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 such as eggs, fish, poultry, lean meats, nuts and dried beans

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

Food Group Three: Breads, whole grains and cereals

Food Group Four: Vegetables and fruits

The ADA diet recommends foods that fall into the following healthy nutrition groups: proteins, carbohydrates, healthy fats, minerals and vitamins. If you were to follow the ADA diet guidelines, your body should receive all of the nutrients it needs function well and be healthy.

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 are another source of energy for the body and are a critical part of the body’s growth. Proteins can help maintain steady blood glucose levels. When diabetics have low blood glucose level, eating a carbohydrate and a protein is recommended. The carbohydrate gives the body with the sugar which raises the blood glucose level. The protein will help maintain a steady blood sugar level. So carbohydrates and proteins work together in the ADA diet for diabetics.

The ADA diet also encourages a diet that has high fiber, low glycemic index foods. High fiber foods includes: beans, whole grains, etc. High fiber foods can help reduce high blood glucose as well as high blood-fat.

The ADA diet does have healthy fat as part of their diet, however keep in mind that there are healthy fats. Fats of any kind should be included in a person’s diet in the right proportions. The ADA diet recommends that lean cuts of meat, flax seed oil or olive oil can be used as examples of healthy fats.

The ADA diet guidelines include these additional tips as well:

- Remove the chicken skin when preparing chicken.

- Use low-fat milk or skim milk

- Choose low sodium content foods

- Read food labels and be sure to check out carb, sodium and fat amounts

- Eliminate refined sugars from your diet such as table sugar, sugar coated cereals, canned soda

By following the ADA diet, senior citizens with diabetes can create meal plans that focus on good nutrition. If you have questions about the ADA diet for an elderly member of your family who has diabetes, please feel free to contact Millcreek Home Health and Hospice.

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