5 healthy food swaps for diabetes

If you have diabetes, what you eat can greatly impact your blood sugar levels, your overall health and how you feel. A meal pattern for diabetes consists of eating healthy foods in moderate amounts and sticking to regular mealtimes.

But do you have to sacrifice taste to eat healthy? Not at all.

“Fortunately, there are ways to replace unhealthier ingredients with healthy ones, without too much of a taste difference,” said Elizabeth Jones, MS, RDN, LDN, CDCES, a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist with Endeavor Health.

A food swap is a modification to your favorite food — with a change in recipe or a different combination of foods. “The key is to add more nutrients to the food you love without sacrificing what you enjoy most about it,” she added.

Jones offers five healthy food swaps for people with diabetes (or anyone who wants to eat healthier):

1. Craving something sweet? Try fruit. Too often, we think we need to avoid fruit with diabetes, but fruit can and should be a part of our meal plan. Fresh fruit or fruit salad is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth and get extra nutrition. Berries, oranges and apples are a great place to start.
2. Add veggies. Different vegetables have different nutrients and fiber — all important for diabetes management and overall health. Try carrots, broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms to start. Add sauteed spinach to eggs, soups or stew. Ever try balsamic oven-roasted carrots? How about a salad with roasted tomatoes, cucumber, basil and olive oil? Swap out mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower, and use low-fat milk instead of cream and butter.
3. Incorporate fish or plant-based sources of protein. Plant-based eating, such as the Mediterranean diet, has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and depression. Swap in beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds and soy products. Try a bean-based chili, whole grain noodles with seitan, shiitake mushroom and napa cabbage. Another option is slow cooker lentil and veggie soup.
4. Aim for healthier fats. Choose more healthy fats, such as mono and polyunsaturated fats, instead of saturated fats. Instead of beef or steak, try salmon. Swap your beef jerky snack for cashews-pistachios-almonds. Try guacamole instead of sour cream or mashed avocado instead of butter. Aim for produce with nut butter, guacamole or hummus, instead of chips and dip. Jicama paired with your favorite dip may be a great substitute for chips. Add chia seeds to your yogurt, protein bars or smoothies.
5. Make half your grains whole grains. The fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in whole grains help keep your body healthy. Look for sandwich breads made with whole grains — pita, tortillas, naan, sliced breads are available as whole grains. Check the package for 100% whole grain or 100% whole wheat. Try something new, like quinoa, millet, bulgar or barley. Snack on popcorn or try 100% whole wheat or rye crackers. Experiment by adding buckwheat, millet or oat flour into flour-based recipes. Replace pasta noodles with noodles made from zucchini (zoodles) — the fiber helps keep you fuller longer and regulates your blood sugars.

Jones said she often encourages patients with diabetes to follow MyPlate nutrition recommendations for meals. “MyPlate offers a healthy way to fill your plate at each meal — increasing fruits and vegetables to half of your plate, with the remaining two quarters as lean protein and grains,” she said.

She shares some suggestions for healthy meals:

• For breakfast, try yogurt parfait with plain, Greek yogurt with cherries and sliced nuts or old-fashioned oats topped with apple slices and cinnamon and a side of low-fat cottage cheese.
• For lunch, try a chicken and veggie wrap on a whole wheat tortilla or a three-bean salad with tomatoes, onions, cucumber and cheese.
• For dinner, try stir-fry with veggies, tempeh, garlic and brown rice. Try roasted chicken with carrots, onions and potatoes. Another option is stuffed peppers with seasoned ground turkey, brown rice and veggies.