Eating & Living Well With Diabetes
If there's one disease that's begun to define an entire generation, it's diabetes.
According to the CDC, the number of Americans living with diabetes is around 34 million, or 1 in 10 of the population. Additionally, 88 million or 1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes.
The prevalence of diabetes in American can be attributed to a number of factors, including genetics, diet, socioeconomic status, and growing urbanization. Regardless of the causes, however, many Americans still have to live with this disease. But living with diabetes doesn't have to be a trial, and there are tons of ways to eat well and live a full life even when you're diabetic. Below are a few tips to doing just that.
Pick Healthier Fats
Diabetics tend to be at greater risk for heart disease and stroke, which is why shifting to a healthy fats diet should be done sooner rather than later. However, going the healthy road doesn't mean you have to give up the good stuff. BeatO lists out healthier fats like monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, and omega-3 fatty acids.
While these might sound like intimidating terms, the reality is that you can find these healthy fats in delicious food like avocados, cheese, and fatty fish like salmon. Sure, you might have to stop going out for fast food, but the tradeoff isn't all that bad.
Find Better Carbs
The human body can't live without carbohydrates, but unfortunately carbs can adversely affect blood sugar levels. Diabetics will have to pick healthier carbs and manage portion sizes to keep their blood sugar levels from going out of control. Although this does sound difficult at first, blood sugar management is simple and can even be fun.
Our article on 'How to Avoid the Blood Sugar Roller Coaster…' has a pretty helpful guide to this. Basically, you want more cellular or whole carbs than acellular or refined carbs. What does this mean for you? Opt for whole foods— fresh cauliflower instead of cauliflower chips, or whole chickpeas instead of flour. Experiment with recipes, and find whole food solutions that are delicious, fun to eat, and good for you.
Set Yourself Up for Success
Diabetes is part of your life, but it doesn't have to rule your life. You can make avoiding the highs and lows of blood sugar fluctuations easier by eating food that is meant to manage your blood sugar levels.
For example, a high fiber diet can actually help you manage Type I diabetes through regulating blood sugar and reducing the chances of low blood sugar. The ACV gummies made by Brightcore are made from apple cider vinegar and can help lower blood sugar, promote better digestion, and make for a good snack, too. Integrating these types of foods into your diet makes eating well fun, and greatly reduces the chances of a bad crash.
Choose Fresh
Finally, one of the best tips to eating well even while living with diabetes is to simply eat fresh. Not only is fresh food better for managing your blood sugar levels, but a fresh, balanced diet can also help address and prevent tons of other diseases and concerns.
Processed foods also tend to be full of sugars, salts, and unhealthy fats that make living with diabetes much harder. Although diabetics are told to avoid fruits, some fresh fruit actually make for better snacks than whatever you can find in the snack aisle. Everyday Health recommends fresh options like berries, peaches, apples, and oranges for delicious, light snacking that keep your glycemic index low and work well with most diet plans.
Diabetes is a lifelong disease, but that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy what you eat. Eating well with diabetes requires a bit of thought and investment, but the results are worth it. If you aren't sure where to start, you can use our tips above and consult with your doctor or nutritionist on the diet plan that works best for you. Happy eating!