Type 2 Diabetes Diet Restrictions

Your ultimate goal as a type 2 diabetic is to control your blood sugar by diet and exercise alone. Diet is the most important component of managing blood-sugar levels. Because everything you eat makes your blood sugar rise, it is essential to know what foods you should eat and what you should avoid. Before you do anything else, consult a nutritionist. She will work with you to develop an eating plan that incorporates important foods and meal timing to keep glucose levels as steady as possible.

What to Avoid

• Obviously, if the problem is elevated blood sugar, the first thing to severely limit is sugar. This means table sugar, powdered sugar, brown or raw sugar, honey and anything you can think of that is made with sugar. When you consider that some sugar is in almost everything, you probably have a pantry full of things you need to avoid.
  Although most type 2 diabetes diets allow and even support consuming starches in measured amounts, fried and high-fat starches such as regular tortilla and potato chips, french fries, pastries and biscuits should be avoided, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. Whole-grain breads and cereals are best, according to the Diabetes Clearinghouse and the University of Maryland Medical Center.
  Consider replacing your regular pasta with spinach or artichoke flour pasta, and carefully monitor your portion sizes. If you have a steak with mashed potatoes, gravy and corn for dinner, your blood sugar will be extremely elevated in two hours.

Sweeteners and Desserts

• Sweeteners containing aspartame will spike your blood sugar and should be avoided. Aspartame is a common sweetener used in diet soda. Stevia is an acceptable sweetener that comes in liquid or crystals and will not cause elevated blood sugar when used properly.

What to Eat

• The Diabetes Clearinghouse says that lean cuts of meat are the best. Chicken, turkey, fish, eggs (limited) and low-fat cheese are acceptable choices. Legumes, which are assorted beans, nuts, seeds and peas, are also good sources, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Dairy should be low fat. Replace butter, cooking oil and fats with limited amounts of olive oil.
  The majority of your diet should be a variety of nonstarchy vegetables. Although most type 2 diabetes diets include a fair amount of fruits and vegetables, some doctors advise limiting fruits, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Grapes, for example, have a lot of natural sugar. Drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water daily.
  An example of one meal would be: chicken, ½ cup of spinach pasta, 1 cup of sautéed or steamed broccoli and cauliflower with a sprinkle of asiago cheese, a large salad with Salad Spritzers for dressing and a small apple for dessert.

Tip

• Learn to read labels. Almost any package you pick up from a grocery shelf has sugar among the ingredients. For example, read the ingredients on a box of frozen peas. Chances are sugar is listed. The easiest way to avoid sugar is to eat fresh food and avoid processed or packaged foods. In the event of a blood-sugar spike, drink as much water as possible and exercise if you can to help bring your blood sugar down.