Diabetic Food Store

Diabetes Food Store Shopping Guide

Shopping for food unprepared can be quite challenging for anyone. Add diabetes into the mix, and grocery shopping can be absolutely overwhelming. However, by following these simple, stealthy tips you can learn how to stock up your pantry and fridge with healthy diabetes foods that belong in your diet.

As a rule of thumb, you need to focus on fresh food items with the shortest list of ingredients and additives to ensure they’re in their original form – fruits, lean protein, fish and vegetables.

Next, use these 5 tips to get the most out of your visit to the diabetes food store.

Diabetic food companiesPlan ahead when Visiting the Diabetic Food Store.

diabetic food storeMapping out your menu for the week is a must-do before heading to the diabetes food store. After planning what you’ll eat, take an inventory of your food stock and write your shopping list.

You can master your shopping at the diabetes food store by simply setting aside one day per week to do all your planning and grocery shopping.

Planning your menu for the week in advance makes grocery shopping less stressful and you’ll also find it easier to adhere to a healthy diabetes diet. Moreover, it’s important to avoid shopping on an empty stomach.

As a survival mechanism, we usually crave the most calorie-rich foods when we’re hungry. If a diabetic person has low blood sugar, they may go for the most sugary food items to bring up blood glucose the fastest.  Therefore, it’s harder to make healthy, balanced choices if you’re shopping in this mode.

Diabetic food distributors Stick to the perimeter of the store

Many fresh and healthful foods are usually placed along the rim of the store – fresh poultry, lean meats, fish, dairy products and fresh produce. Although it’s okay to venture into the inner isles, this is where you should focus on at the diabetes food store. Go for whole-grain cereals, pasta and breads and canned vegetables and beans (no-salt-added-versions).top diabetic diet tips

Exercise extra caution when choosing grains. For instance, products that say “made with whole grains” are not necessarily 100% whole grains.

Make sure the food contains the recommended amount of fiber and that the ingredients include a whole grain product (the word “whole” should be listed first). According to the ADA (American Diabetes Association) men should aim for about 38 grams of fiber per day and 25 grams for women.

Diabetic meal kits Read every label

Marketing usually happens at the front of the package in order to capture buyers’ attention. Flip the package over and check details such as the serving size and total carbohydrates.  Total carbs is a key number especially for people with diabetes because carbohydrates raise your blood glucose levels more quickly than fats or protein. Remember, sugar-free foods can still have lots of carbohydrates. As you gradually master the art of making healthy choices and reading labels, your trips to the diabetes food store will become shorter and more enjoyable.

Diabetic food store Pay keen attention to foods labeled “sugar-free”

“Sugar-free” can be a red flag especially when it comes to highly processed foods. While these foods may be made without sugar, some contain other ingredients such as sugar that can elevate your blood sugar levels. You should check the label for grams of carbs in foods marked “sugar-free”.  It’s also important to read nutrition labels on foods marked as “fat-free” because the removed fat is usually replaced with sugar.

It’s also recommended that you check nutrition labels for the total number of carbohydrates grams. In addition to checking the grams of sugar on the facts panel, it’s also particularly important for diabetics to scan labels for the grams of total carbs because all types of carbohydrates can have an impact on blood sugar levels. Once you know the carbohydrate content and serving size of food, you can easily determine the healthy portion size that fits into your target daily carb intake.

Diabetic food stores near me Buy frozen out of season

Type 2 diabetic dietEating fresh vegetables and fruits is not the only way to reap their health benefits. Since most vegetables and fruits are usually frozen when they’re at peak readiness, frozen options are both nutrient-dense and highly convenient.

Just be sure to avoid frozen vegetables and fruits with added salt or sugar. Fresh or frozen, choose a wide range of fruits and vegetables to get a wide variety of nutrients.

A healthy, balanced diet should help you and your family (diabetic or not) to eat well, enjoy food and feel good.

