Your Diet and Type 2 Diabetes continued
• Choose an overall balanced diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Avoid foods you do not cook yourself, due to the high risk of hidden sugars and fats. Likewise, when eating out, avoid anything with sauces. Go for dishes that are lightly frilled, steamed or poached.
There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that artificial sweeteners actually promote weight GAIN, not weight loss. If you must have something sweet, try using honey, or apple juice.
Look at places in your diet where you can cut down on sugar, for example, in your beverages. If you drink a lot of fruit juice, go for the fresh piece of fruit instead for all the nutrients, plus fiber, and the satisfaction of eating food.
If you can’t live without coffee or tea, cut back on the sweetener, and, why not try more milk instead. Choose skim, and make yourself a latte or iced latte with mainly milk and a bit of coffee.
If you are a heavy soda drinker, instead of soda, what about a fruit smoothie? You will not only feel like you are having a treat, you will be be stopping yourself from overeating and getting more calcium in your diet. In addition, you will be using fresh, natural ingredients, not the suspect artificial sweeteners.
When looking to your diet for disease prevention, emphasise natural foods, not pre-packaged convenience foods. Try to wean yourself and your family off the soda habit and watch the pounds come off.
Continued in Diet and Disease Prevention Part 14
