Diet 1

Eat Well Feel well

A healthy eating plan for anyone is about BALANCE

A balanced involves the type and the amount of food you eat to achieve a healthy weight, you will be healthier and feel better.

Step 1: Choose foods that are low in Fat

Eating foods that are high in fat contribute to weight gain which can result in you feeling unwell.

To help control weight and improve health, choose foods that are low in fat.

When cooking cook with no fat or oil, if you have to use oil use Olive oil which is a good fat. Refer to me discussion of good fats and bad fats.

Some simple tips to start your diet:

• Do not use butter or margarine on bread when making sandwiches. The reason we use these is to add moisture. There should be plenty of moisture in your filling. If you find this difficult at the start use a small amount of olive oil and gradually cut back.

• Use low fat dairy products, even better switch to soy products.
• Cut the fat off meat prior to cooking (choose cuts with no fat), remove the skin from chicken (most of the fat in chicken is in or just under the skin. (I know the taste is in the skin, this is because of the fat, compensate with herbs and spices: see my receipts.))
• Grill, dry roast, microwave or barbecue on the rack rather than frying food. If you have to use the hot plat use a dry Teflon fry pan or a tern hot plat sheet.
• Add herbs, species, lemon juice or low salt low fat sauces to vegetables and salads rather that fats and sugars.
• Choose fruit, vegetables, high fibre breads and crackers as a snack rather than cakes, biscuits, chocolate (which will be off your menu) or pastries. Refer to me post for healthy tasty snakes.
• Some foods are particularly high in fat (e.g. processed meats, sausages, cheese, pastries, chocolate, sauces, savoury biscuits, bacon and coconut.) and should be avoided.

Step 2  Carbohydrate foods that should be the basis of all meals.

The foods listed below are high in carbohydrates, these are important and should make us at lease one quarter of your meal and spread evenly throughout the day.

All carbohydrates are good foods, but some are better than other, they break down more slowly and therefore you will not feel hungry for longer. These foods are highlighted in the BEST column. You should try to eat as many foods in this column as possible.

BREADS

CEREAL FOODS

BISCUITS

VEGETABLES

FRUIT

MILK AND DAIRY FOODS

GOOD= fast acting or fast release of sugar

BETTER = Moderate acting or a moderate rate of release of sugar

BEST = slow acting or slow release of sugar

Step 3  Fill up on vegetables

The vegetables listed below contain little or no sugar; therefore they do not affect your blood sugar levels. They contain no fat but help satisfy appetite and so are good additions to any meal or mid-meal. Do not add fat to these foods during cooking.

Asparagus

Bamboo shoots

Bean sprouts

Broccoli

Brussel sprouts

Cabbage

Capsicum

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Choc

Cucumber

Dill pickles

Eggplant

Garlic

Gherkin

Green beans

Lettuce

Marrow

Mushrooms

Olives

Onions

Peas

Pumpkin

Radish

Silver beet

Spinach

Tomatoes

Watercress

Zucchini

Other foods that may be eaten as desired throughout the day include:

Fruit and Juices:

Rhubarb

Strawberries

Berries

Passionfruit

Lemon juice

Vegetable juice

Tomato juice

Beverages:

Water

Tea

Coffee

Cocoa

Soda water

Plain mineral water

Bonox

Clear soups

Soups made from free vegetables

Condiments:

Pepper

Herbs

Spices and essences

Tomato sauce

Worcestershire sauce

Soy sauce

Vinegar

Fat free dressing

Spreads:

Fish paste

Meat paste

Vegemite (Contains salt)

Marmite

Promite

Proteins

Protein foods do not contain carbohydrates and do not affect the control of diabetes.

However, it is important to choose low fat varieties to control weight and diabetes.

Lean Meat:

Beef

Veal

Lamb

Pork

Ham trimmed of fat

Poultry:

Chicken (skin removed)

Turkey (skin removed)

Seafood:

Fresh fish

Tinned fish

Eggs:

Poached or boiled (two egg yokes per week)

Cheese:

Cottage cheese

Ricotta cheese

Low fat hard cheese (in moderation)

Sweet Foods

Be aware when choosing and preparing foods that contain some sugars that cause blood glucose levels to rise quickly, which should be avoided for diabetics. These sugars are:

Glucose

Corn syrup

Maltose

Dextrose

Golden syrup

Malt

Fructose

These are best avoided.

Unfortunately, it cannot be predicted how many foods, especially sweets and pudding, will effect you as and individual. It is, as with all foods, important that you test your blood sugar after eating these foods and if it affects your blood sugar avoid these in the future.

Remember- regular exercise together with a balanced diet helps to control diabetes, weight and is important for a healthy life style.

NB 1 Some diabetics find that some pastas increases their sugar, others need a gluten free diet.  You may find the following helpful:-