Three Great Foods for People with Type 2 Diabetes




William R Brooksher Photography

 My weaknesses have always been food and men - in that order.  Dolly Parton

If it doesn't Taste Good, Why eat it?

 I love good food, and while I love to be healthy, I don't love 'healthy-tasting' food. I want healthy food to taste good and I want it to satisfy my preferences for texture and flavor.

When I was first diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes ten years ago, I considered what the best plan was for keeping my blood sugars controlled while still incorporating my favorite foods into that plan. Over time I've learned to also include other 'good for me' foods by making them taste good.

Just because you have Type 2 Diabetes you don't need to endure healthy-tasting food and give up yummy food. I wouldn't go so far as to say 'you can have your cake and eat it too' --especially if you want to control your blood sugars and keep your heart healthy. There are plenty of great tasting foods that can help you control your blood sugar and contribute to better health.

Type 2 Diabetes Diet Basics

If you have Type 2 Diabetes, a good diet for you is no different than a healthy diet for everyone else--one that includes eating healthy carbohydrates, healthy fats, fiber-rich foods and heart-healthy fish, often referred to as the Mediterranean diet.

To train your body to prefer less sugary foods, keep hunger at bay, and maintain your blood sugar levels at or close to 70-130 mg/dl you need to eat a balance of foods that fall into those four healthy food categories, evenly spread over the day, with three meals and two snacks.

The great news is some foods span several of these categories, and are good sources of fiber, protein and good fat, or good sources of heart-healthy fish and good fat. This makes them especially great foods for people with Type 2 Diabetes.

Nuts, Avocados and Wild Salmon--Three Great Foods for People with Type 2 Diabetes

When it comes to taste, versatility and health benefits for people with Type 2 Diabetes, you can't beat nuts, avocados and wild salmon.

Nuts--Nature's Perfect Snack

Nuts are the highly satisfying, crunchy, easy-to-carry and take-with-you-anywhere perfect snack. 

A quarter cup of almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts or hazelnuts will satisfy your hunger and control your blood sugar. They're not only high in fiber and excellent sources of protein and heart-healthy unsaturated fat--they're good sources of antioxidants as well.  This highly nutritious combination works together to help control blood sugar levels and decrease your risk of heart disease.

Nuts, best eaten raw or dry roasted, can be eaten alone, or used to add crunch and substance to such things as salads, fish, oats and yogurt, or oatmeal and blueberries.

Did you know you can use ground almonds or hazelnuts as flour? Where highly processed white flour wreaks havoc on your blood sugars, nut flours offer a high protein alternative. Try using almond or hazelnut flour for part of the flour in a recipe. You can buy hazelnut and almond flour ready to use or grind your own.

Holy Guacamole---Who Doesn't Like Avocados?

Avocados are such tasty additions to omelets, sandwiches and salads, as well as making a great guacamole dipping snack to complement those crunchy eat-all-you-want veggies.

Along with nuts, seeds, olives and olive oil-- avocados are the food sources to use as your main source of good fat. Healthy fats--like avocados-- contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and can help lower your cholesterol levels, and also facilitate the absorption of your fat-soluble vitamins. Avocados provide satiety and taste satisfaction.

Salmon? Wild!

You know what's really wild? --I chose salmon as one of my top three great foods for people with Type 2 Diabetes. Honestly, salmon is one of those foods I had to learn to include in my diet--at least twice a week.

Sure, Salmon is one of the heart-healthy fish, high in Omega 3 fatty acids that promote heart health by lowering your blood fats. But I didn't like the fishy smell. I had to work to figure out how to step over the barrier.

But figure it out I did. Once I learned to cook the fish the same day I brought it home, I no longer had the aversion to the fishy smell. Fresh fish doesn't smell fishy. Second, this is where doing a little recipe research works wonders. I started studying cookbooks and recipes on-line to find ways to fix salmon that made my mouth water.

How does 'Artichoke, walnut, avocado, salmon salad' or 'Salmon Pesto' sound to you? Or how about 'Spinach Salad with Pan-Seared Salmon, Oranges, Red Onion, and Avocado'; or 'Glazed Salmon with California Avocado Slaw'? It sounds good to me--certainly worth an experiment.

Experiment with Healthy Foods

We taste with our eyes and mind. Enjoy exploring recipes that use good-for-you foods that appeal to your eyes and excite your mind. Find ways to enjoy the foods that balance your blood sugar and contributes to your heart health.
Note: I prefer wild salmon to farmed salmon. Farmed salmon, naturally grey in color, has added color to make it salmon-colored.


About Susan J Meyerott, MS

International speaker and award-winning author, Susan Meyerott provides dynamic interactive workshops for people ready to better manage their work, life and health. Her programs have won national recognition and have been used in homes and organizations throughout the United States, England and Canada.

For more than 30 years, Susan has been helping people lighten up and step over invisible barriers to change one step at a time. As a speaker and writer, Susan blends her unique background in health promotion, accelerated learning, and communication with a very personal, practical, and humorous style. She speaks to your heart, puts you at ease, and makes changing easier than ever before.