Diabetes & Grocery Shopping

Finding grocery shopping confusing? Unsure what to buy? Grocery shopping can be time consuming and frustrating for those with diabetes.

Focus on shopping around the perimeter of the store to choose less processed and more fresh foods (the aisles tend to have less fresh and more processed foods). Many fresh foods will not have food labels, so follow these tips when shopping:

• begin with the produce section, choose a variety of colors of fresh whole vegetables and fruits,
• next stop is the bakery, this can be a tempting area but focus your attention on whole grain breads,
• move to the meat department and choose seafood, poultry, and smaller amounts of other lean meats,
• last stop around the perimeter is the dairy section - focus on fat free and low fat milk, cheese, and yogurt.

You are now ready to enter the aisles of the grocery store. Be cautious of high fat and sodium items found in the aisles. Select foods to complement the foods you have chosen from the perimeter.

You can learn more about caring for Diabetes by visiting the following link:

http://www.glucomenu.com/

Omega-3 Fatty Acids & Diabetes

Strive to eat more seafood. Seafood contains omega-3 fatty acids that are considered a good type of fat because of the benefits they provide.

Omega-3 benefits include:

• reduction of blood triglyceride levels,
  
• prevention of blood clotting (which can cause blood vessels to narrow and ultimately become blocked),
  
• possible reduction of blood pressure, and
  
• food sources are low in saturated fat.

Seafood tends to be the best source of omega-3 fatty acids. The American Diabetes Association recommends 2-3 servings of fish per week for dietary omega-3 fatty acids.

Here is link to learn more about caring for diabetes:

http://www.glucomenu.com/new_research/default.asp

Newly Diagnosed with Diabetes

Newly diagnosed with diabetes and unsure where to start?

How well your diabetes is controlled is up to you. You can choose to take steps to modify your lifestyle to control blood sugars and minimize complications. It comes down to setting goals, organization, planning, and following through with your plan. There are probably a few things your are wondering about... exercise, diet, testing blood sugars, medications, and specialists, to name a few.

Click the below link to learn more about how to get started caring for diabetes:

http://www.diabetesplanner.com/recently_diagnosed/default.htm