It is very hard to figure out what to eat especially for someone suffering from Diabetes 2. All of a sudden, you will notice that the things you used to like to eat are on the forbidden list. It may be very depressing? When you are diagnosed with diabetes, it’s important to maintain a healthy weight. If you’re overweight, it’s even more important to watch what you eat, everyday.
Choosing lunch options can get even more complicated. Cafeterias, fast food joints, and vending machines are notorious for having few healthy choices available. Bringing a lunch from home is wiser option. But then also you have to watch the calories, fat grams and carbohydrates, in the food you bring from home. Then, one must think what the healthiest choices are? Let’s now try to build a lunch for diabetic patients.
Salads
Always try to have salads in your lunch menu if you have diabetes. You can create a different salad every day of the week by varying your toppings.
It is best to have lots of raw vegetables, including carrots, cucumbers, radishes, celery, and spinach in your salad. Sprinkle nuts or seeds on top, add a few dried cranberries, and garnish with some avocado chunks to give it zip. Make sure that you opt for low fat or fat free salad dressings.
Sandwiches
Like salads, you can use many other ways to spice up a sandwich. Start with whole grain bread or a whole wheat tortilla. If you are non vegetarian then you can add lean meat, such as turkey, ham, or grilled chicken; layer on your choice of veggies. Always avoid eating greasy chips, French fries, and other fattening sides.
Hearty Soups
Soups are also a very good option for lunch, with many healthy choices to choose from. Chicken, vegetable and tomato are all good soup choices. Others include butternut squash, gazpacho and other chunky vegetable varieties and pasta and green leaf vegetable’s soups.
Pasta
Pastas are also good to eat, provided you opt for whole grain pasta, you can eat all types of noodles, such as penne, angel hair, or spaghetti.
Veggie Stir Fry
For a more exotic lunch, go for a bowl of vegetable stir fry and brown rice. Same recipe made by fast food joints could be high in fat and sodium, so you should avoid those.
Always seek advice from with a certified diabetes educator or registered dietitian to get more lunch ideas. How much and what types of food you should eat varies, depending on your exact needs; a dietitian can help create a meal plan that is right for you.
