Last Updated on October 26, 2024
Diabetes is what many call a “silent” killer. There are over 30 million people in America that are living with diabetes. It is a disease that could lead to multiple complications, including cardiovascular diseases that could lead to heart attacks. It is also a disease that can be managed in order to lower your chances of these risks. Your diabetes will never go away, but there are ways for you to help prevent complications and stay in the best health that you can.
It is really important to make modifications in your diet to help manage and control your diabetes.
Know the Portion of Your Plate
Many people may ignore the idea of knowing the portion of your plate, but as a diabetic, you must fully understand portion control. Always remember, diabetes can be controlled and managed if you go on a healthy diet. With a healthy diet and relationship with food, you will be able to help manage your diabetes much better than someone who eats whenever they want, however they want and whatever they want.
Also, make sure you follow the below-listed factors in order to manage your diabetes:
- Make wise food choices.
- Keep a check on the volume of your food intake.
- Most importantly, the frequency of eating meals throughout the day must be monitored.
Control your diabetes with the right food
Whether you are diabetic or not, following the recommended dietary requirements is really important.
Below, we are listing the foods that you must add to your diet to treat both Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes:
Below is a list of foods that you can add into your diet to help you manage your diabetes, whether you are Type 1 diabetic or Type 2 diabetic.
- Green leafy vegetables: Since childhood, we have been told the benefits of green leafy vegetables. The biggest benefit of adding green leafy vegetables to your diet is that they are highly rich in nutrition and extremely low in calories. Some of the leafy greens that you can use include spinach, chard, kale, mustard greens, collard greens etc.
They are also rich in antioxidants, which protect your eyes from diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration. Eating green leafy vegetables also helps you keep your blood sugar level in check.
- Eggs: Eggs could be the healthiest addition to your diet. They not only help you prevent untimely cravings but also make your stomach feel fuller, which stops you from overeating. They also control the bad cholesterol level as well as blood sugar level in the body.
Packed with zeaxanthin and lutein, eggs are also potent to keep your heart disease risk at bay. All you need to do is to add this super-food to your diet and enjoy its uncountable health benefits.
- Fatty Fish: When it comes to fish, the first thing that comes to our mind is its rich protein content. But eating fish can offer you many other benefits too. As we know, diabetics are more prone to heart-related risks like stroke, but eating fish that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids can prevent you from such problems.
Eating fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel helps to lower the risk of heart failure and also reduces the inflammation. Its high protein content also improves the metabolic rate and prevents you from overeating.
- Chia Seeds: Often at the top of lists of “Superfood”, Chia seeds are gaining popularity among individuals day by day. Chia seeds could be your perfect dose of nutrition and is a great way to help manage your diabetes with diet (knowing that you may still require additional treatments). Rich in fiber and low in digestive carbs, this superfood maintains the blood sugar level in the body.
They are also effective to help you maintain a healthy weight by controlling hunger and calorie intake. These are also very easy to use. You can add them to your drinks, salads or dishes; the choice is all yours.
Some other additional dietary advice that you must follow to manage diabetes include:
- Eat fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grain foods, seeds or legumes.
- Control your sugar intake and avoid food that is high in cholesterol.
- Limit the salt intake in your food.
- Divide your meals and eat in a small portion.
- Eat a balanced diet; low in calories, fats, and carbohydrates.
Just remember, the foods you eat play a very important role in your quest to stay healthy. Eating healthy naturally makes you happy and motivates you to live a healthy life.
So keep all the above-listed factors in mind and follow the right diet to live a life free from diabetes.
Non-health related benefits of maintaining a healthy diet
So all the items above that we discussed were all focused on managing your diabetes and maintaining a healthy lifestyle by eating the right way. There are many other non-health related benefits to eating healthy as well, primarily, being able to obtain diabetic life insurance.
Getting life insurance as a diabetic, or even health insurance, can be very difficult and in most cases, extremely expensive. Unless you are working with a qualified diabetic life insurance agent. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, keeping A1C’s low, and having an overall healthy lab work report can help you not only obtain diabetic life insurance, but a life insurance plan that is affordable for a diabetic.
There are many different options for life insurance for type 1 diabetics and also life insurance for type 2 diabetics. You can learn more about diabetic non-medical exam life insurance or even term life insurance for diabetics.
