Grocery Shopping
Grocery shopping gives you many food choices for effectively managing diabetes. The following shopping tips are helpful to keep in mind when choosing items from each of the 6 food groups.
Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta Group
- Whole wheat or whole grain have more fiber and is a good choice for flour and bread.
- Whole grain breads are naturally low in fat and a good source of complex carbohydrates.
- Fat-free muffins and sweet rolls are a good low- or non-fat choice but may be high in carbohydrates.
- Pasta is available in many flavors, is naturally low in fat and sodium and is a good source of carbohydrates.
- Vitamin- and mineral-enriched, high-fiber and low-fat cereals are the best choices; avoid cereals that contain almost half of their carbohydrate as sugar.
- Breakfast bars are quick and easy. Most are a fruit variety and give about 30 grams of carbohydrates per bar; low-fat bars are available to help save calories.
- Pancake mixes are available in lower fat versions; regular versions often taste fine with less oil or egg whites substituted for whole eggs.
- Frozen pizzas will vary in fat and carbohydrate content depending on the brand. Consider adding a salad to a pizza meal for more balanced nutrition.
- Low-fat frozen waffles, pancakes, and breakfast sandwiches are easy to find.
- Low-fat versions of snack chips, pretzels, and crackers are easy to find and most are quite tasty. Often the problem with snack foods is that we eat too large a portion. When looking at the food label, check the serving size and decide if you can restrict yourself to that amount.
- Pretzels, saltines, plain popcorn, and oyster crackers are good low-fat snack choices.
Fruit Group and Vegetable Group
- These two food groups are generally low in calories and fat.
- Fresh is the best buy for vitamins and minerals.
- They are naturally low in sodium, low in fat and higher in fiber, if you eat their skins and seeds.
- Packaged vegetables eliminate the hassle of chopping.
- Canned vegetables are traditionally higher in sodium.
- Canned beans and peas are excellent sources of soluble fiber.
- Beans add variety to meals as an alternative protein source and need little preparation.
- Look for frozen vegetables packaged without a sauce or butter to save fat calories.
- Canned fruit in syrup will have a higher simple carbohydrate content than those in their own juice.
- When selecting fruit juices, look for 100% juice with no sugar added to save on carbohydrate content.
- Juice drinks contain more carbohydrate from sugar.
Meat and Meat Substitutes Group
- Look for luncheon meats that contain three grams of fat or less per one-ounce serving.
- Cuts of meat from the rib section usually are higher in fat.
- Shoulder, rump, loin, round, and leg cuts usually are lower in fat; look for less marbling.
- Ground meats are available with reduced fat content.
- Ground turkey may not be lower in fat, as fat may have been added during processing.
- Specialty cuts of poultry are available that need less preparation.
- Look for water-packed seafood and meats canned without oil.
- Peanut butters can vary in the amounts of total fat and saturated fat.
- Many convenience foods offer low-fat products that make easy, fast meals. Most low-calorie frozen dinners give diet-exchange information in addition to the food-label information. Depending on your calorie level, you may need to add a salad, bread or fruit to complete some of these meals. Be sure to check the label for sodium content as frozen/prepared meals may be high in sodium.
- Frozen meats may be breaded and have a higher fat content. Check the food label for carbohydrate and fat grams.
- Sandwiches with breakfast meats, such as sausage and bacon, are higher in fat.
- Nuts and seeds are good sources of protein, B vitamins and vitamin E, but higher in calories from fat.
- The yolk of the egg contains cholesterol. Egg substitutes are egg-white products with the yolks and cholesterol removed, and are good alternatives to whole eggs.
Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group
- Skim milk is recommended because it is lower in fat and cholesterol than 2% milk or whole milk which contains 4% fat.
- When choosing yogurts, look for low-fat. Fruit yogurts made with Nutrasweet® will be lower in carbohydrates.
- Low-fat, 2% or part-skim cheeses, such as cottage cheese, ricotta, mozzarella or Parmesan, are good fat choices.
Fats, Oils, and Sweets Group
- The yolk of the egg contains cholesterol.
- Look for low-fat and low-sodium soups and make creamed ones with water or skim milk or low-fat yogurt to help cut down on fat.
- Stop adding margarine to your cooking and you'll save fat calories. For example, the typical noodle dish in a box calls for margarine to be added to boiling water before adding the noodles. You will save up to 30 grams of fat without losing flavor if you don't add the margarine.
- Herbs and spices add variety and flavor to lower fat dishes.
- Liquid corn oil and soft tub margarine contain less saturated fat than solid or stick margarine.
- Oils that are high in monounsaturated fat, such as canola and olive oil, are good choices.
- Shortening is high in saturated fat and is likely to raise blood cholesterol.
- Regular, light, and nonfat salad dressings offer lots of choices. Taste is the deciding factor for most. Regular versions will be highest in fat, followed by light, then nonfat. Most nonfat dressings have carbohydrates added, so depending on how much you use, you may or may not need to count it. Watch portion size of salad dressings!
- One tablespoon of sugar contains 15 g of carbohydrate.
- For most foods, sugar free does not mean carbohydrate-free. You should check the carbohydrate content on the food label for all sugar-free products.
- Syrups are available in flavored, regular, light, and sugar-free versions; all varieties should be counted as part of the carbohydrate at breakfast. Check the label for the serving size and grams.
- Sugar substitutes are a matter of taste; they are difficult to substitute for sugar because they do not have the same properties.
- Gelatins are available in sugar-free, carbohydrate-free versions.
- Regular desserts can be used in a diet for diabetes when the dessert is counted as part of the carbohydrate for the meal! It was once believed that simple sugars raised blood sugar more quickly than other carbohydrates, but research has shown this to be false. The fat content will change depending on the type of dessert.
Low-fat and sugar-free dessert products, like fructose-sweetened cakes, cookies, and candies offer no real benefit over regular desserts. Regular desserts can be incorporated into you meal plan, but serving size is critical. Before you buy a low-fat or sugar-free dessert product, read the label carefully. Low-fat products may contain sugar or be high in sodium. Sugar-free products may be high in fat. In addition, large amounts of artificial sweetener contained in these products may cause gastrointestinal problems.