Millcreek Home Health and Hospice knows that diabetes can be a common condition amongst adults as they age. It is important that our senior citizen community pay special attention to nutrition and their eating habits. In an effort to support the elderly diabetic community and care givers, Millcreek Home Health and Hospice would like to post information about the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The ADA diet provides guidelines on what foods a diabetic person should eat to support their health and what foods to avoid as well.
The ADA recommends the following diet guidelines for a diabetic person:
Food Group One: Proteins such as eggs, fish, poultry, lean meats, nuts and dried beans
Food Group Two: Dairy products such as yogurt, cottage cheese, low fat milk and skim milk
Food Group Three: Whole grains, breads and cereals
Food Group Four: Fruits and vegetables
The ADA diet recommends foods that fall into the following healthy nutrition groups: proteins, carbohydrates, healthy fats, minerals and vitamins. If you were to follow the ADA diet guidelines, your body should receive all of the nutrients it needs function well and be healthy.
Carbohydrates are used to create energy for your body. But you should identify what “good carbs” are and what carbohydrates to limit or avoid. Good carbohydrates come from foods such as: whole grains, cereals, beans and lentils. When the body breaks these good carbohydrates down, sugar is produced; so diabetics should take this into consideration as they calculate their carbohydrate intake.
Proteins are another source of energy for the body and are a critical part of the body’s growth. Proteins can help maintain steady blood glucose levels. When diabetics have low blood glucose level, eating a carbohydrate and a protein is recommended. The carbohydrate gives the body with the sugar which raises the blood glucose level. The protein will help maintain a steady blood sugar level. So carbohydrates and proteins work together in the ADA diet for diabetics.
The ADA diet also encourages a diet that has high fiber, low glycemic index foods. High fiber foods includes: beans, whole grains, etc. High fiber foods can help reduce high blood glucose as well as high blood-fat.
While the ADA diet does allow fat in a person’s diet, that amount of daily fat intake should be in the right proportion. A person can do this by choosing foods that are low in fat, choosing lean cuts of meat and using flax seed oil or olive oil when cooking.
Here are other tips from the ADA diet guidelines that diabetics should follow:
– Remove the skin of chicken
– Drink skim or low-fat milk
– Choose low sodium content foods
– Check food nutrition labels for fat, sodium and carbohydrate amounts
– Eliminate refined sugars from your diet such as table sugar, sugar coated cereals, canned soda
By following the ADA diet, senior citizens with diabetes can create meal plans that focus on good nutrition. If you have questions about the ADA diet for an elderly member of your family who has diabetes, please feel free to contact Millcreek Home Health and Hospice.
Want to find out more about caring for the elderly, home health or hospice care by visiting Millcreek Home Health and Hospice.