Diabetic friendly foods are foods which do not raise your blood sugar levels significantly. Diabetic friendly foods should also be low in their fat content, as diabetics are at a higher risk of heart disease. Another benefit of eating diabetic friendly foods is that they can help you to lose excess pounds.  Just losing 5-10% of your total weigh can lower your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels considerably, according helpguide.org.

Cutting out all of the fat and carbohydrates is not the right thing to do either. Although it is best to limit foods which contain highly refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, white rice, soda, and pasta you can still eat them in small portions. Complex carbohydrates which are high in fiber are much healthier, however. This is because they are digested more slowly, and therefore do not cause you body to produce more insulin. So, if you were going to have a turkey sandwich, making it on whole wheat bread instead of white or enriched bread will bring about a large improvement to your health.

Fat should also be eaten at low levels, but not removed from a diet completely. Unsaturated fats, for example, have been known to lower your risk of heart disease. Saturated fats are primarily found in meat and dairy products. They are an important part of your diet, but should be consumed at low levels. The American Diabetes Association recommends that only 7% of you total calories be derived from saturated fat. Trans fats are the most dangerous types of fats to consume. They are often found in packaged or processed foods, fried foods, and in shortening or margarine. Choosing to buy foods which contain 0 grams of trans fat is one of the best actions you can take for your health.

 

Diabetic Friendly Foods List

 

Again, just because you have diabetes does not mean that you cannot enjoy your favorite desserts or pasta dishes anymore. It is all about keeping your meals balanced. Eating diabetic friendly foods have a low glycemic value and therefore can help you to keep your meals balanced. The following is a list of diabetic friendly foods with a low glyemic index (GI) level:

Vegetables:

  • Baked beans
  • Pinto beans
  • Lima beans
  • Beets
  • Tomato Sauce
  • Broccoli
  • Celery
  • Carrots

 

Breads:

  • Dark rye
  • Hamburger bun
  • Whole wheat pita bread
  • Sourdough
  • Fruit bread
  • Wheat bread
  • Whole-grain bread
  • Whole grain English muffin
  • Oat bread
  • Multigrain bread

 

Meats/Chicken:

  • Lean Cuisine, French style Chicken
  • Beef casserole
  • Fish fingers
  • Chicken nuggets
  • Cheese pizza
  • Sausage
  • Sushi

 

Dairy:

  • Skim milk
  • Low fat ice cream
  • Pudding
  • Soy milk
  • Nonfat Yogurt
  • Custard

 

Fruits:

  • Watermelon
  • Kiwi
  • Orange
  • Pineapple
  • Mango
  • Pineapple
  • Raisins
  • Raw grapefruits
  • Green grapes