Toby Smithson

Some foods are just big-time healthy, and with diabetes so closely connected to food and nutrition, these are the foods you want to incorporate into your daily eating habits.Oats are a whole grain, so they are a great start toward healthy right off the bat.Oats are most noted for bringing a specific soluble fiber called beta-glucans to the rescue.

Much about managing diabetes can be costly, but food doesn’t need to be one of them. A diet that’s right for diabetes is a diet that’s right for virtually anyone, and there are enough foods that fit the bill for blood glucose control and heart health that your budget can remain flexible, and your choices are still many.

An elevated body mass index (BMI), where body weight to height falls into the overweight, obese, or even higher category on that scale, is very common among people with type 2 diabetes, and it isn’t just a coincidence. Excess weight is a distinct risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, and excess weight makes blood glucose more difficult to control after diabetes is diagnosed.

The phrase processed food is a nutritional hot potato, generally viewed in an even more negative context than prepackaged food. But, processed foods are just foods that have been altered from their natural state and can include freezing, canning, cooking, dehydrating, or even pasteurizing milk for safety. You probably wouldn’t consider the processing of a grape into a raisin as some horrible insult to a formerly healthy food.

Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes and as insulin-dependent diabetes, is what many people think of as real diabetes. The familiar image is one of an exceptionally thin child taking insulin injections, and that’s a fairly accurate image. Type 1 diabetes does tend to occur at a younger age, and insulin injections are a routine part of having type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes doesn’t begin as a problem with insulin production like type 1 diabetes. In fact, the beta cells at the insulin factory are often working overtime. The high blood glucose levels that define type 2 diabetes result from a problem getting glucose into the cells that need it. With type 2 diabetes some of the locks have been changed, and the key (insulin) doesn’t work.

Healthy eating to manage blood glucose and the risks for diabetes-related complications requires some thinking and preparation. Fortunately, there are credible resources that can help immensely. A pocket-sized reference book can be your best pal, but other resources work just as well. Searching websites and apps It may be debatable whether there is too much information available on the web, and now even on your mobile phone or tablet, but it’s hard to deny that these technologies can be very handy.

Meal planning for diabetes starts by developing your menu and collecting the foods that make up your meals, and there is a wide range of possible destinations that offer everything you need. Although the figure shows a typical floor plan for a supermarket, you can find healthy choices at farmer’s markets, local grocers, giant retailers, warehouse-like stores, web-based home delivery, and even at the local convenience store But even though these establishments offer the best choices of foods for effective diabetes management, they’re also chocked full of options that you’re better off avoiding.

One trick to eating healthier is keeping diabetic-friendly choices available at all times. You can fight the urge to hit the fast-food drive-through and instead whip up a convenient and healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack if you keep the right foods handy. Some healthy foods to always have on hand in your pantry include: Olive oil or canola oil for healthy, unsaturated fats Egg substitute for the high-quality egg white protein without the fat and cholesterol Frozen fruits and vegetables for healthy choices at every meal Herbs and spices, fresh or dried, to replace salt with intense flavors Whole-grain, high-fiber tortillas for sandwich-like lunches without the full amount of carbohydrates in bread Canned tuna (in water) to have healthy seafood available anytime — aim to eat seafood twice each week Almonds, walnuts, or peanuts for healthy fats Black beans (or your favorite beans) for healthy carbohydrate, protein, and soluble fiber Buy no-added-salt varieties of canned beans Low-fat dairy products, including 1 percent or skim milk, and no-fat regular or Greek yogurt.