Food isn’t just necessary for your physical wellbeing, you also need food for social and emotional wellness. You use food to celebrate, food to mourn and food to connect with people so is it any wonder that a type 2 diabetes diagnosis often leaves people asking ‘but what will I eat?’
According to Kathy Honick, RN, CDE, a diabetes educator at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, the first thing you need to do is learn the basics, and ‘meet with a registered dietician to learn what [you] can and can’t eat.’ However, there isn’t a diabetic diet that suits all people. You might work well with keeping track of the amount of carbohydrates you ingest with each food product, or you may prefer portion control or the diabetes food pyramid, which means eating a set number of portions of specific foods throughout the day. Your dietician, and a little trial and error, can help you find the best way forward.
When it comes to planning your meals, Honick says ‘meal planning for someone with type 2 diabetes is about healthy eating with a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats,’ so what choices are available to you? You need to be careful and consult your dietician about the levels of fruit you eat, but these and vegetables are often good choices, especially non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli, and green beans and legumes like lentils, kidney beans and pinto beans. Eat whole-grain foods, such as brown rice and whole wheat pasta and choose fish over meat two to three times a week. When choosing meat, pick skinless chicken or turkey or lean versions of pork or beef, and always choose non-fat versions of dairy products, meaning cheese, yogurt, milk and even ice cream. Avoid sugar-sweetened drinks, fizz and juices and sugary snacks like cookies, cakes and crisps.
Finally, when you’re cooking small changes make a big difference. Choose baking or broiling instead of frying and use extra-virgin olive oil instead of vegetable oil. Limit the amount of trans fats and saturated fats you eat to less than 20 grams per day, and choose fresh and frozen foods over tins. Last of all, limit sodium (salt) to 2,000 to 2,400 grams per day, unless your doctor has given you other instructions or you’re on a sodium-reduced diet, and Honick says ‘unless you have a fluid restriction, take in six to eight glasses of unsweetened clear liquids per day. It’s recommended to drink a glass of water before and a glass of water after each meal.’
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