...MEDICAL MATTERS LUNCHES ON THE GO
Whether you take your lunch to work or eat on the go, here are some top swaps and ideas for healthy, balanced lunches.
• Swap a canned drink for a diet version and save around six tsp sugar.
• Cut back on fat by choosing baked crisps as a healthier alternative to fried.
• Choose a two-finger chocolate wafer bis- cuit, rather than a standard chocolate bar, and save on both fat and calories.
cereals – such as granola and cereal clusters - appear healthy, they are often full of free sugars and unhealthy fat. Some children’s cereals also have a lot of free sugar. Instead, why not switch to porridge? Porridge oats or the instant variety are both fine - just avoid those with added free sugars like honey and golden syrup. Wheat biscuits, shredded wheat or muesli (with no added sugar) are also great alternatives. For sweetness, add chopped fruit.
QUICK BREAKFAST TIPS:
• Switch from white toast to wholegrain versions such as seeded batch bread, multi-seed, granary, soya and linseed. These are better for your diabetes and digestive health. They’re more filling, too.
• If you’re making rotis and chapattis, use wholewheat flour.
• Instead of jam try mashed banana. Other healthy choices are low-fat cheese, cot- tage cheese with a couple of fresh chopped dates, or nut butter (make sure the one you buy doesn’t have any addi- tions such as sugar or palm oil) and chopped banana.
• Try to keep croissants, pastries and muffins as an occasional treat.
• Try to limit the amount of oil when cook- ing. Cook with unsaturated vegetable oils, such as sunflower, olive or rapeseed, instead of butter or ghee.
• Add extra fruit and veg to bump up your fibre intake wherever you can. Add berries, dried fruit or half a banana to your cereal, or grilled tomatoes to eggs on toast.
LUNCH IDEAS FOR DIABETICS
Here are some healthy lunch ideas to choose from:
• a chicken or tuna salad sandwich • a small pasta salad • soup with or without a wholegrain roll • a piece of salmon or tuna steak and salad.
Think about having a piece of fruit or a pot of natural unsweetened yogurt after- wards.
JANUARY 2020
• Try a ham salad sandwich instead of a club sandwich to save 135Kcal and 16g of fat. Make your own and cut out even more fat by using less spread.
DINNER IDEAS FOR DIABETICS Here’s some healthy dinner ideas:
• lasagne and salad • roast chicken and vegetables, with or without potatoes
• beef stir-fry and vegetables, with or with- out brown rice
• chicken tortillas and salad • salmon and vegetables, with or without noodles
• curry with chickpeas and brown rice
There are literally thousands of dinner recipes available online: from the Diabetes UK website, and many other sources. Again, the best recipe choices are governed by the individual requirements set by your GP or nurse, for your own diet plan and exercise regime – and budget. Also, the type and size of the evening meal is dependent on what you’ve been eating through the day.
CAN I EAT FRUIT?
Yes, whole fruit is good for everyone and if you have diabetes, it’s no different. You shouldn’t avoid them because they’re sug- ary. Fruits do contain sugar, but it’s natural sugar. The sugar in whole fruit is different to the added sugar in chocolate, biscuits and cakes or other free sugar found in fruit juices and smoothies.
Other things to avoid are foods labelled ‘diabetic’ or ‘suitable for diabetics’. You shouldn’t be able to find many of those now, as they were outlawed a couple of years back, for many reasons – not least because many of those products, including jams, ice creams, cakes, biscuits and chocolates, con- tained polyols (you may be familiar with one of these: sorbitol) which were no lower in calories than the standard products, so could lead to weight gain. They can also have a laxative effect if large quantities are eaten. Carb-counters should be mindful that they may need less insulin, as not all the car-
bohydrate from polyols is absorbed. As ever, it pays to check the label.
Also, cutting down on red and processed meat or highly processed carbs such as white bread means you’re reducing your risk of certain cancers and heart diseases.
CAN I SNACK IN BETWEEN MEALS?
Some people with Type 2 diabetes hear about hypos (when your blood sugar gets too low) and think they need to eat snacks to avoid them. But this isn’t the case for everyone.
You don’t need to eat snacks if you’re not tak- ing any medication for your Type 2 diabetes. If you treat your diabetes with medication that puts you at risk of hypos, such as insulin, you may need a snack to prevent a hypo. But if you find you’re having to snack a lot to pre- vent hypos, talk to your healthcare team so they can give you more advice.
Snacking in general can make it harder to manage a healthy weight though, which is really important for managing your dia- betes. So if you do feel like a snack, go for a healthier option like carrot sticks and hum- mus or some dark chocolate rice cakes.
Still not sure which foods mean you’re mak- ing healthy choices? Read Diabetes UK’s 10 Top tips for Healthy Eating when you Have Diabetes – it takes you through the foods that are healthier than others, including which carbohydrates are the better choice and how to be smart with snacks.
With thanks to Diabetes UK for being an invaluable source of information for diabet- ics everywhere:
www.diabetes.org.uk
So – now it’s down to you. Gone is the old concept of giving up entire categories of food once you’re diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. As with any diet plan, a combina- tion of the right balance of food types, and cutting back on quantities, could net some positive results. As always, we’d very much like to hear from any PHTM reader with their story… Good luck!
77
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96
