Meals & Activity » Eating Well » Smart Meal Planning » Making Healthy Choices

Making Healthy Choices

Just about every time you eat a meal, it's up to you to decide what you'll eat and how much. By eating a variety of nutritious foods, you can avoid getting bored and help keep your blood sugar better controlled.

Like anyone, you'll want to limit:

•   Sugar. Added sugar has no nutritional value, and artificial sweeteners can taste just as good.

•   Salt. This is especially important if you have high blood pressure.

•   High-fat and high-cholesterol foods. These cause weight gain and can contribute to heart disease.

• Fast foods and processed foods. Generally speaking, they're tremendously high in fat, sugar, and salt.

Sweeteners and Sugar Substitutes

Having diabetes doesn't mean you can't eat sweets.¹ But there are some great-tasting ways to reduce the amount of carbohydrates you take in from eating sugar.

Artificial sweeteners. Low-calorie sweeteners sweeten food without extra calories or raising your blood sugar. They can be added to your meal plan without affecting your carbohydrate count. The American Diabetes Association and the Food and Drug Administration feel that these sweeteners are safe for you to include as part of your healthy meal plan.¹

These include:

• saccharin (Sweet'N Low^®, SugarTwin^® )

• aspartame (NutraSweet^®, Equal^®)

• acesulfame potassium, or acesulfame K (Sweet One^® , Sunett^®)

• sucralose (Splenda^®)

Sugar alcohols. You may have seen the names isomalt, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and xylitol on candy, gum, and dessert labels, but what are they? They aren't sugar or alcohol—they're commercially created carbohydrates with a chemical structure that resembles sugar and alcohol.² (But, again, they're alcohol free.) They still contain about half the calories or sugars and other carbohydrates. So remember, foods with sugar alcohols aren't free foods.¹

Also keep in mind, foods that say "sugar free" or "no sugar added" may still be high in carbohydrates. And fat-free products may be even higher in carbs than the foods they replace. Always check the label.³

Friendlier Meal-Plan Choices

When given options, try to take the healthier route:

Foods to eat in moderation:	Foods to choose more often:
Fried foods	Broiled, grilled, or baked foods
Higher-fat cuts of red meat	Poultry, fish, loin, or sirloin cuts of red meat
Cold cuts	Lean turkey breast or ham
High-fat casseroles	Simply prepared potatoes and vegetables
Croissants, biscuits, and sweet or stuffed breads	Whole-grain breads
Creamy salad dressings	A splash of lemon or lime juice, flavored vinegar, and low-calorie salad dressing
Sour cream, sauces, and gravy	Sauces made from low-fat chicken broth, spices, and herbs
Appetizer dips	Salsa
Cream-based soups	Clear soup or consommé
Sugary drinks, juices, and alcohol	Diet drinks, unsweetened iced tea, sparkling water without added sugar, or water
Cakes, candy, and sweets	Fresh fruit or low-fat yogurt
Added sugar	Artificial sweeteners (that don't contain sugar alcohols, which can be high in carbohydrates)

¹ American Diabetes Association. "Sweeteners and Desserts." Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/sweeteners.jsp. (accessed May 5, 2006).
² International Food Information Council. "Sugar Alcohols Fact Sheet." Available at: http://ific.org/publications/factsheets/sugaralcoholfs.cfm. (accessed May 5, 2006).
³ American Diabetes Association. "Extra Tips for People with Diabetes." Available at: http://www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/foodlabel/extra-tips.jsp. (accessed May 5, 2006).
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