Things to Include in Your Diabetes Grocery List

Putting together a complete diabetes grocery list will help you stay on track and make good choices all week!

Adjusting the way you eat and preparing your food at home is one of the most basic (and important) changes that should take place after being diagnosed with diabetes. Learning what to include on your weekly diabetes grocery list, and knowing what needs to be tossed out, will really make a difference for your glucose levels and for your overall health.

The majority of our time is spent on work, family, errands, keeping up with whatever is happening around us, etc. So much so that, developing a list of foods for diabetics may seem like the last thing on our minds.

However, when you have been diagnosed and you need to make changes to your diet and the way you eat, knowing things like what fruits are good for diabetics, which to avoid, whether or not is okay to skip meals, and understanding how to combine certain types of food, suddenly becomes highly important.

One of the first things your doctor may advise is developing a diet plan. For this purpose, having a diabetes grocery list and taking some time during the week to execute your meal planning will be essential.

Among your list of foods for diabetics you will include lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats and high fiber produce, because these will help you manage your disease and keep your glucose levels balanced.

It is important to know what fruits are good for diabetics and which ones should be avoided – just based on their natural sugar content – which fats are better for energy and which carbs will be easily digested without compromising your sugar levels.

Having a reliable and well-balanced diabetes grocery list will make your shopping spree easier, that is a given, but it will also help you plan out your meals way in advance, saving time and preventing unnecessary worry.

In order to give you a clear idea of what items should be included on your next supermarket run, we have developed the following diabetes grocery list, packed with healthy options that will provide the nutrients you need, keep your disease controlled and still allow you to prepare wonderful and flavorful dishes:

Apples
Yogurt
Nuts
Lean Meats (chicken, turkey, pork, grass-fed beef, etc.)
Green Tea
Dark Chocolate
Spinach, Kale and Collard Greens
Berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.)
Coffee
Pumpkin Seeds
Chia Seeds
Flax Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Carrots
Cauliflower
Tofu
Citrus Fruits (oranges, limes, pineapple, etc.)
Wild Salmon
Legumes
Soy
Avocados
Garlic
Quinoa
Tomatoes
Oatmeal
Sweet Potato
Wilde Rice
Asparagus

And these are just some of the most essential items that you can include on your diet. It is important to understand that working along with your Doctor to adjust this list to your particular case is ideal – and even recommended – as not every type of food works the same way for everyone.

It is important to consider any possible intolerance or allergies you may have, understand your nutritional needs and keep in mind whether or not you will be taking any medication that may affected by what you eat.

In addition, if in your particular case, you need to lose weight in order to manage your diabetes, your Doctor may advice certain substitutes in order to lower your caloric intake during a particular period of time.

Monitoring your blood sugar levels throughout the day and having your regular check-ups with your Doctor will allow for better understanding of your diabetes management plan, and for the evaluation of any necessary adjustment to your diet.

Making small adjustments to your lifestyle will be easy, especially when done gradually and with the guidance and support of your specialist.