How to Adjust Your Diet When You Learn You Have Diabetes

Every year, about 1.4 million Americans find out they have diabetes. Diabetes is a metabolic condition that changes the way your body processes sugar, and it’s one of the most common chronic health conditions in the country.

Getting a diabetes diagnosis can be scary. There’s no cure, and the condition requires lifelong care to lower your risk of serious complications like nerve damage, heart disease, and slow-healing wounds.

Fortunately, diabetes can be managed. Endocrine Associates of West Village has a team of diabetes doctors on staff in Long Island City and New York, New York, and we provide comprehensive diabetes management for people of all ages.

One of the most important aspects of diabetes management is controlling your blood sugar. Medication can help, but some of the biggest changes you need to make are in your diet. So, if you recently got a diabetes diagnosis, here’s how to adjust your diet.

Foods to eat when you have diabetes

Eating a healthy diet is important for everyone. However, it becomes a key piece of your health care plan when you have diabetes because the food you eat (and when you eat it) directly impacts your blood sugar.

An unhealthy diet can cause chronic high blood sugar, which may make your diabetes symptoms worse over time. On the other hand, a healthy diet helps lower your blood sugar and your risk of diabetes complications.

A diabetes diet should include nutritious, natural foods, like:

• Fish, like salmon and tuna
• Fruit
• Lean protein, like chicken and turkey
• Legumes, like beans
• Low-fat dairy products 
• Nuts
• Vegetables
• Whole grains

Along with choosing the right foods, it’s important to eat at the right time to regulate your blood sugar levels. Your diabetes diet should include three meals each day, and you should strive to eat at the same time every day.

Foods to avoid when you have diabetes

Certain foods are linked to high blood sugar and a higher risk of diabetes complications, like heart disease and stroke. Saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, and sodium can all make it harder to control your diabetes.

To lower your risk of health complications, strive to cut out foods like:

• Baked goods, like cookies and cakes
• Cooking oils
• High-fat dairy products
• High-fat meats, like beef and bacon
• Processed snacks, like chips
• Shortening

In addition to cutting down on these foods, learn to read the nutrition facts on packaged food. Avoid foods that have added sugar, sodium (salt), and fats.

Finding ways to make your diabetes diet easier

A healthy diet helps you manage your diabetes, but developing and sticking to a nutrition plan isn’t easy. It’s hard to give up your favorite foods and habits, and our team at Endocrine Associates of West Village is here to help.

Our doctors develop a customized diabetes management plan for you, based on your health history and your lifestyle. Then, our diabetes care team gives you the diabetes education and support you need to be successful.

We have registered dieticians on staff to create a customized diabetes meal plan for you. These services include nutrition counseling, nutrition optimization, meal planning, meal replacements, and more.

Along with dietary support, we offer medical weight loss management for our diabetes patients. Personal training, coupled with a healthy diet, can help you lose extra pounds, maintain a healthy weight, and keep your diabetes under control.

It’s never too late to start making healthy changes. Book a diabetes consultation with our team online or call us today.