The Best Ingredients For Diabetic Cooking

Whether you are eating at a restaurant, microwaving a frozen meal, or cooking at home, it is essential to understand how different ingredients affect someone with diabetes.

Here are the best ingredients and the healthiest ways to cook certain foods if you or a loved one has diabetes:

Whole-Grain Flour

White flour is heavily processed and often has added sugar. In addition, it often has much of its nutritional value removed once processed, and it is high in carbohydrates. A better choice is whole-wheat flour.

Whole-Grain Bread

Similar to flour, white bread contains many more carbohydrates and sugar than whole-grain bread.

Brown Rice

Like flour, white rice is heavily processed and loses a lot of nutritional value along the way. Brown rice is high in fiber, it's filling, and it has many more vitamins and minerals than white rice.

Baked Potato

French fries are very high in fat and sodium, and they are hardly filling enough to justify their calorie content. In addition, they are often paired with high-sugar ketchup or other unhealthy toppings. Baked potatoes are a much healthier option, unless they are loaded with cheese and chili. Try a dollop of sour cream!

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

While it may seem like canned produce is doing the same job in your body, these foods may contain additives and preservatives that can jeopardize your health. Canned vegetables tend to have added sodium, or even butter or cheese. Also, avoid pickles and sauerkraut due to their high-sodium content. Frozen fruits and vegetables are usually safe.

Baked, Broiled, Grilled, or Stewed Meat

Basically, cooking meat any way other than frying is a better option. Friend meat gains a lot of fat and oil, adding calories in the process.

Lean Meat

Have turkey instead of pork, fish instead of beef, and sirloin instead of ribs. Making small changes in the meats you eat can make a huge difference in your overall health. Selecting non-meat sources of protein will ultimately lower your daily fat and calorie intake, so if you plan on losing weight replace meat with beans or tofu.

Low-Fat Dairy Products

Avoid whole milk, regular yogurt, regular half and half, and regular sour cream. Instead, opt for low-fat versions of your favorite dairy products.

In general, avoid all foods that have a lot of mayonnaise, are fried, use hydrogenated vegetable shortening, butter, and sweeteners. All of these foods can lead to weight gain, which makes it harder to keep diabetes under control.