Diabetes Diet Options curated by Famhealth

Diabetes Diet Options

diabetes diet

Hello everyone! Here’s introducing everybody, to absolutely amazing diet options you may wish to choose.  We all require a break from the monotony of the diet plans we are currently following, so read on to pick your option this month. Remember before you switch to any plan or diet options, it’s always wise to check with your doctor/dietician and be doubly sure if this plan will work effectively for you.

DASH Diet

Did you know along with diabetes you can keep your blood pressure under control?

Try the DASH diet, best known for keeping high blood pressure in check; Dash diet has been one of the favourites of people with diabetes, research reveals majority of people have come on top of their condition following a blend of Dash Diet, workouts and lifestyle changes.

Diet Composition:

“It’s a plant-focused diet that’s rich in fruit, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, as well as low-fat dairy, lean meat, fish, poultry, whole grains, and heart-healthy fats,” says Sonya Angelone, RD, a consulting nutritionist and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “It’s easy to follow, healthy for the whole family, and great for weight loss.”

The Mediterranean Diet

Cholesterol problem? Now no problem, follow the Mediterranean diet.

One of the favourite healthy diets followed globally by people with Diabetes and without diabetes. Mediterranean diet comprises of cooking meals with the goodness of “olive oil” to keep cholesterol at bay.

Lots of fresh, seasonal food, plenty of produce, heart-healthy olive oil, and a little wine make the Mediterranean Diet an enjoyable choice for people with diabetes, says Constance Brown-Riggs, RD, a certified diabetes educator and author of The African American Guide to Living Well With Diabetes.

This style of eating can help with blood sugar control, as well as heart disease risk, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Studies show that people are more likely to stick to this plan, “so it may help you avoid yo-yo dieting,” Smithson says.

Vegan Diet

Tried eating meals minus dairy products and meat?

The theory behind vegan diet is simple and healthy. You can cook a healthy meal without adding dairy products such as milk, cream, butter, yogurt, cottage cheese. Vegan diet also does not comprise of any kind of animal products a no-no for any meat. Research suggests, vegan diet aids in weight loss, reduces the risk of heart diseases, diabetes and cancer.

The Flexitarian Diet

Do you want to try some flexible option? Here you go

Flexitarian as the word suggests, is a concoction of two words: “flexible and vegetarian”. Wait! there’s more to eat …….Along with eating veggies one can easily flip to eating lean meat and eggs as and when required by the salivary juices in our stomach.

The term was coined more than a decade ago, “The Flexitarian Diet: Research is on our side as this diet mostly aids in losing weight, keeping healthy, building immunity  and Adding years to our lives.

Dietician Dawn Jackson Blatner says you don’t have to eliminate meat completely to reap the health benefits associated with vegetarianism – you can be a vegetarian most of the time, but still chow down on a burger or steak when the urge hits.

Vegetarian Diet

People with diabetes “Old is Gold”……..but its Famhealth we will make this extra interesting

This diet as the name suggests, comprises of vegetables, dairy products, legumes, pulses but no meat. This Diet helps in checking in blood glucose levels, obesity and keeps cardiovascular diseases at bay.

We shall share some interesting, amazing mouth-watering vegetarian recipes with you on Famhealth recipe corner. We bet you cannot resist Do check out!

Mayo Clinic Diet

“Watch your calories” and eat smartly!

This diet has been specially designed for diabetes and people with a risk of cardiovascular diseases and obesity.

We recalibrate our eating habits, breaking bad ones and replacing them with good ones with the help of the Mayo Clinic’s unique food pyramid.

The pyramid emphasizes fruits, veggies and whole grains. In general, these foods have low energy density, meaning you can eat more but take in fewer calories. Think of it this way: For about the same amount of calories you could have a quarter of a Snicker’s bar or about 2 cups of broccoli.

American Diabetes Association Carbohydrate Counting

This is not a Diet! Its traditional sense!

The famous American Diabetes Association advocates, that nothing can go wrong if you count carbohydrates you are consuming. The main purpose isn’t weight loss but consuming only the amount of low carbs which is required by the body to convert into energy form.

Carb counting is a great way to manage your blood glucose levels. Many high-carb foods also tend to be high in calories, so cutting back on them often leads to shedding pounds resulting in weight loss.

If you choose this approach, remember to ask your doctor or a diabetes educator how many carbs to eat at each meal (for example 45-60 grams per meal is an average, but your number could be different because body types and conditions are always not the same for everyone.) A lot depends on the physical activities and body requirement of the person.  “An exclusive individualized meal plan must be designed based on your nutritional requirements, caloric needs, medications, and exercise routine.

