10 Food Tips for Diabetes

This video is diabetes.co.uk’s top ten food tips for people with diabetes. You may know some of them already, but it is always useful to have a reminder. All the health details in this video are recommendations from the NHS.

Get Your Five a Day.

We recommend you eat five portions of fruit and vegetables each day but what counts as a portion? Eighty grams of fruit or vegetables counts as a portion. A piece of fruit that fills your hand counts, such as an apple three heaped tablespoons of vegetables such as carrots peas or sweet corn.

Eat Less Sugar

This should be an easy one to remember.

Eat Red Meat Less Often Than Once per Day.

Regular consumption of red meat has been linked with high rates of cancer and heart disease. If you do have red meat, it is better to go for unprocessed red meat. Lean meats such as skinless chicken and turkey are recommended in preference to red meats by the NHS.

Eat Fish At Least Twice a Week

Fish and particularly oily fish are a good source of omega-3 which helps to promote heart health. The UK recommendation is to have at least one portion of oily fish each week.

Count Carbohydrates

For people with type 1 diabetes, counting the amount of carbohydrate in each meal needs to be
done so that you get the right balance of carbohydrate and insulin.

Watch Carbohydrates

People with type 2 diabetes have less need to count each carbohydrate but it certainly helps to be wary of approximate quantities of carbohydrate so you can see how much different foods affect your blood glucose levels.

Eat to Your Meter

A blood glucose meter can be invaluable in helping to choose which foods to eat by testing your blood sugar before meals and at intervals of two hours and four hours after you can get a good idea of how well your body responds to that meal. If a particular meal sends your levels extremely high you may want to make changes to that meal to reduce the carbohydrate content.

Cut Down on Salt Intake

Higher intakes of salt have been linked with higher blood pressure the UK. Recommendation is to have a maximum daily intake of six grams of salt.

Consider Portion Sizes

The NHS notes that most people in the UK are eating too many calories and having too large portions of foods is partly to blame. The change for life campaign recommends eating from a smaller plate.

Reduce Alcohol Intake

Alcohol intake is linked with higher risks of heart disease liver conditions and cancers. Reducing your alcohol intake can help to increase your chances of being free of these health complications.

So remember there are lots of ways to enhance the management of your diabetes it just requires you to make some positive choices which in the long run will not only help your diabetes but your own real health.

Source : Youtube