What are the best diets for diabetes?

So many Americans have diabetes.  The National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2022, which is published by the Centers for Disease Control, provides information on the prevalence and incidence of diabetes and prediabetes, and the risk factors for this disease and complications and costs.  Here are some facts from this report.

Diabetes Facts:

• 37.3 million Americans have diabetes. This equates to 11.3% of the U.S. population
• Diagnosed – 28.7 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes
• Undiagnosed – 8.5 million have diabetes but are not yet diagnosed. 

Prediabetes

• 96 million Americans aged 18 and older have prediabetes.  This is 38.0% of the U.S. population.
• Of those who are 65 and older:  26.4 million have prediabetes.  

What are the best diets for those with diabetes?

As noted in the past few weeks’ blog posts, the U.S. News & World Report ranks diets best for overall health, best weight-loss diets but also the Best Diabetes Diets 2023.  Two of the diets they recommend for people with diabetes are the DASH diet and the Mediterranean Diet.  In this blog post I will focus on the DASH Diet. 

DASH Diet   DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.  Although originally designed for people with high blood pressure, this diet is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the number one diet for people with diabetes as well as the number 2 diet for best diets for overall health (see:  Best Diets for Health 2023 ).  One reason that this diet helps control high blood pressure is the diet focuses on eating more fruits and vegetables and more low-fat dairy (real cow’s milk dairy products).  These foods are higher in potassium, a mineral that helps counteract the effects of sodium (salt) and thus helps lower blood pressure.

The DASH diet not only emphasized fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products, it also emphasizes whole grains, and lean protein.  These foods not only help you increase potassium, but also calcium, magnesium, and fiber.  These nutrients can help control blood pressure.

Foods to emphasize:

• Fruits:  Especially fresh or frozen fruit.  An apple is healthier than applesauce. Some people think frozen fruit isn’t healthy, but it is.  So, if blueberries or strawberries or some other fruit isn’t available at a good price buy some frozen fruit.  Some people have few fruits in their diet and some of my students had zero.  The DASH diet recommends 4-5 servings a day.  That is a lot of fruit for many people.
• Vegetables:  Fresh or frozen.  The American Diabetes Association recommends non-starchy vegetables fill half your plate.  Don’t skim on veggies as the DASH diet recommends 4-5 servings a day.  That is a lot so you may have to work up to adding veggies to your day.
• Grains emphasize whole grains:  This week, an announcer I heard on the radio, wanted to lose weight and was cutting back on bread.  So, misinformed.  The DASH diet not only includes grains but lots of grains from 6-8 servings a day.  I love bread and grains but even for me, this is a lot of grains.  You want to emphasize whole grains as they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fiber.  The American Diabetes Association recommends choosing carbs that are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals – which includes whole grains.  Some people are quite confused about whole grains and even think “wheat bread” is whole grain.  Whole grains include:  barley, brown rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, popcorn, and foods made from whole wheat like whole wheat bread (not wheat bread), whole wheat pasta, whole wheat crackers.  There are many whole grain cereals and as I have noted previously, all General Mills cereals are whole grain.  To be sure it is whole grain, look at the ingredient list for the word, “whole”.  Whole wheat, not ‘enriched wheat flour’.  Whole corn, whole rye would also be whole grains.
• Nuts and seeds:  Like Dr. Oz recommends, I enjoy a handful of nuts a day usually a handful of peanuts at lunch and often I add some ground up walnuts to my morning cereal.
• Lean meats, poultry and fish: The American Diabetes Association recommends filling about 1/4^th of your plate with protein foods.  Lean protein foods include chicken, turkey, eggs, fish, shellfish, lean beef, lean pork, cheese and cottage cheese.
• Healthy Fats:  The American Heart Association recommends a number of cooking oils “that contain more of the “better-for-you” fats and less saturated fat.  These healthy cooking oils include:  Canola, Corn, Olive, Peanut, Safflower, Soybean and Sunflower oil.  We usually have Olive oil (EVVO – extra virgin olive oil) in our pantry but also another oil like Safflower oil.
• Low-fat Dairy – enjoy dairy as it provides important nutrients like potassium, calcium, vitamin D and a high-quality protein.  Dairy means “from a cow” so focus on real dairy, not fake dairy, and focus on low-fat dairy products like low-fat milk, low-fat yogurt, and low-fat cheese.  Many cheeses are made with 2% milk like Mozzarella cheese, and many grocery stores offer an assortment of reduced fat cheeses. 
• Spice it up – spices are good for you.  Full of healthy antioxidants.  I add cinnamon to my oatmeal and try to add spices in most foods we cook.  Another benefit of using spices is that you may use less salt in your cooking.

What foods to reduce:

• Fatty meats:  Most Americans love their meat.  But switching it up to eating more chicken, some fish, leaner cuts of meat, can be healthy.  We eat red meat but not every day.  And we try to choose leaner cuts of meat.  Choose lean hamburger, enjoy some pork chops but cut off the fat rind before eating the pork chop. Cut back on processed meats like bologna, bacon, sausages, and hot dogs.
• Full-Fat Dairy:  Most people have no idea the amount of fat in milk.  Whole milk is about 3.5% fat.  2% milk is 2% fat, 1% milk is 1% fat.  There is no-fat or skim milk which is essentially no fat.  You want real cow’s milk products in your diet for the healthy calcium and potassium, but choose lower fat versions.
• Tropical Oils:  This means coconut oil and palm oil.  So often manufacturers will use palm oil in food products.  Both palm oil and coconut oil are rich in saturated fats which can raise cholesterol levels.   

Want more information on eating well if you are a diabetic? 

Read more about the DASH diet at Mayo Clinic and WebMD.  The American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org) has a wealth of information on diabetes.  For those that like videos, you can watch a quick one-minute video What is the DASH Diet?    

 

Sources:  National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2022, Best Diabetes Diets 2023 , DASH Diet , Best Diets for Health 2023 , American Diabetes Association ,  Whole grains , Lean protein foods , American Heart Association , Mayo Clinic , WebMD , diabetes.org , What is the DASH Diet?  Image Sources:  Diabetes , article , DASH diet