Vegetables

3 to 5 Servings

The next largest category includes vegetables for a good reason: they are packed with nutrients. They are also low in calories, meaning you could eat many more vegetables to get the calories in other foods.

Good choices here for lowering your blood sugar include spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, lettuces, broccoli and cabbage. Remember, this food group does not include potatoes, corn, peas or lima beans as they belong with carbohydrates listed above.

Serving size here should include:

• ½ of a cup of any cooked vegetable
• 1 full cup of raw vegetables

It is also important to point out that you should not include many of fats in preparing these foods as that reduces their benefits to lowering your blood sugar.

Fruits2 – 4 Servings

Fruits are another very important but more unique situation in your dietary needs. Lowering blood sugars can be tricky with the increase in sugars in some fruits. Nevertheless, natural fruits are much healthier than refined sugars. Some also have a good amount of carbohydrates in them. Yet, they are so packed with nutrients that they are necessary to be consumed.
Good choices for lowering blood sugars include blackberries, oranges, applies, bananas, strawberries, pears, peaches and apricots. Grapes are good, too.

Serving size for fruits are:

• 1 small, raw, whole fruit (such as an apple)
• ½ cup canned fruit (be careful with those that have added sweeteners.)
• 1 cup of melon
• 1 cup of raspberries
• 1 ¼ cup of whole strawberries
• 2 Tablespoons of dry fruit (no sugars added)

Dairy2 – 3 Servings

Dairy is an important part of the diabetic’s diet because of the calcium it provides. Most contains good proteins as well. Yet, you have to be careful when selecting milks and other dairy products. It is important for these to have as little fat as possible. Non fat is the best route to take, but low fat is often better because of its improved taste!
Milk and yogurts belong in this grouping.

A serving is:

• 1 cup of non fat or low fat milk
• 1 cup of yogurt

Meats And Meat Substitutes4 – 6 ounces per day
Unlike the other products listed above, it is very important to note that here we are not talking about servings but are talking about ounces.

Meats are necessary for their protein, but they often have high levels of fats that can lead to cholesterol problems that can worsen the symptoms of high blood sugars and increase the risks of very serious health conditions. Remove any visible fat from the meat prior to cooking it.
The best meats are lean meats, such as healthy cuts of beef, pork, chicken, and fish. In addition, dried beans, cheeses, peanut butter, eggs and tofu are included here.

Servings here are measured by their comparison to one ounce of meat:

• One egg is the equivalent to one ounce of meat
• ¼ cup of cottage cheese
• ½ cup of tofu
• 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter

The Others

For the person with high blood sugar, the worst category for them is the fats, sweets and alcohol category. Because of the concentration of foods that are simply unhealthy for blood sugar, these foods should be consumed as least as possible.

Foods here include candy, cookies, fried foods, potato chips, cakes, crackers and other foods.
If you do consume them, limit them as far as how often (only as a treat) and how much you eat.
As serving should be no more than:

• ½ cup of ice cream
• 1 small muffin
• 2 small cookies
• 1 small cupcake

Carbohydrates: The Good And Bad

Those that have high levels of blood sugar should not consume too many carbohydrates. Carbohydrates should not be cut out of your diet, though. Although some diets recommend this, doctors say that a diet full of the right types of carbohydrates is the real key.

Carbohydrates are your body’s main fuel for energy. When you consume them, the digestion process breaks down the sugars and the starches (which are called simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates respectively) into blood sugar.

This need is not something that can or should be avoided. As we mentioned earlier, more than half of your servings should be made of the right types of carbohydrates. This should include carbohydrates in this order:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Whole Grains
• Legumes like beans and lentils
• Low fat dairy products

Also important is when you consumer carbohydrates. Maintaining a steady blood sugar level is important for those with high blood sugar. Therefore, try to consumer your carbohydrates at the same times each day.

When you eat more carbohydrates one day for breakfast, the next day you may feel a drain. Try to balance the amount and times that you consume them.

Indeed, it is important to monitor how much you are consuming, though. Too many carbohydrates can raise your blood sugar even higher. Therefore, use the recommended servings listed above to help you to pair down your servings to levels that are more manageable to your body. Use food labels to help you to make this happen, too.