Senior citizens who have diabetes need to incorporate healthy eating habits and special attention to nutrition to manage their condition. Millcreek Home Health and Hospice brings you the American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet. The ADA has constructed the ADA diet that can be used as a guideline for managing diabetes. The ADA diet can help educate a diabetic person on the types of foods they should consume and even the foods they should avoid.

Here are the ADA diet guidelines for a diabetic person:

Food Group One: Proteins, which include meats, eggs, fish, poultry, nuts and dried beans

Food Group Two: Dairy products such as yogurt, cottage cheese, low fat milk and skim milk

Food Group Three: Whole grains, breads and cereals

Food Group Four: Fruits and vegetables

Your body should receive all of the nutrients it needs to function and be healthy by following the ADA diet. Each food group of the ADA diet has components that healthy bodies need such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.

Carbohydrates are used to create energy for your body. But you should identify what “good carbs” are and what carbohydrates to limit or avoid. Good carbohydrates come from foods such as: whole grains, cereals, beans and lentils. When the body breaks these good carbohydrates down, sugar is produced; so diabetics should take this into consideration as they calculate their carbohydrate intake.

Proteins provide another source of energy for the body. Proteins can support steady blood glucose levels. When diabetics have low blood sugar levels, it is recommended that they eat both a carbohydrate and a protein. The carbohydrate will give the body the immediate sugar needed to raise the blood glucose level. The protein will provide a steady energy source to give stability to blood sugar level. The ADA diet recommends that diabetics get a healthy ratio of carbohydrates and proteins in their daily diets.

Another recommendation from the ADA is to include foods that are high in fiber such as whole grains and beans. These foods can help reduce high blood-fat as well as reduce high blood glucose levels.

While the ADA diet does allow fat in a person’s diet, that amount of daily fat intake should be in the right proportion. A person can do this by choosing foods that are low in fat, choosing lean cuts of meat and using flax seed oil or olive oil when cooking.

The ADA diet guidelines include these additional tips as well:

- Remove the skin of chicken

- Use low-fat milk or skim milk

- Choose low sodium content foods

- Check food nutrition labels for fat, sodium and carbohydrate amounts

- Eliminate foods high in refined sugars such as sugar coated cereals, canned soda & alcoholic beverages

Diabetics can eat right and be healthy by following the ADA diet.If you have questions about the ADA diet for elderly diabetics, please feel free to contact Millcreek Home Health and Hospice.

Want to find out more about caring for the elderly, home health or hospice care by visiting Millcreek Home Health and Hospice.

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