Grocery Shopping With Diabetes
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.
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For prepared dinners, look for varieties with 0 grams of TRANS fat and less than 5 grams of SATURATED fat per serving.
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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.