Senior Citizens Can Manage Their Diabetes By Following The ADA Diet
Healthy eating habits and attention to nutrition is important for everyone, however it is even more important for the elderly that have diabetes. Millcreek Home Health and Hospice understands that you or a loved one might not know what the ADA diet is about, so here is more information on what food groups a diabetic can choose from for a healthy diet. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends an ADA diet that is suitable for diabetics. The ADA diet provides a nutrition guideline to help a diabetic person eat vitamin and mineral rich foods that a healthy body needs.
Here are the ADA diet food group guidelines:
Food Group One: Proteins such as lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, poultry 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
Your body should receive all of the nutrients it needs to function and be healthy by following the ADA diet. Each food group of the ADA diet has components that healthy bodies need such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.
Carbohydrates create energy for your body. But not all carbohydrates are “good”. Good carbohydrates include: whole grains, cereals, beans and lentils. When the body breaks carbohydrates down, sugar is produced; so diabetics should be cautious in calculating their carbohydrate intake.
Proteins provide another source of energy for the body. Proteins can support steady blood glucose levels. When diabetics have low blood sugar levels, it is recommended that they eat both a carbohydrate and a protein. The carbohydrate will give the body the immediate sugar needed to raise the blood glucose level. The protein will provide a steady energy source to give stability to blood sugar level. The ADA diet recommends that diabetics get a healthy ratio of carbohydrates and proteins in their daily diets.
The ADA diet also encourages a diet with high fiber foods such as beans, whole grains, etc. These high fiber foods can help reduce high blood glucose levels as well as high blood-fat.
The ADA diet does have healthy fat as part of their diet, however keep in mind that there are healthy fats. Fats of any kind should be included in a person’s diet in the right proportions. The ADA diet recommends that lean cuts of meat, flax seed oil or olive oil can be used as examples of healthy fats.
Here are other tips from the ADA diet guidelines that diabetics should follow:
- Remove the skin of chicken
- Use skim or low-fat milk
- Eat foods that are low in sodium
- Read food labels and be sure to check out carb, sodium and fat amounts
- Eliminate table sugar, sugar coated cereals, canned soda & alcoholic beverages
Diabetics can eat right and be healthy by following the ADA diet.If you have questions about the ADA diet for elderly diabetics, 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.
