Did you know that nearly 10% of the American population had diabetes in 2015? If you’re living with Type 2 diabetes, chances are good that you’ve struggled with food and diet at some point on your journey. Maybe you still are! The good news is, you’re not alone. The even better news is that prepared meal delivery services like Catered Fit can help to simplify the laborious task of healthy, low glycemic eating.
If you’re new to the topic of diabetes, you may be wondering why diet plays such an important role in managing the disease. Here’s the Reader’s Digest version: Type 2 diabetics struggle to make enough insulin in their bodies to regulate their blood glucose levels. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can cause your cells to be starved of energy and over time, high blood glucose can damage your eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart. How can you avoid a spike in blood glucose? By monitoring what you eat.
All foods with carbohydrates are ranked with a glycemic index score. Foods with a high glycemic index (GI) will cause raises in blood glucose more than foods with a low GI. So what causes a food to have a high GI? Basically it boils down to how much that food has been processed. Highly processed foods like white breads and bagels, cereals, “instant” hot cereals, pretzels, popcorn, and most crackers should be avoided by those living with Type 2 diabetes. The high GI category also includes some raw foods like russet potatoes, melon, and pineapple.
Foods with medium glycemic index scores, like whole wheat, rye, and pita breads, pasta, brown rice, and couscous, should be eaten in moderation and counter balanced with low GI foods like non-starchy vegetables, meats, sweet potatoes, legumes, lentils, oatmeal, pumpernickel bread, and most fruits.
Here are our top tips for diabetic friendly dieting and how to achieve your health goals with Catered Fit:
Reduce your cravings for sweets and high-carb foods.
Carbohydrates are addictive to our bodies and they’re hard to give up! Begin by counting how many carbs you usually eat, determine how many you actually need for your body to function healthily, decide which low-glycemic carbohydrate foods you will consume to achieve your carb count, and over time remove all high-glycemic foods from your diet.
Skip the sugary drinks.
People often neglect the fact that many, many drinks, especially processed beverages, are packed full of sugars. Diabetics should avoid sodas, juices, sweet teas, bottled smoothies, flavored lattes, energy and sports drinks, etc. Yes! Avoid them even if they are sweetened artificially. Instead, hydrate your body with water, coffee, tea, coconut water, or flavored sparkling water.
Find a meal delivery plan that offers a low-carb or paleo option.
Prepared meal plans can make a huge impact on your diet. Catered Fit’s low-carb Paleo plan takes all the work out of carbohydrate counting. The paleo diet excludes cereal grains, legumes, refined sugars and oils, processed foods, added salt, and artificial sweeteners, making it perfect for someone with Type 2 diabetes. With Catered Fit, you can choose your meals with macronutrients like carbs, proteins, and fats in mind as they are listed on our menu and our meal containers. Meals are also prepared fresh and delivered daily to ensure freshness and deliciousness. Simplify your diabetic diet by ordering your meal plan today!
Join a community.
As mentioned above, there are millions of people in the U.S. alone living with diabetes. That means that you’re never alone! Seek a group online or within your community that openly discusses the challenges of diabetes and how to overcome them. Get a group of peers together to exercise and diet with you. It will make this lifestyle change easier to manage.
For more information on dieting with diabetes, visit The American Diabetes Association. To learn about the meal delivery plan that’s changing the way that South Floridians and Californians are thinking about and consuming food, visit CateredFit.com.