fats and contain protein.  No carbohydrates so not good snack for hypoglycemia.

Pulses: lentils, chickpeas, beans do contain carbohydrates but also contain protein and fibre which make them low GI foods and great for Diabetics.  ½ cup cooked lentils contains 23g carbohydrates, 9g fibre plus 12g protein and only 140 calories.

Eggs: Great source of protein, no carbs only 90 calories.  one egg/day if no CVD.  Choose free-range. (skip the bacon)

Fats and Oils

Olive oil is recommended.  Can heat to 350 degrees

Canola oil  and Flax oil are high in omega 3

Avocado oil is a good choice too and has a high smoke point.

Limit grapeseed, sunflower, safflower and corn which are too high in omega 6.

Condiments

Limit added sugar such as jam, honey, Nutella, teriyaki sauce, sweet chilli sauce, Hoisin, ketchup, BBQ sauce, relish, chutney and some salad dressings.

Better choices include oils, vinegar, mustard, lemon or lime, spices and fresh herbs.Stocking your home with quality ingredients and taking the time to cook and eat at home are all steps towards successful long-term management of your diabetes.