Next time you go shopping at a diabetes food store, be sure to use these stealthy guidelines to choose healthier products and get great value for your money.

diabetes complications

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Type 2 Diabetes Recipe

Fortunately, current ideas about dietary restrictions for diabetics center more on carb counting for diabetics instead of simply avoiding all sugars and sweets. This means that a type 2 diabetes recipe doesn’t have to be bland or tasteless.

Many times, when a person thinks of diabetes the first thing that comes to mind is that sugar intake must be limited. Many people are simply uneducated as to the fact that the sugars that build up in the bloodstream of the diabetic is called glucose and is a sugar that is processed from all the carbohydrates that the body takes in, this means that not only is the chocolate bar dangerous, but the big bowl of white rice or the buttery baked potato and white bread can be an enormous no-no for the diabetic.

Low Carb Diabetic Breakfast Recipes

diabetic breakfast recipes low carbEven basic carb counting tells us that these starchy foods are quickly converted directly into glucose by the body. But with the proper type 2 diabetes recipe the diabetic can eat almost anything in moderation.

Even though glucose is essential since it provides fuel to power every cell in the body, it can be highly detrimental in high ranges, and the best way for the diabetic to live a long and healthy life is to keep glucose levels as close to normal as possible.

There are lots of diabetic diet plans available, and even whole recipe books written about carb counting for diabetics. The one thing to remember when choosing a diet plan of carb counting for diabetics is that the best dietary plan is the one you can live with and practice regularly and the best type 2 diabetes recipe is the one you enjoy preparing and eating!

It’s actually good if you can try and get out of the habit of reaching for the cereal and toast to get your body on the move in the morning. Unfortunately, we don’t always have time to spend preparing a complex breakfast on a busy work morning.

However, if you take a few minutes the night before to plan and prepare, you will benefit from a healthy, nutritious, delicious breakfast that will fill you full of energy and even more importantly, keep your blood sugar stable.

Here is a Favorite Type 2 Diabetes Recipe : Great for Breakfast!

Poached Eggs on avocado and white bean mash:

Eggs are a great source of protein to get you going in the morning. One of the healthiest ways to prepare your eggs is to poach them. Poaching could be a little ‘daunting’ for many basic home cooks, but once you have done it a few times, it becomes routine. Practice makes perfect!

Your ingredients:

  • 2 eggs (at room temperature)
  • 2 tsp of which vinegar
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ½ avocado
  • ½ can cannellini beans
  • 1 clove garlic (crushed)
  • ½ cup parsley
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes or fresh chilli if you’d prefer.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

  1. Mix the beans and the avocado in a food processor, or you can just mash by hand (Add a little olive oil if you want)
  2. Add in the parsley, garlic, lemon juice, chilli and salt and pepper to the mash and put aside.
  3. Add water to a saucepan with vinegar and 1 tsp of salt and bring to the boil.
  4. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in a clockwise motion, to create a whirlpool effect.
  5. Crack the eggs into the water, one at a time (or you can crack into a separate bowl first if you find it easier.
  6. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then remove from saucepan with a slotted spoon.
  7. Serve the eggs on top of the mash.

Delicious!

Breakfast cereals you are able to eat – and those you should avoid!

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How to Create Sugar Free Desserts for Diabetics

Sugar Free Desserts for DiabeticsSugar free desserts for diabetics may seem like a myth, and at the same time godsend for diabetics.

Unfortunately, many diabetics believe that a healthy diabetes diet plan simply cannot include having great dessert. This is not the case, with desserts that both taste great and are sugar free.

Using Fruits to Create Sugar Free Desserts for Diabetics

Fruits are great ingredients for making low carbohydrate desserts which are delicious and nutritious. The sweetness in the dessert comes from the fruit, but there is an added benefit; the fruits aid your digestion since they are also rich in fiber. This fiber also helps to stabilize your blood sugar levels.

Some of the more favorable fruits to be used for dessert include:

  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
  • Blueberries

Sample Menu of Sugar Free Desserts for Diabetics

A great option for dessert is having pudding. If you love having pudding, you may want to try making bread pudding with orange or chocolate.

