Millcreek Home Health and Hospice knows that diabetes can be a common condition amongst adults as they age. It is important that our senior citizen community pay special attention to nutrition and their eating habits. In an effort to support the elderly diabetic community and care givers, Millcreek Home Health and Hospice would like to post information about the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The ADA diet provides guidelines on what foods a diabetic person should eat to support their health and what foods to avoid as well.

Here are the ADA diet food group guidelines:

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

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

Food Group Three: Breads, whole grains and cereals

Food Group Four: Vegetables & fruits

By following the ADA diet guidelines, your body should receive all of the nutrients it needs in order to function well. The ADA diet includes the necessary building blocks a healthy body needs: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.

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 with high fiber foods such as beans, whole grains, etc. These high fiber foods can help reduce high blood glucose levels 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.

Here are other tips from the ADA diet guidelines that diabetics should follow:

- When cooking chicken, remove the skin.

- Drink skim or low-fat milk

- Choose low sodium content foods

- Read nutrition labels and check sodium, fat and carbohydrate amounts

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

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.

Tags: Nutrition

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