HEALTHY EATING

The diet for people with diabetes is a normal, healthy diet, high in fibre and low in sugar and fat.

Eat regular meals including starchy foods

If you have diabetes it is very important not to skip meals. If you skip meals or snacks, your blood sugar can drop too low and you can become unwell very quickly.

You should eat breakfast, lunch and an evening meal every day. Your dietitian may also advise you to have a mid-morning, mid-afternoon and bed-time snack.

Include a starchy carbohydrate food at each meal and snack. Starchy foods include:

• wholegrain bread e.g. granary bread; rice; pasta and noodles; breakfast cereals e.g. shreddies, fruit and fibre, all bran, porridge; potatoes – waxy new potatoes with their skins on are best.

Choose low sugar foods

People with diabetes do not need to avoid sugar completely, but they should follow a very low sugar diet.

Sugary foods get into your blood stream very quickly and can push your blood sugar high. Eating too much sugar can also make you gain weight.

The only time to avoid these low sugar rules are if you have low blood sugar (hypo) or are doing a lot of exercise.

Special diabetic foods are not recommended. They are expensive, contain a lot of calories and can give you loose stools. Try the suggestions above to replace your favourite sugary foods.

A BALANCE DIET

Choose low fat foods

It is very important for people with diabetes to look after their hearts. Eating too many fatty foods is bad for your heart. Fatty foods can also make you put weight on, which makes your diabetes more difficult to control.

Try the following ideas

• Grill, bake, steam or poach foods instead of frying.
• Choose low fat dairy foods e.g. skimmed milk. (for children over 5 years), diet yoghurts, low fat cheeses Avoid too many pies, pastries and pasties.
• Limit takeaways to once per month.
• Have oven chips not fried chips.
• Use low fat spreads e.g., instead of butter or margarine.
• Limit crisps – these are very high in fat and salt.

Eat lots of fruits
and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables are very good for your body. They are low in calories, which can help if you are controlling your weight. They are high in vitamins and fibre which helps you to feel full up. They help to protect your heart.

Everyone should eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Fresh, frozen, dried and tinned (not in syrup) fruit and vegetables all count. A small galls of fresh, unsweetened fruit juice also counts as a portion.

It’s easy to fit 5 a day in to your diet – try a glass of orange juice at breakfast, a banana mid-morning, plenty of salad in your sandwiches, an apple in the afternoon and your favourite vegetables with your evening meal.

A portion is:

• 1 apple or an orange or a small banana
• 2 small fruits e.g. plums, kiwi fruit, tangerines
• 1 small glass pure unsweetened fruit juice
• 2 tablespoons of tinned fruit (in natural juices)
• 1 cupful of grapes, berries
• 2 tablespoons of vegetables (fresh/frozen/tinned)
• 1 small bowl of salad

Ideas for snacks

If your dietitian has advised you to take snacks, here are some ideas for low calorie, carbohydrate based snacks

• Diet yoghurt
• Fresh fruit / tinned fruit in juice
• 1-2 Plain biscuits e.g. Garibaldi, Rich Tea
• Ryvita and cottage cheese
• 1 piece Granary toast and low fat spread
• Sandwich, made from one piece of bread folded in half, filled with lean meat or fish
• Pitta bread filled with salad
• Crumpet with low fat spread
• Bagel
• Muffin
• Savoury Scone
• Toasted Tea cake with low fat spread
• Unsweetened popcorn
• Small bowl of Breakfast cereal with skimmed milk
• Oatcake
• Plain sponge cake
• 2-3 Breadsticks