The Fertility Diet

As the name suggests, fertility diet enhances the strength of reproductive organs in the human body and increases the chances of becoming parents of offspring to manifolds.

Research is on our side, a health study conducted in USA from the Nurses which began in1976 and grew to include 238,000 female nurse participants aged 30 to 55 has shown that tweaking aspects of your diet, from fats to beverages, can increase ovulation and improve your chances of getting pregnant.

In “The Fertility Diet: Ground breaking Research Reveals Natural Ways to Boost Ovulation and Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant,” Drs. Jorge Chavarro and Walter Willett of the Harvard School of Public Health created a diet plan based on the study, which showed that women who consumed “good” fats, whole grains and plant protein improved their egg supply, while those who ate “bad” fats, refined carbohydrates and red meat may make fewer eggs, thereby increasing the risk for ovulatory infertility.

Fertility diet also hints that full-fat dairy products are good for fertility compared with skim milk and sugary sodas.

Ornish Diet

Want to reverse your condition? Good news follow Ornish Diet.

Research is on our side, studies have revealed that people who followed the Ornish Diet (which is essentially a vegetarian diet) for a year lost an average of 5-7 kgs, and many of them specially Prediabetes and type 2 diabetes were able to lower their dosage of diabetes medication or switch from insulin to an oral drug.

The catch, however, is that this diet may be a little too restrictive for some people, which means it could be difficult to maintain if you’re not used to eating only plant-based foods.

“Most people aren’t able to make a 180-degree turn,” Brown-Riggs says. A more flexible version, called The Ornish Spectrum, might be easier to follow.

MIND Diet

Sharpen your brains!

The MIND diet takes two proven diets – DASH and Mediterranean – and zeroes in on the foods in each that specifically affect brain health.

The emphasis is on eating from 10 brain-healthy food groups: green leafy vegetables in particular, all other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine. Meanwhile, MIND adherents avoid foods from the five unhealthy groups: red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheeses, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food.

Keto Diet

As per NCBI Ketogenic diets may even have benefits against diabetes, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

The Keto diet emphasizes weight loss through fat-burning. The goal is to quickly lose weight and ultimately feel fuller with fewer cravings, while boosting your mood, mental focus and energy. According to Keto proponents, by slashing the carbs you consume and instead filling up on fats, you safely enter a state of ketosis. That’s when the body breaks down both dietary and stored body fat into substances called ketones. Your fat-burning system now relies mainly on fat – instead of sugar – for energy. 

While similar in some ways to familiar low-carb diets, the Keto diet’s extreme carb restrictions – about 20 net carbs a day or less, depending on the version – and the deliberate shift into ketosis are what set this increasingly popular diet apart.

The Keto diet has its roots in the decades-old therapeutic ketogenic diet. Clinically, the ketogenic diet is used in neurologic medicine, most notably to reduce hard-to-control seizures in children. Studies also suggest possible benefits in other brain conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

To read more on Diabetes, click on the link below.

Diabetes Types & symptoms

Papaya And Coconut Smoothie

Diabetes Recipe - Papaya And Coconut Smoothie by Famhealth
Nutrition Facts
Makes 2 servings(Amount per Serving)
Calories (Kal)                                 205.4                             
Protein (g)4.6               
Carbohydrates (g)32.9               
Total Sugars (g)20.4                
Dietary Fibre (g)4.1              
Fat (g)7.7               
Saturated Fat (g)5.6                

Serves: 2, Time taken: 5 minutes

1 Ripe papaya, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

2 Oranges, juiced

½ Banana, cut into chunks

90g/3 oz silken tofu

60ml/2 fl oz (4tbsp) Coconut milk

1 tsp grated root ginger

Steps:

  1. Put the papaya, orange juice, banana, tofu, coconut milk and root ginger into the blender.
  2. Blend until smooth and serve immediately. (This is also very refreshing on a hot day if you freeze the papaya chunks and banana first)

Note: Papayas are particularly rich in vitamins C and are also a useful source of antioxidants and fibre. They also contain an enzyme called papain which breaks down protein. In Chinese medicine, papayas have traditionally been given to those who find it difficult to digest protein-rich foods.

The combination of papaya, orange juice and banana delivers quite a high glycemic load, which is why we have added some tofu. It would be wise to eat a protein food alongside this too, such as poached and scrambled eggs without the toast, or a piece of fish.

For more related recipes, click o the link below.

Diabetes