Eating With Diabetes

If you have Diabetes Mellitus that means you have to make a conscious effort to control your blood sugar level, and whether you take insulin or not you will have to watch what you eat. However you should be able to continue to enjoy a wide variety of healthy foods without having to resort to special diabetic food.

Sugar

Much of what you eat can affect your blood sugar level, so you will have to reduce the amount of sugar and sugary foods that you eat (because sugar and sugary foods affect your blood sugar level more, and more quickly). What's more, by going for a healthier diet with lots of fruit and vegetables that is also high in fibre, you can reduce the risk of complications.

However it is a persistent myth that diabetics must cut out sugar altogether – this simply is not true. As long as you eat carefully, you do not need to go for special diabetic food. Your healthcare professional should already have begun to help you to manage your diet as part of your diabetes treatment regime.

Food Styles

You can still try different food styles: Italian, Indian, Chinese, and so on, as long as you carefully monitor your blood sugar levels. Eventually you will begin to understand how the different food styles affect your blood sugar levels and you can adjust your eating patterns accordingly.

Eating Out

Here is a handful of pointers for eating out:

• Watch carefully the amount of alcohol you drink.

• Your starter ought to be light, such as melon, salad, or vegetable soup, and should not be fried.

• For your main course, try to avoid fried or battered foods, and instead go for grilled or baked. If there your meat comes with chunks of fat or with skin attached, cut it off and don't eat it.

• Avoid rich sauces, and any fatty dressings such as mayonnaise.

• For afters, go for fruits or sorbets; avoid cakes and pastries and cheese & biscuits.

Breakfast

Breakfast is an especially important meal, as you will have been without food for many hours and your blood sugar level is likely to be low.

Your diabetes will not prevent you eating cereals with milk, such as bran flakes, porridge, and so on – the higher the fibre the better. Eat your cereal with semi-skimmed milk (or even skimmed), and add fruit if you like, too.

Unsweetened fruit juice is good, and can count as one of your five daily portions – but for diabetics it can raise your blood sugar level rapidly, so take care.

If cereals are not your thing, you can have toast or crumpets, or simply bread – wholemeal versions are best. A little jam or marmalade is okay – but reduced sugar preserves are even better.

General Eating

Try to eat "properly" – three meals a day, spread out over the day. This helps to control your blood sugar level as well as ... read more