diabetic

Many people have consider the items in this photo diabetic "superfoods" -- including whole grain breads, tomatoes, salmon, and citrus.

PLEASE NOTE:  Diabetes is a medical condition which can be serious.  We urge you consult a physician and a licensed nutritionist to develop a comprehensive diet plan that is right for you and your condition.

Recipes that are tagged "diabetic" are simply marked by others with that term.  They are there for your convenience.  We do our best to ensure they are useful to you, but we do NOT warrant, in any way, their accuracy, since users can modify these at will.  

BigOven does NOT warrant that recipes tagged "diabetic" are necessarily appropriate (or inappropriate) for diabetics, nor do we warrant the nutrition information posted for the recipe itself -- these are aids, but we do not guarantee their accuracy.  Please make sure you consult a licensed nutritionist, since there are many forms of diabetes.

If you have diabetes, then it is important for you and your family to know that there are many, many delicious foods that you can still enjoy.  Diabetes is a disease that affects the body's ability to process sugars normally.  So a diabetic must be careful with the foods they eat and how they prepare them. Learning the ins and outs of diabetic cooking will take a little practice but it is well worth it.

For most people who are diagnosed with diabetes one of the hardest parts of dealing with the disease is coming to an understanding that they may not be able to eat all the same foods they used to enjoy. Initially this can be difficult for a lot of people because it is a lifestyle change. Fortunately there are plenty of recipes and foods available that will appeal to even the most discerning of diabetics.

The first thing to remember is that the more nutritious the food the better. While this is true for everyone it is of particular importance to a diabetic. If you keep your pantry and fridge stocked with a variety of healthy foods you've already won half the battle. For the diabetic with a sweet tooth keep an ample supply of artificial sweeteners around. Keeping the kitchen stocked with the foods that diabetics can eat makes preparing meals much easier. A good reference to start with is the diabetic food pyramid.

While there are likely to be exceptions (again, consult a licensed nutritionist) -- for the most part any food or dish that contains sugar is not an acceptable choice for a diabetic. Many foods contain sugar but the sweets and snacks that are full of refined sugars are definitely not something a diabetic person can eat. It is also important for diabetics to watch out for fruit juices, fruits themselves, desserts, many main dishes and salad dressings. Some of these in moderation may not hurt but each person with this disease will have a different tolerance to the amount of sugar they ingest.