March is National Nutrition Month, an educational campaign focusing on eating nourishing meals. What we eat can significantly increase or decrease our risk factors for disease. We are often bombarded by a variety of diet programs that aim to improve our health. Making sense of them all can become a daunting task.
Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics™ has done extensive research on the foods that provide the best blood sugar control and recommends eating whole foods that are unprocessed (or minimally processed) and in as close as possible to their natural state.
If it comes in a can, box, bottle, jar, or bag, it is probably processed. If it has a label, it should show ingredients and nutrition information. Learn to read these labels carefully and meaningfully! Note particularly the serving size and determine how many servings you are going to have.
This list (link given below) shows a typical serving size and grams of total carbs in that size serving. Any serving more than 5 grams total carbs is not “keto-friendly” but may be suitable for low-carb or moderate-carb dietary protocols.
Vegetables
Low-carb, non-starchy vegetables should be the foundation of any diabetic’s dietary protocol! Avoid starchy vegetables, such as potatoes (all varieties), winter squash, parsnips, etc. Use carrots and beets as garnishes rather than a whole side dish. Some may find that tomatoes and onions spike their blood sugar if used in too great a quantity.
Fruit
The best fruits for diabetics are avocados and olives! Next would be most berries, with their anti-oxidant properties and low-carb, to boot! With these and the other fruits listed, portion size is critical.
“Clean” Meat/Poultry/Fish
[Omit this section if you are vegetarian/vegan]
We suggest organic, grass-fed meats and cage-free, pasture-raised poultry. If you eat processed meat, such as beef, chicken, or turkey bacon, beef salami, beef pepperoni, beef, chicken, or turkey hot dogs, etc., try to get a brand/variety that is uncured (does not contain nitrites/nitrates). All meat/poultry/fish is 0 grams total carbs. Duck and goose are traditionally not eaten by Seventh-day Adventists, although they are permitted in Judaism. We suggest wild-caught fish (not farmed). If you buy canned fish or meat, be sure to read the label for ingredients. Choose a brand/variety that contains just the meat/fish and water or olive oil.
Dairy
[Omit this section if you are vegan, ovo-vegetarian, or lactose-intolerant]
Dairy milk is too high in sugar (lactose) for diabetics. However, we can eat full-fat dairy products. Vegans can buy vegan butter, usually made with coconut oil. Note that not all cheeses are vegetarian. For example, Parmesan cheese is usually made with animal rennet, though many brands in the United States use vegetable rennet.
We avoid dairy products labeled low-fat or fat-free, because typically when the producer takes out the fat, they add sugar to make it taste better! And totally avoid processed cheese-like products, such as Velveeta®, Kraft Singles®, Cheez Whiz®, etc.
If you would like to drink/use non-dairy milk, such as almond milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, etc., be sure to get the unsweetened variety. Check the label for the amount of total carbs/serving. Do not use oat milk or rice milk.
Eggs
[Omit this section if you are vegan or lacto-vegetarian.]
We recommend eggs from organic cage-free pasture-raised poultry. Eat the whole egg, not just the whites!
Healthy Fats
All healthy fats contain 0g total carbs and do not raise blood glucose. Avoid margarine, shortening, and vegetable oils (including canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, safflower, soybean, sunflower).
Grains (and grain-based foods)
Most grains (including whole grains) and cereals are too high in carbohydrates for diabetics. This includes breads, rice, oatmeal, Cream of Wheat®, pasta (all varieties), cakes, bagels, doughnuts, etc.
Legumes
Most legumes are too high in carbohydrates for diabetics.
Nuts & Seeds
Cashews and pistachios are not low carb. Note: Peanuts are a legume, not a nut.
Beverages
The best beverage is plain water!
Sweeteners
Sugar
Eliminate sugar in all its forms! This includes agave, white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, coconut sugar, date sugar, corn syrup/high fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses, dextrose, maltodextrin, etc.
Artificial Sweeteners
All artificial sweeteners are less than ideal. However, they do have a place in cooking and baking for a special occasion, sweet foods that are not eaten frequently, the beginning of a low-carb no-sugar dietary protocol, as a transition food.
CAVEAT: If/when you use artificial sweeteners, you must calculate the TOTAL carbs in the amount that you use. Some people do metabolize artificial sweeteners (and experience blood sugar spikes), so you cannot assume that you don’t!
Be wary of artificial sweeteners offered in individual packets in restaurants and fast food places. Read the labels! Very often the first ingredient is a form of sugar, with only a small amount of the sweetener on the label.
What About Foods Not on This List?
Search the USDA FoodData Central (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/) to find information about macronutrients and micronutrients of the foods shown in (or not shown in) this list. Or use a mainstream database like CalorieKing.com or MyFitnessPal.
Then “eat to your meter.” Make a list of all your “safe” foods.
For the full detailed article, “Low-carb Food List for Diabetics,” see the article on our website.
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Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics™ Recipe Book was published in April 2023. It can be found on Amazon at (https://www.amazon.com/Adventist-Vegetarian-DiabeticsTM-Recipe-Book/dp/B0C1JJTGLW/) in both Kindle and paperback formats.
Our classic book, Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics, 2nd Edition, was published in May 2023. It can be found on Amazon at (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5KNKS8B) in both Kindle and paperback formats.
We encourage you to join our Facebook group for Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics™ in order to ask questions, make comments, and share your own experiences. If you are not a member of the Facebook group for Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics but would like to be, please click the link and request to join. You will be asked 3 questions. Here’s a description of the Facebook group.
If you just want continuing information and don’t want to take part in any discussion, we recommend you peruse our website at https://adventistvegetariandiabetics.com/. We also have a Facebook information page, Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics Resources.
Please subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@adventistvegetariandiabetics.
Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics 