Healthy Cooking Tips for People with Diabetes

A healthy diet is not only critical to proper diabetes management, but will also help you stay at a desirable weight, control your blood pressure, and prevent heart disease and stroke.

Always consult your health care provider, registered dietitian, or nutritionist to get advice on planning and preparing healthy meals.

Some healthy cooking tips include:

• Use vegetable oil spray instead of oil, shortening, or butter.

• If you do use oil, use canola, sunflower, or olive oil in food preparation instead of vegetable oil.

• Steam vegetables using a low-fat broth or water.

• Season foods with herbs and spices, vinegar, lemon juice, or salsa instead of salt.

• Use low- or no-sugar jams instead of butter or margarine.

• Eat or cook cereal with skim milk or 1 percent milk.

• Use low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese, or nonfat yogurt in place of full fat versions.

• Drink 100 percent fruit juice that has no added sugar.

• Eat chicken or turkey without the skin.

• Broil, roast, stir-fry, or grill meats. Always buy lean cuts of meat.

• Use lemon or lime on fish and vegetables instead of butter or sauces.

• Buy whole-grain breads and cereals.

Physicians and other experts can direct you to helpful resources that further cover meal planning, offer healthy recipes and cooking tips, suggest exercise programs, give you tips to manage you weight, and more.