The ingredients are:

  • Two cups of whole wheat bread, cut into bite size pieces
  • Half a cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
  • One and a half cup of egg substitute
  • One cup of low fat milk
  • One fourth of a cup of sugar substitute
  • One table spoon of cinnamon and a table spoon of orange zest

Simply prepare and spray eight custard dishes with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the ingredients together and then distribute the mixture evenly into the custard cups and then put them into an oven that has been preheated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

The total cooking time for this sugar free pudding is forty five minutes.
After the pudding has cooked, let it cool for a little bit before serving this excellent example of a great sugar free dessert for diabetics.

Keeping track of Ingredients for Sugar Free Desserts through the Glycemic Index

If you want to maintain a good diabetic meal plan, remember to check the glycemic index (GI) of the ingredients used to create your dessert. The glycemic index shows how certain carbohydrates are digested in the body and form glucose. If carbohydrates in a certain ingredient has a low GI (55 or less), they will be digested slower than those with higher GI and are better for people with diabetes.  To give you an idea of what we are talking about so you have a better idea of what you can use in your desserts, some example of the best low GI foods are:

  • Bran cereals,
  • Oatmeal
  • Barley
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Diabetic candy recipes

diabetic candy recipes
diabetic candy recipes

Who wants to be a diabetic and not get to enjoy yummy candy? Often times we plague diabetics as not getting to eat good food but often times that notion is all wrong. Diabetics can eat the same foods that we eat just in moderation and by often times substituting sugar with sugar substitutes. There are many various diabetic candy recipes, diabetic snack recipes and other recipes so that diabetics can have all of the same yummy treats that we do!

My grandmother was a diabetic for years before she passed away and the worst part for me was preparing snacks and candy for my kids but knowing that I couldn’t share them with her or if they took their treats up to her house she could get into them so I started researching diabetic candy recipes so that I could make yummy treats for not only my kids but also my grandmother to enjoy!

Pretzel Candy Crunch

(This is one of our favorites)

Ingredients

2 cups broken pretzels
1 cup tiny marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped salted cashews or peanuts
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup half-and-half or light cream
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup butterscotch-flavored pieces

directions

Combine pretzels, marshmallows, and cashews or peanuts in a large mixing bowl; set aside. Combine sugar, half-and-half or light cream, and butter or margarine in a heavy saucepan. Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add butterscotch pieces. Let stand 1 minute to soften pieces. Stir until combined. Let stand 5 minutes.
Pour butterscotch mixture over pretzel mixture; stir to coat. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto baking sheets lined with waxed paper. Chill until firm. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Makes about 30 pieces.
Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare candy and store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

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Diabetic snack recipes

diabetic snack recipes
diabetic snack recipes

For diabetics, a key essential in them feeling like that they still lead a normal life is to keep their diet as close to the same as they did before they first found out that they were diabetic. With diabetic snack recipes a diabetic can still feel like they are normal and still be able to eat yummy, delicious foods all at the same time.

Some of the diabetic snack recipes that we love the most are…

No Bake Truffles

ingredients

1/2 cup flaked coconut
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
8 ounces pitted dates
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup flaked coconut
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

directions

Place the 1/2 cup coconut and powdered sugar in food processor bowl. Cover and process until coconut is finely chopped. Transfer mixture to shallow dish; set aside.
For truffles, place walnuts, dates, raisins, cranberries, the 1/3 cup coconut, the cocoa powder, and cinnamon in the food processor bowl. Cover and process or blend until finely chopped, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary.
Add peanut butter. Cover and process until mixture is moist enough to form a ball.
Using hands, shape the mixture into 1-inch balls. Dredge or roll the balls in coconut mixture, gently patting the mixture onto sides of balls. Transfer to storage container. Cover; store at room temperature up to 7 days. Makes 30 truffles.

With diabetic snack recipes you can still have yummy, delicious and tasty treats all while watching your health and diet at the same time. With diabetic snack recipes you can treat yourself and others too while still feeling like you can feed that urge of sweets all without the sugar.

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