Guide To Products Suitable For Diabetics

Diabetes mellitus is a disorder in which the body is unable to regulate glucose, the fuel used by cells to produce energy, and insulin, a hormone that helps glucose enter cells. This causes glucose to accumulate in the bloodstream and leads to symptoms such as fatigue, excessive hunger and thirst, increased frequency of urination and unintended weight loss.

There are two types of diabetes:

  1. The body cannot produce enough insulin. This type usually (although not always) starts in childhood and treatment involves insulin injections.

  2. Also known as non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes. This involves insulin resistance, a condition in which the cells in the skeletal muscles and liver do not respond to insulin and cannot absorb needed sugars. This type of diabetes is more common and may often be managed, at least initially, through diet, weight loss if necessary, exercise and possibly drugs. Type 2 Diabetes is becoming increasingly common in New Zealand.

The ideal diet for people with diabetes aims to maintain a balance between sugars, fibre, fats and salt. No foods are completely forbidden but some foods, especially sugars, fats and salt need to be consumed in restricted quantities. High fibre foods such as wholegrain breads and cereals are important for health and as a balance to sugars in the diet.

To summarise:

Following is a list of the many products in stock that are suitable for diabetics. Please note that this is a general guide only. People with diabetes need to check details of their diet with their doctor, health practitioner or dietician.

Beans, Peas and Lentils (Legumes)

All varieties, both dried and tinned (including baked beans), are excellent. Legumes help control blood glucose, are a good source of fibre and may help control cholesterol levels.

Bread

All our breads are suitable. Most breads we stock are made using wholegrains e.g. Breadman, Purebread, Dovedale, mountain bread, Simply Organic mixed grain, Venerdi wholemeal spelt, wholemeal pita and poppadoms. The small amount of honey used in some breads will not upset blood glucose control

Suitable bread mixes are Kialla Rye Bread Mix and Wholemeal Bread Mix; and gluten free bread mixes such as those made by Healtheries, Orgran, The Gluten Free Goodies Company and Spoilt for Choice.

Breakfast Foods

Choose wholegrain and low fat varieties with more than 6% fibre, such as Freedom Foods Rice Flakes with Psyllium, Kaiora bottled fruits in water, Lotus Rice Bran Cereal, Nature’s Path Fruit Juice Sweetened and Honey’d Cornflakes, puffed unsweetened cereals, rice and rice/millet cereal, rolled oats (porridge), untoasted natural mueslis (e.g. Kaiora Swiss Bircher Muesli and Tropical Muesli), Vitalia cereals

Cakes, Biscuits and Crackers

Biscuits and cakes are often high in sugar and fat so need to be consumed in moderation. Choose low fat crackers — be aware of salt content. The following products are particularly suitable:

Breadman crackers, Corn Cakes, Demeter Biodynamic rice cakes, Eat Right Freebee Cookies, Freedom Foods Popcorn Snax and Rice Snax, Lotus Organic rice cakes, pancake, pizza and pastry mixes (Arrowhead Mills Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix, Orgran Apple and Cinnamon Pancake Mix and Buckwheat Pancake Mix, Orgran Pizza and Pastry Multimix), Orgran crispbreads, Pureharvest crispbreads, water crackers

Confectionery

Again confectionery is often high in sugar and fat so should be kept for occasional treats. Some products are more suitable for diabetics such as Carobbean bars, Cavalier sugar free chocolate, fruit leathers and fruit chews (concentrated source of carbohydrates so need to be eaten in moderation), Naturally Good carob frogs, carob fruit and nut and carob rice cakes; Nobbles carob bars, Orgran Fruit Filled Bars and Fruit Bars.

Note that sugar free carob and chocolate is still high in fat.

Dairy and Eggs

Low fat milks such as Eco-Farm Organic Low Fat milk, Naturalea Organic Low Fat milk and Ridge Organic A2 Lite and Low Fat milk, low fat yoghurts such as Biofarm Organic Low Fat yoghurt and Cyclops Reduced Fat yoghurt, Mahoe Farmhouse Quark, lower fat hard cheeses such as Edam.

Thornton's Ice Cream — a small serving once or twice a week is OK for most people with diabetes.

Eggs are a good protein food.

Dried Fruit and Nuts

Dried fruits are concentrated carbohydrates so need to be consumed in small quantities. As nuts are high in fat they also need to be limited and should be eaten without added salt or fat.

Dried Herbs, Spices and Salts

Use herbs and spices for flavour.

Keep salt to a minimum.

