Diabetes Diet Advice

Enjoying what you eat is one of life’s pleasures, but sometimes if you have diabetes it can be tricky. There are different types of diabetes, and no two people with diabetes are the same. So there isn’t a one-size-fits-all way of eating for everyone.

For more information on Diabetes advice click here.

Top 10 best foods to control your Diabetes:

Fatty Fish
Leafy Greens
Cinnamon
Eggs
Chia Seeds
Turmeric
Greek Yogurt
Nuts
Broccoli
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

IS THERE A RECOMMENDED MAXIMUM ADDED SUGAR INTAKE?

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), which advises the government on nutrition guidelines, recommends the following limit for added sugars in the diet. For reference : 4 grams of sugar is equal to a teaspoon of sugar.

  
      Age group
      Maximum added sugar value
    
      4 to 6 years old
      No more than 19g
    
      7 to 10 years old
      No more than 24g
    
      11 or over
      No more than 30g

People with diabetes are often told they can’t eat fruits because they are too sweet or contain sugar. It is important to understand that all fruits contain natural sugar, but also contain a good mix of vitamins, minerals and fibre. Most fruits have low to medium glycaemic index - this means that they do not lead to a sharp rise in your blood glucose levels compared to other carbohydrate-containing foods like white or wholemeal bread. Below is a picture showing the sugar content of some fruit.

On average, a portion of fruit contains around 15-20g carbohydrate, which is similar to a slice of bread. To put things in perspective, just one can of cola or a medium slice of chocolate cake contain 35g of carbs each.
So, our advice would be to keep a food diary so that you can check how much fruits and veg you are eating.

This picture shows the "plate method" which can help you control your portion size and works if you don’t want to count calories. The plate method shows the amount of each food group you should eat and works best for lunch and dinner. Method: Use a 9-inch plate. Put non-starchy vegetables on half of the plate; a meat or other protein on one-fourth of the plate; and a grain or other starch on the last one-fourth. This can help to ensure a healthy balance of nutrients in your diet.

Diabetes does not just affect you physically, it can affect you emotionally too. This could be stress, feeling low and depressed, or burnt out. The people around you can feel all of this too. To find out more information on diabetes and your emotions, click here

Your feet are also important especially when you’ve got diabetes, every week diabetes causes over 150 amputations in the UK. Click here advise people how to care for their feet.

Check here how does illness affect your Glucose levels.