Best and Worst Foods for Diabetes

Best and Worst Foods for Diabetes

In this article

• Diabetes and Breads, Grains, and Other Starches
• Vegetables and Diabetes
• Fruits and Diabetes
• Diabetes and Meat and Other Protein
• Dairy and Diabetes
• Diabetes and Fats, Oils, and Sweets
• Beverages and Diabetes

Diabetes and Meat and Other Protein

This category includes beef, chicken, fish, pork, turkey, seafood, beans, cheese, eggs, nuts, and tofu.

Best Choices:

• Baked, broiled, grilled, or stewed meats
• Lower-fat cuts of meat, such as top sirloin
• Turkey bacon
• Low-fat cheeses
• Skinless breast of chicken or turkey
• Baked, broiled, steamed, or grilled fish
• Tofu lightly sautéed, steamed, or cooked in soup
• Beans
• Eggs
• Nuts

Worst Choices:

• Fried meats
• Higher-fat cuts of meat, such as ribs
• Pork bacon
• Regular cheeses
• Poultry with skin
• Fried fish
• Fried tofu
• Beans prepared with lard

Dairy and Diabetes

This group includes milk and foods made from milk, such as yogurt and sour cream. Milk has a lot of protein and minerals, including calcium.

Best Choices:

• 1% or skim milk
• Low-fat yogurt
• Low-fat cottage cheese
• Low-fat or nonfat sour cream
• Frozen low-fat, low-carb yogurt
• Nonfat half-and-half

Worst Choices:

• Whole milk
• Regular yogurt
• Regular cottage cheese
• Regular sour cream
• Regular ice cream
• Regular half-and-half

Diabetes and Fats, Oils, and Sweets

Eating too much of these kinds of foods can lead to weight gain, making it harder to keep diabetes under control.

Best Choices:

• Baked snacks, such as baked potato chips, baked corn chips, puffed rice, or corn snacks, in small portions
• Vegetable oils, non-hydrogenated butter spreads, margarine
• Reduced-fat mayonnaise
• Light salad dressings
• Air-popped or calorie-controlled popcorn

Worst Choices:

• Snacks fried in fat, such as potato chips, corn chips, pork rinds
• Lard, hydrogenated vegetable shortening, butter
• Regular mayonnaise
• Regular salad dressings
• Butter-flavored stove-top popcorn

Beverages and Diabetes

Some drinks have lots of carbs but very little nutrition. Others may be a better choice most of the time.

Best Choices:

• Water, unflavored or flavored sparkling water
• Light beer, small amounts of wine or non-fruity mixed drinks
• Unsweetened tea (add a slice of lemon)
• Coffee, black or with added low-fat milk and sugar substitute
• Plain coffee and hot chocolate
• Sport drinks, in limited quantities

Worst Choices:

• Regular sodas
• Regular beer, fruity mixed drinks, dessert wines
• Sweetened tea
• Coffee with sugar and cream
• Flavored coffees and chocolate drinks
• Energy drinks