Diabetics don’t have to follow a special type of diet that makes things difficult for them since it is already tiresome taking care of their medications and following up with their blood sugar levels, they just need to know what foods they are eating and be more mindful towards choosing food items that will help them control their condition and avoid its harmful comorbidities, diabetics with the worst prognostic factors are mainly those who are overweight or obese since the extra fat that is stored around their organs is one of the leading causes of insulin resistance and increased blood sugar levels it also contributes to the development of dyslipidemia and promotes cardiovascular disease risk.
When thinking about a healthy diet try to choose the types of food that will help you lose this extra weight and be able to burn fat to improve your blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity
Food items with more fiber content in them especially soluble fibers and those with a low glycemic index, low carbohydrates, and high proteins are the ones to go for to help you achieve better overall health and quality of life at the same time stay away from foods that are high on sugar, salt, and all types of processed foods in general.
Best foods for Diabetes:
1) Turkey
100 grams of whole roasted turkey contains 189 calories, 7 grams of fat, 0.1 grams of carbohydrates, 29 grams of protein
Turkey is a source of protein instead of chicken and red meat with fewer calories, less saturated fats, and healthy protein content
The fat content in Turkey differs according to the cut of meat you choose generally speaking a chicken breast has lower fat content than thighs and has more protein, the high protein content in turkey is very beneficial for building your muscles and in making necessary plasma proteins and enzymes that you need on daily basis, it also keeps you full for longer and curbs your appetite helping you lose weight.
Turkey is a wonderful source of vitamin B complexes vitamins B6 and B12 that are needed to make your DNA and help keep your nerves healthier for longer especially since peripheral neuropathy with tingling and numbness is one of the main complications of diabetes that need high vitamin B supplementation, it is also a great source of minerals like selenium needed for thyroid health, zinc for many metabolic processes, iron for red blood cell formation and phosphorus for bone health.
All these benefits are present only in unprocessed turkey breasts and preferably without the skin but if you choose other turkey products like deli turkey and turkey bacon, they are pretty much the worst choices for diabetes as they are highly processed and contain lots of chemicals and have high salt content in them.
You can brine your turkey and roast it as most people prepare it, or you can find other creative recipes to use it in, you can maybe turn it into tikka masala or turkey curries you can ground the turkey meat and make healthy burgers or meatballs and plenty more of wonderful recipes you can find online to use it more often and make sure to have it with a healthy plate of colorful vegetables better than having it along with stuffing that has high carbohydrate content.