People who are dealing with diabetes are advised to stick to a strict diet. What this typically means is a diet high in fiber, low in fat, and low in sugar. This can be a very challenging thing for many people. The good news is, you don’t have to give up all of your favorite foods and you can still stick to a healthy diet. It’s easy to eat healthy without sacrificing much in terms of taste. There are many options available for people on a restricted diet due to diabetes. You can even get sugar free chocolate these days. Many people say they can’t even tell the difference with some of the products that are available.
Sugar Substitutes
Sugar substitutes can be used in place of sugar to sweeten drinks like coffee and tea, or in place of sugar in recipes. Most sugar substitutes are compounds that are synthesized artificially. The only natural sugar substitute that is approved in the U.S. is stevia. Stevia can be found as the brand name TruVia. Stevia works well for sweetening drinks like coffee or tea. The artificial sweeteners that you will find available in the U.S. are aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose. Sucralose can be found as the brand name Splenda. Sucralose makes a good substitute for sugar in baking, as well as a sweetener for drinks. Aspartame can be found as the brands NutraSweet and Equal, and saccharin can be found sold as Sweet’n Low. These artificial sweeteners are mainly useful for sweetening drinks, because they can break down due to the heat of cooking.
Diabetic-Friendly Meals
Cooking diabetic-friendly meals doesn’t have to mean bland and tasteless food. The Internet is full of excellent recipes that are quite tasty and healthy as well. Almost anything goes when it comes to proteins on a diabetic diet. The best choices for proteins are fish, seafood, chicken, turkey, cheese, and eggs. You can also use the leaner cuts of beef, lamb, veal, and pork. Ground beef is okay too, just make sure you get the leanest option available. Any non-starchy vegetables are a good choice such as artichoke, beets, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, eggplant, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. Grains and starchy vegetables are things you want to keep track of. Whole grains are better than refined grains. The best choices for grains are whole wheat, whole oats, brown rice, whole rye, wild rice, and quinoa. The best choices for starchy vegetables are parsnips, plantains, potatoes, pumpkin, peas, and corn.
