Diabetes Food Made Simple - Starch

Diabetes food? I would like to make this simple by taking one food group at a time. Let’s start with starch. Eating starch is healthy for all, including those with diabetes. We all have to eat some starch at every meal. Starches are grains, cereal, pasta, bread and starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn.

Why is it good to have starch at every meal? Well, starch provides us not only vitamins and minerals but also carbohydrates and fiber. Which type of starches are healthier among the diabetes food list? That’s an easy question. Whole grain ones are best for the simple reason they have more fiber, minerals and vitamins.

Here are examples of starches: Bread ,Cereals, Pasta, Rice, Corn, Lentils, Potatoes, Pretzels, Tortillas, Beans, Yams, Crackers

You see? There are some fun diabetes food there, are there not? You grimaced, why? You can’t see them? Well, let me point them out to you. There’s pretzels for one. And then, there’s yam. Pasta is fun too especially if it is Spaghetti Bolognese. Ha! Got you there, didn’t I?

Now sometimes it’s difficult to determine just how big one serving is. Let me give you a few examples:

Examples of 1 serving:

1 slice of bread
1 small potato
½ cooked cereal
¾ cup of dry cereals
1/6 inch tortilla

Examples of 2 servings:

2 slices of bread
1 small potato plus 1 small ear of corn

Examples of 3 servings

1 small roll plus ½ cup of peas plus 1 small potato
1 cup of rice

Now on to the next question which I find very important. How do we eat these starches from the diabetes food list in the most healthy way?

1. Eat your cereal with skim or fat-free milk or low-fat milk.

2. Buy only whole grain cereals and breads for your diabetes food list.

3. Substitute mustard for mayonnaise on a sandwich.

4. Low-fat or fat-free plain yogurt is healthier so eat this instead of regular sour cream on a baked potato.

5. Use low-fat or fat-free alternative for mayonnaise and butter on toasts and rolls.

6. Avoid or eat less of fried and high-fat starches such as French fries, pastries, biscuits and tortilla chips.

7. Make half your grains whole. At the risk of repeating because it says so in #2 but it so important that I will repeat it anyway. See that the grains such as oats, rice, wheat or corn and others in your diabetes food list are labeled as whole in the list of ingredients.

Review Diabetes Food Made Simple?

Here is some background information on starch. It is a complex carbohydrate which makes up more than half the carbohydrates even diets of the rich. But you know, the diets of the poor have even more starch in them. No surprise there, right? Diabetes food does not discriminate.

We also know that the usual staple foods supply starch. And these staple foods are roots, cereals and tubers like corn. It is also found in fruit and seeds, but the four main sources of starch consumption in the USA are potatoes, corn, rice and wheat.

Another dietary source of starch is pasta. It is usually prepared from rice, beans or wheat. Another significant source of starch is bread. And guess what is commonly used to prepare it? You guessed it right. Wheat. There are other foods rich in starch like sweet potatoes and yams, my personal favorites.

Diabetes Menu Go to http://www.free-symptoms-of-diabetes-alert.com/diabetesmenu.

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