Diet Management

Eating Well With Diabetes

While everyone who wants to live a healthy lifestyle should stick to a well-rounded diet, it’s especially important for people with diabetes. Low-fat foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins can help keep blood sugar levels under control, and people with Type 2 diabetes can even potentially reverse their disease by losing weight with a healthy diet. People with diabetes also need to keep an eye on their sugar and salt intake, something that can be challenging in today’s fast-food-driven society. Never fear! Below, we’ve compiled information from the best resources on diabetes and healthy living, including some of our favorite bloggers in the Diabetic Online Community, to give you some tips on maintaining a healthy diet. For more information on creating a meal plan that works for you along with recipes ideas, please visit these reputable websites:

American Diabetes Association Food Guide
Mayo Clinic–(click links at the bottom for more information on diet)
University of Maryland Medical Center
Report from Diabetes & Hormone Center of the Pacific

BONUS: If you’ve ever wondered about the calorie counts for certain foods or restaurants, Calorie King has a comprehensive list of nutritional information for almost any food or drink you can think of!

 

Snack Options

Diabetes Power Foods

“Power foods are those with the richest amount of nutrients and the least amount of calories.”

Powerfoods provide the most health benefits to decrease your risk of heart disease. The Cleveland Clinic has a complete list of power foods available on their website, while Diabetic Living offers a list of the top 20 power foods specifically for diabetics. A few of these include:

  • Blueberries
  • Beans
  • Salmon
  • Tuna
  • Carrots
  • Apples
  • Oatmeal

Other Snacks

In addition to power foods, here is a list of snack options that are great for children and adults with diabetes, compiled from feedback from bloggers in the Diabetic Online Community:

  • Cereal
  • Fresh fruit
  • Smart Pop Popcorn®
  • Vegetables with a low-fat dressing dip
  • Baked chips
  • Hummus with high-fiber crackers
  • Sugar-free frozen fruit pop
  • 100 Calorie Snack Packs® of Sun Chips, pretzels, crackers, etc…
  • Fruit, especially frozen grapes on a hot summer day
  • Yogurt
  • Apple (with a side of peanut butter)

As a substitute to peanut butter, Wendy from Candy Hearts Blog recommends Sunbutter®. It is gluten free and safe for those who have a peanut allergy.

 

Recipes

Finding recipes to help support a healthy lifestyle can be challenging; the following sites offer recipes specifically for diabetics.

Diabetic Lifestyles Diabetic Friendly Recipes
Diabetic Recipes from Allrecipes.com
Diabetia

Do you have a great recipe you want to share with the world? Share with us! We will be featuring a user submitted recipe every month right here on this page! The one that is featured will be voted on by the diabetic socks team! Please submit all recipes to feedback@socks4life.com.

 

Alcohol and Diabetes

Alcohol and diabetes: the two don’t mix well! People with diabetes need to be careful when drinking alcohol, especially considering that the side effects of hypoglycemia and being “under the influence” are the same. If your blood glucose levels are under control and you decide to have a few alcoholic drinks, there are a few easy tips to follow:

  1. Have some form of ID that lets others know that you have diabetes in case you have any unexpected complications. This can let others know not to ignore symptoms or disregard them as an effect of alcohol.
  2. Make sure to eat a normal meal before you drink, and have some sort of snack with you in case your blood sugar levels get out of balance.
  3. Whether you have diabetes or not, never drink and drive! It is important to make sure you have a designated driver who will get you home safely. Give them a warning that you have diabetes and ask him or her to remind you to check your blood glucose level before going to bed. It doesn’t hurt to set an alarm on your cell phone for later in the night to make certain you check your glucose level.

People with diabetes can drink alcohol but need to make sure they maintain normal blood glucose levels. For more tips about managing your diabetes while drinking alcohol, please refer to the American Diabetes Association’s tips here.