Salads and Type 2 Diabetes

The Diabetes Food Pyramid

Healthy Eating Guide-lines

Eat your vegetables! You’ve heard that since you were young. However, as a Type 2 Diabetic, getting your daily dose of vegetables can be tough unless you put some effort into a healthy diet. For that reason, www.TypeFreeDiabetes.com recommends making at least one of your daily meals a tasty and healthy salad. Salads can not only load your system with vitamins and mineral-rich foods, but they can also be tasty.

Keep in mind that not all salads are the same, especially when it comes to calories and fats. In fact, some salads may have more than just your daily dose of vegetables; they may also contain your daily dose of fat and carbohydrates. Here are a few salad dos and don’ts that will help you stay slim and healthy:

Do supplement the vegetables with other food groups. A salad doesn’t have to contain just vegetables. Sure, you may want to include the salad staples, such as tomatoes, olives, carrots, peppers, and celery, but we’d like to encourage you to think about other food groups that you can toss in there as well. The more food groups you can toss into your salad, the more vitamins, minerals, and nutrient diversity you will include in your daily diet.

Here are some ideas for supplementing your salad:

Fish – Chop up about three ounces (84 grams)of your favorite grilled
fish (that’s one serving size) to sprinkle over your salad for some
lean protein. The protein will keep you full and the fish will add a
refreshing flavor to your palette. By the way, three ounces is about
the size of your palm.

Go nuts – AlmondsWhile
there are many nuts you may want to include, we recommend including
some slivered almonds on your salad. Almonds contain protein, fiber,
and fat that will help to fill you up, keep your skin and blood cells
healthy, and give you something crunchy to munch on with each forkful.
The fiber, protein, and polyunsaturated fats all will reduce the
glucose spike that Diabetics experience after a meal. Walnuts are
another super-food you can explore. 

Boil an egg – A hard boiled egg is the perfect
addition to any salad. One egg contains 4.5 grams of fat and enough
protein to keep you full for hours. Be sure to include the yolk, as it
contains Vitamin D, which has been shown to fight cancer and many of
the negative effects of Diabetes. Avoid the egg if you have high
cholesterol levels like many Type 2 Diabetics.

Don’t go light…on the lettuce that is. Whenever you look for leafy vegetables to include in you salad, the darker the leaves, the better.
Avoid iceberg lettuce and opt, instead, for darker leaves such as
spinach and spring mix. These darker leaves contain more vitamins and
minerals than iceberg lettuce…and they pack in that leafy flavor that
iceberg lettuce doesn’t have. By the way, buy organic if you can.
Organic lettuce have no pesticides.

Do look for soy. Soy is one of those well-rounded vegetables that helps to keep you full while also protecting your heart, bones, and cells. Edamame BeansEdamame is a soy vegetable that looks a lot like peas and is usually found in the frozen foods section of the grocery store.

Don’t get too cheesy. You may think cheese adds
flavor to your salad, but what you’re really getting from that spoonful
of cheese are calories and fat. Just one ounce of cheese can contain
120 calories! Some cheeses, such as feta, may add the flavor you’re
looking for, but be sure to use only small amounts, if at all.

We’ve put together some excellent salad recipes on our Web site.

Do make your own dressing. It’s not as hard as you
might think. When you make your own dressing, you know exactly what’s
in it…and you can be sure to make only as much as you know you will
want! Plus, store-bought dressings tend to contain fat and calories
that can seriously weigh you – and your salad – down.

Don’t overlook the little things. You might think you’re adding just
one strip of bacon when you sprinkle on those tasty bacon bits.
However, you’re really beefing your salad up by 100 calories and at least four grams of fat with each broken-up bacon strip.
Candied nuts, such as candied almonds, are popular salad additions, but
can pack on an additional hundred calories and handful of fat.

One “treat” in your salad may be okay. However, when you add too
many unhealthy supplements, you’re really taking a once-healthy meal
and loading it with all the foods you know you should be avoiding.
Whenever you construct a salad, think light, healthy, and nutritious to
be sure your body stays light, healthy, and nutritious.