Grocery Shopping With Diabetes

Photo of grocery items in brown, paper bags Spend the majority of your time shopping on the outside of the store

The outside of the grocery store is lined with fresh produce, meat, and dairy products whereas the center aisles tend to have processed foods loaded with fat, sugar and sodium.
Many items in the center aisles also contain preservatives, which are added chemicals into food to help it last longer. To maintain a healthy diet, it is important to stay away from preservatives and to lean towards organic and natural products.

Make it a point to fill your grocery cart with fruits and vegetables.

Always try to go for fresh, natural or organic fruits or vegetables
Frozen vegetables and fruits are fine as well, just make sure to pay attention that there are no added ingredients such as cheese or cream sauce
Always go for fresh or frozen rather than canned. Canned fruits and vegetables often have added sugars or sodium

When choosing packaged foods pay attention to trans-fat and saturated fat.

For prepared dinners, look for varieties with 0 grams of TRANS fat and less than 5 grams of SATURATED fat per serving.
When choosing packaged snacks, look for 0 grams of TRANS fat and less than 2 grams of SATURATED fat per serving.

When buying meat:

Ground round, tenderloin steak and sirloin tips are typically leaner cuts of beef
Look for keywords such as "Loin" and "Round"
Be sure to trim any visible fat too.

Other ingredients to look out for

Make sure WHOLE GRAIN is the first ingredient when picking products like bread, crackers and cereal.
Pick a cereal that has at least 3 grams of fiber per serving.

At the UM Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology (UMCDE), our staff meets patients' educational needs via individual sessions with a diabetic educator and/or in small groups led by certified diabetes educators. To schedule an appointment, call 443-682-6800.