Drinks — Alcoholic

Each individual will need to check with his/her doctor, health practitioner or dietician whether alcohol should be consumed. If small quantities are allowed there is a choice of beers, ciders and wines. Always consume alcohol with food and limit intakes to 1-2 standard drinks per day. This limit will be restricted further if overweight is a problem.

Drinks — Non-Alcoholic

Almond milk, coffee and coffee substitutes, rice milks, teas – black, green, red (rooibos) and herb, vegetable juices, water (best of all).

Fruit juices contain a lot of natural sugar and little fibre so keep to small quantities.

Flours

All flours are suitable but it is preferable to choose wholegrain varieties for their extra nutrients and fibre.

Fruit and Vegetables

All fresh fruits and vegetables are suitable – high in fibre and low in fat.

Low starch vegetables can be eaten freely; eat starchy vegetables such as pumpkin, kumara, potatoes and taro in moderation. Fresh or tinned fruits are high in fruit sugars so limit amount at any one time to a handful.

Grains

All grains are suitable but wholegrains are preferable for their extra nutrients and fibre.

We stock a wide variety including wheat, kamut, spelt, barley, rye, oats, buckwheat, corn, quinoa, amaranth and rice.

Macrobiotic and Seaweed Products

Seaweeds are suitable being low in fat and sugar but high in minerals. Miso is very high in salt so should be used sparingly.

Meat and Fish

Choose lean cuts of meat and cut any visible fat off. Keep servings to 100-150g and cook with little or no added fat.

In stock are bacon, beef, chicken, ham, lamb, pork, sausages and salami — these last two are high in both fat and salt so use with care.

Fish is an excellent food — we stock organic salmon fillets.

Nut Butters

All nut butters are high in fat so need to be consumed in small amounts. Choose a no- added-salt peanut butter such as CSO peanut butter (crunchy or smooth).

Other nut butters available are almond, cashew, macadamia, mixed nuts, tahini (sesame paste), walnut paste.

Oils and Vinegars

Oils are high in fat so use sparingly — choose olive oils, Rapunzel olive oil spread, other organic seed oils such as safflower and sunflower.

Vinegars are useful for seasoning as part of a diabetic diet plan. Be aware that umeboshi vinegar, unlike other vinegars, is salty.

Pasta

All kinds of pastas are suitable — a good source of carbohydrates and low in fat. Choose from our wide variety of wheat or wheat-free, fresh or dried, plain or flavoured. Try to use wholegrain pastas where available.

Be careful of the fat content of some pasta sauces.

Rice

Rice is also a good food for diabetics being low in fat and high in carbohydrates. Experiment with our different varieties including arborio, basmati, carnaroli, jasmine, long grain and short grain, sushi, black and wild rice. Brown rice is favoured for its extra fibre and nutrients.

Sauces, Stocks and Pickles

Give preference to oil-free or low fat dressings e.g. Nasoya Fat Free Nayonaise, NZ Natural mustards, Spectrum Low Fat and Fat-Free dressings.

Tamari and shoyu (soy sauces) are high in salt so should be used sparingly. Use reduced sodium products if available.

Small amounts of pickles and tomato sauces or ketchups, such as Earthfoods and Phoenix, will not raise blood glucose levels.

Snack Foods and Convenience Foods

Frozen vegetarian patties and burgers, hummus, pies (be careful of fat content), popping corn (pop without added fat or salt), soups — fresh or frozen; tinned soups can be very high in salt; soya snippets, Vege chips/chickpea chips/corn chips — in small amounts due to fat and salt content

Soy Products

Soy milk, soy cheeses, soy luncheon and sausages (Bean Supreme soy sausages are lower in fat), soy yoghurt, tempeh, tofu, T.V.P. (textured vegetable protein) — all suitable for diabetics.

Sweeteners

Sugar must be consumed very sparingly – this includes all forms such as cane sugars – white and brown, date sugar, icing sugar, shakkar, honeys, molasses, malts, date sugar, jams. We do not stock or recommend artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame or Saccharin because of concerns about their safety.

We do not stock or recommend artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame or Saccharin because of concerns about their safety. Xylitol and Stevia are both excellent alternatives to these sweeteners and to sugar. Stevia is available as the powdered herb, herb extract or as a concentration of the active sweetening ingredient, stevioside. Xylitol is a carbohydrate but not a sugar. It has minimal effects on blood sugar and insulin levels providing a slow steady release of energy. It is available in CSO packaging and under the brand name Dentasweet.

Tinned Foods

Baked beans, tinned spaghetti, corn, tinned vegetables — check sugar/salt content.