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Perfecting Your Diabetes Diet: Tips and Tricks

Pharmacy2U Team | minute read
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No one diet is right for everyone living with diabetes, but there are some things to consider to help build an eating pattern that helps to reduce symptoms and risks associated with it.

In this guide, you can find tips and tricks to help create a sustainable diet that elevates your energy levels and works in tandem with any medication you might be taking. While this is a hub for useful guidance, it's important that you consult your doctor about dietary ideas you are interested in applying to ensure they are suitable for your personal health circumstances and lifestyle.

Management, not restriction

Aim for a well-balanced eating pattern that helps you manage your blood sugar levels, not necessarily extreme restriction. Putting significant limits and restrictions on your diet can quickly lead to binge eating and ‘caving in’ to foods that are bad for your blood sugar levels in higher quantities than you might if you opted for a more balanced diet that allows indulgences in managed and sensible quantities. 

Additionally, it's important to maintain a healthy attitude towards various food groups. For example, it might be easy to think that the sugar content in fruit makes it a food group type-1 diabetics should be cutting out, however, there are many important nutrients received from fruit that you will have a hard time getting in other places. Moderation and management rather than restriction helps you to tap into the good things in certain foods without overconsuming in ways that can be detrimental to your health. 

Carbohydrate control

Carbohydrates have the biggest impact on blood sugar, so working with a healthcare professional to understand healthy carb choices and portion control is crucial. A standard diet should include around 225-325g of carbohydrates a day, while a diabetic should try not to consume more than 145g of carbohydrates a day. 

By cutting back on carbohydrates which have a significant impact on blood glucose levels you can help to avoid spikes and crashes, as well as the complications that these entail for those living with diabetes.

Balanced meals

Balanced meals are always important, but for those with diabetes who have to adapt their diet to protect their health, it is especially important to ensure meals are balanced. Include a variety of nutrient-rich foods from all food groups (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, healthy fats) at each meal.

Because diabetic diets require a reduction in the amount of calories consumed from carbohydrates, it's important to compensate with healthy fats and proteins. Getting the right vitamins and nutrients from meals also helps diabetics maintain their health in other areas, making it easier to manage the symptoms of diabetes.

Eating regular meals

Eating regular meals and snacks throughout the day can help maintain steady blood sugar levels. Spreading out your food consumption helps you to control your energy levels to a higher degree meaning your body can process all parts of your meals including the glucose (sugar) more easily.

Create a personalised plan with your doctor

A doctor, registered dietitian, or certified diabetes educator can create a personalised meal plan considering your individual needs, preferences, and medical history. Bodies and lifestyles all differ greatly, so by working with a healthcare professional who can provide bespoke diet advice to those living with diabetes can create a diet that is easy to adhere to, provides the right amount of energy and nutrients to facilitate the individuals lifestyle, and doesn’t aggravate any diabetes symptoms. 

Blood sugar monitoring 

Healthcare professionals can also guide you on monitoring your blood sugar levels to understand how different foods affect you and adjust your plan accordingly. Blood sugar monitoring is a really useful tool for those living with diabetes.

Staying consistent for the best results

While creating an effective and personalised diet might take an element of trial and error, consistency, when you find a diet that suits your personal needs, will help you reap the benefits to their fullest. 

Those living with diabetes will find that the best way to manage their symptoms is to avoid subjecting their bodies to great variations in diets. For example, dipping between consuming too many carbohydrates and too few can leave your body working extra hard to stay balanced when maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is already difficult.