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In the diabetes diet, the consumption of simple sugar and foods rich in white flour should be avoided.
In addition, it is also necessary to reduce the consumption of large amounts of any food with a lot of carbohydrates, even if they are considered healthy, such as fruits, brown rice and oats. This is because the excess of carbohydrates in the same meal stimulates the increase in blood glucose, leading to uncontrolled diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is the type that usually appears as a consequence of being overweight and having a poor diet, which occurs in adulthood. It is easier to control and improves a lot with the adequacy of the diet, weight loss and regular physical activity.
Foods allowed in diabetes
Foods allowed in the diabetes diet are those rich in fiber, protein and good fats, such as:
- Whole grains: whole wheat flour, rice and pasta, oats, popcorn;
- Legumes: beans, soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, peas;
- Vegetables in general, except potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava and yam, as they have a high concentration of carbohydrates and should be consumed in small portions;
- Meat in general, except processed meat, such as ham, turkey breast, sausage, sausage, bacon, bologna and salami;
- Fruits in general, as long as consumed 1 unit at a time;
- Good fats: avocado, coconut, olive oil, coconut oil and butter;
- Oilseeds: chestnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds;
- Milk and dairy products, paying attention to choosing yoghurts without added sugar.
It is important to remember that tubers, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava and yams are healthy foods, but because they are rich in carbohydrates, they should also be consumed in small amounts.
Recommended amount of fruit
Because they have their natural sugar, called fructose, fruits should be consumed in small amounts by diabetics. The recommended consumption is 1 serving of fruit at a time, which, in a simplified way, works in the following amounts:
- 1 medium unit of whole fruits, such as apple, banana, orange, tangerine and pear;
- 2 thin slices of large fruits, such as watermelon, melon, papaya and pineapple;
- 1 handful of small fruits, giving about 8 units of grapes or cherries, for example;
- 1 tablespoon of dried fruit, such as raisin, plum and apricot.
In addition, it is important to avoid consumption of fruit along with other foods rich in carbohydrates, such as tapioca, white rice, bread and sweets. See more tips on Fruits recommended for diabetes.
Foods banned in diabetes
Foods banned in the diabetes diet are those high in sugar or simple carbohydrates, such as:
- Sugar and sweets in general;
- Honey, fruit jelly, jam, marmalade, confectionery and pastries;
- Sweets in general, chocolates and sweets;
- Sugary drinks, such as soft drinks, industrialized juices, chocolate milk;
- Alcoholic beverages.
It is important for diabetics to learn to read product labels before consuming, because sugar may appear hidden in the form of glucose, glucose or corn syrup, fructose, maltose, maltodextrin or inverted sugar. See other foods at: Foods high in sugar.
Sample diabetes menu
The following table shows an example of a 3-day menu for diabetics:
Meal | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
Breakfast | 1 cup of unsweetened coffee + 2 slices of brown bread with egg | 1 cup of coffee with milk + 1 fried banana with scrambled egg and 1 slice of cheese | 1 plain yogurt + 1 slice of wholemeal bread with butter and cheese |
Morning snack | 1 apple + 10 cashew nuts | 1 glass of green juice | 1 mashed banana with 1 teaspoon of chia |
Lunch dinner | 4 col of brown rice soup + 3 col of bean soup + chicken au gratin with oven cheese + salad sautéed in olive oil | Oven-baked fish with olive oil, potatoes and vegetables | wholemeal pasta with ground beef and tomato sauce + green salad |
Afternoon snack | 1 plain yogurt + 1 slice of whole grain bread with cheese | 1 glass of avocado smoothie sweetened with 1/2 col of honey bee soup | 1 cup of unsweetened coffee + 1 slice of wholemeal cake + 5 cashew nuts |
In the diabetes diet it is important to control meal times to prevent hypoglycemia, especially before exercising. See what the diabetic should eat before exercising.
Watch the video and see how to eat: