|
|
Diabetic Food List |
Easy Diabetic Diet Meal Plan and Menu |
Best and Worst Foods For A Healthy Diabetic Diet |
The Diabetic Food List |
The categories for the food choice list are taken from the Diabetes Food Pyramid. They include six food groups. The Diabetes Food Pyramid starts with breads, grains, and other starches at the base and rises to fats, oils, and sweets at the top. |
Categories from bottom up: * Breads, grains, and other starches * Vegetables * Fruits * Meat, meat substitutes, and other protein * Dairy * Fats, oils, and sweets |
Diabetes Food List: Breads, Grains, and Other Starches |
Best Choices |
Worst Choices |
Whole-grain flours, such as whole wheat flour |
"White" flour |
Whole grains, such as brown rice |
Processed grains, such as white rice |
Cereals containing whole-grain ingredients and little added sugar |
Cereals with little whole grain and lots of sugar |
Whole-grain bread |
White bread |
Baked potato or baked steak fries |
French fries |
Whole-grain flour or corn tortillas |
Fried white-flour tortillas |
Diabetes Food List: Vegetables |
Best Choices |
Worst Choices |
Fresh vegetables, eaten raw or lightly steamed, roasted, or grilled Frozen vegetables, lightly steamed |
Canned vegetables with lots of added sodium Vegetables cooked with lots of added butter, cheese, or sauce |
Fresh cucumbers |
Pickles (only if you need to limit sodium otherwise pickles are a good choice) |
Fresh shredded cabbage or coleslaw |
Sauerkraut, (same as pickles, limit only if you have high blood pressure) |
Diabetes Food List: Fruits |
Best Choices |
Worst Choices |
Frozen fruit or fruit canned in fruit juice |
Canned fruit with heavy sugar syrup |
Fresh fruit |
Chewy fruit rolls |
Sugar-free or low-sugar jam or preserves |
Regular jam, jelly, and preserves (unless portion is kept small) |
No-sugar-added applesauce |
Sweetened applesauce |
100% fruit juice or low-carb juices |
Fruit punch, fruit drinks, fruit juice drinks, sweetened soda |
Diabetes Food List: Meat, Meat Substitutes, and Other Protein |
Best Choices |
Worst Choices |
Baked, broiled, grilled, or stewed meats |
Fried meats |
Lower-fat cuts of meat, such as top sirloin |
Higher-fat cuts of meat, such as ribs |
Turkey bacon |
Pork bacon |
Low-fat cheeses |
Regular cheeses |
Skinless breast of chicken or turkey |
Poultry with skin |
Baked, broiled, steamed, or grilled fish |
Fried fish |
Tofu lightly sauteed, steamed, or cooked in soup |
Fried tofu |
Baked or stewed beans |
Beans prepared with lard |
Diabetes Food List: Dairy |
Best Choices |
Worst Choices |
1% or skim milk |
Whole milk |
Low-fat yogurt |
Regular yogurt |
Low-fat cottage cheese |
Regular cottage cheese |
Nonfat sour cream |
Regular sour cream |
Frozen low-fat, low-carb yogurt |
Regular ice cream |
Non-fat half and half |
Regular half and half |
Diabetes Food List: Fats, Oils, and Sweets |
Best Choices |
Worst Choices |
Baked snacks, such as baked potato chips, baked corn chips, puffed rice, or corn snacks |
Snacks fried in fat, such as potato chips, corn chips, pork rinds |
Vegetable oils, non-hydrogenated butter spreads, margarine |
Lard, hydrogenated vegetable shortening, butter |
Reduced-fat mayonnaise Light salad dressings |
Regular mayonnaise Regular salad dressings |
Air-popped or calorie-controlled popcorn |
Butter-flavored stove-top popcorn |
Diabetes Food List: Beverages |
Best Choices |
Worst Choices |
Water, unflavored or flavored sparkling water |
Regular sodas |
"Light" beer, small amounts of wine or non-fruity mixed drinks |
Regular beer, fruity mixed drinks, dessert wines |
Unsweetened tea (add a slice of lemon) |
Sweetened tea |
Coffee, black or with added low fat milk and sugar substitute |
Coffee with sugar and cream |
Home-brewed coffee and hot chocolate |
Flavored coffees and chocolate drinks |
Sport drinks |
Energy drinks |