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Hi. Im Diane Kress, a Certified Diabetes Educator. If youíre new to DTimeTM, you may be wondering
what itís all about.
Well DTimeô is a time we set aside to focus our full attention on diabetes. When we test
our blood sugar, log our results, shop for the right food...these times are DTimeô.
If youíve spent other DTimeTM with me, you know that I, like you, have diabetes. Itís
part of my life, but itís not my entire life. I take care of my diabetes and move on with
living. By spending DTimeTM together, lets learn what needs to be done to manage our
diabetes, and then get on with the things we love doing.
One of the things I love to do is eat. I love to cook, I love to share meals with my friends
and family...lets face it, I really do love food! Having diabetes doesnít have to stop
you from preparing and eating delicious foods. You just need to know how to make smart food
choices. And thatís why today, weíre spending DTimeTM in the supermarket.
Today, were going to create a shopping list. Join me as we make the list together. I would
never pass along a one-size-fits-all diabetics pre-printed food list because even though
we both have diabetes, we also both have choices! For instance, Iím not a big beef eater, but
I love poultry. And you may be just the opposite. But once you know your options, making smart
choices becomes a lot easier, takes a lot less time, and is much more enjoyable.
So, come on, Iíll show you. You may want to pause the video first so you can get a
pen and paper to create your list. So hereís your first choice. You can walk
with me down each aisle or you can meet me at a specific aisle. Just click the links
at my left.
Ready? Letís go!
Fruits and vegetables are at the heart of a healthy diet. Some are even called superfoods
by the American Diabetes Association, because they wonít cause a sharp rise in blood sugar
and are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. These healthy vegetables
include dark leafy greens such as spinach, collards, and kale, as well as other non-starchy
vegetables such as asparagus, green beans, carrots, and cauliflower, and everything you
see on screen right now. You can enjoy these fresh, frozen, or canned, but watch out for
any added sodium or sugar.
Take a minute to pause the video so you can add your favorites to your grocery list.
As far as fruits go, your options are pretty wide open. Berries (like strawberries and
blueberries) as well as citrus fruits (like oranges and tangerines) are high in vitamins,
fiber, and antioxidants but lower in glycemic index...they wonít cause overly high spikes
in blood sugar.
But you can choose a number of your favorite fruits like bananas, cherries, grapes, and
all the fruits you see on the screen now.
Again, you can enjoy fresh, frozen, and canned fruit, but avoid fruit containing added sugar.
Thatís really an important point because fruit already contains natural sugar.
SoÖthere really is no need to avoid any of these delicious fruitsójust be conscious
of portion size.
Go ahead and pause the video to add your fruit choices to your shopping list.
Im headed to the meat aisle, so you can continue to walk with me, or choose to visit another
aisle by clicking on your choice. Meat and meat substitutes are another important
part of healthy eating because they provide protein, vitamins, and minerals.
The key when youre shopping for meats is to choose lean cuts. Some examples of lean cuts
of meat include 85% to 93% ground round, sirloin, flank steak, or London broil. Trimmed pork
chops, Canadian bacon, or pork tenderloin are examples of lean cuts of pork. Now, these
meat choices may be lean, but they are very flavorful!
When it comes to chicken and turkey, most of the fat is contained in the skin. Even
if you choose to your cook poultry with skin on, remove it before you eat it to save yourself
from consuming excess fat.
Fish and seafood is another category of high-quality protein. Including certain types of fish in
your diet 2 to 3 times a week is recommended for its high omega-3 fatty acid content. Fatty
fish like salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, and even albacore tuna are high in omega-3s.
You can substitute some other foods for meat protein in your diet. Just like meat: eggs,
peanut butter, tofu, cottage cheese, and cheese contain high- quality protein. Take a few
minutes, pause the video, and add your favorite protein choices to your shopping list.
Next, were going to go to the bread and pasta aisle, or what I call the starch aisle. Again,
you can come along with me or click to a different aisle on the screen.
Many people think that pasta and bread (and starchy foods) are taboo for those with diabetes
because starches cause blood sugar to rise.
Its important to know that starches ARE carbohydrates and they will turn to blood sugar, but so
will many other foods such as milk, fruit, legumes, rice,
and cereal. In fact, all carbohydrate foods turn to blood sugar. SoÖthere is no need
to avoid pasta or bread just as there is no need to avoid fruit and milkÖ.
As with everything else in your diet, you have choices here, too.
Whole-grain superfoods including whole-wheat pasta, breads, cereals, and crackers are good
choices. Look for grain choices with 2 or more grams of fiber per serving.
Take a few minutes, pause the video, and add the starchy choices you would enjoy to your
shopping list.
Come on and follow me to the dairy aisle, or you can pick another one now.
Most people know that milk and yogurt help build strong bones and teeth. This is because
they contain calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D. Thatís why the ADA lists fat-free or low-fat
milk and yogurt as a diabetes superfood.
Take a second to add healthy milk and yogurt to your list.
Lets take a stroll through the beverage section of the store. If youd prefer, you may choose
a different aisle. Its no secret that many soft drinks and juices
are loaded with sugar. Always avoid regular soda and energy drinks, fruit punch, and any
other sugar sweetened drinks.
So truth be told, the choices of beverages are simple: water and zero-calorie drinks.
Pause the video to take a look at your choices and add water or zero-calorie drinks to your
list.
Now comes a personal favorite: the dessert section. Good news! Occasional cookies, cakes,
or a scoop of ice cream are not out of the question. Consider saving those sweets for
a special occasion or be willing to use your dessert in place of another carbohydrate at
the meal. This is an example of choice: do you want a cookie for dessert or pasta for
dinner? So now weve gone over the major food groups,
but theres one last aisle I want to take you toóthe cooking oil and ìfatî aisles. Follow
me or go ahead and click another aisle.
When it comes to preparing your foods, liquid vegetable oils offer a nice combination of
flavor and healthy fats. There are a lot of different types, and you may choose any of
many healthy oils.
Limit your use of added fats and try to purchase lite, low-fat, or whipped varieties. See the
examples at the right.
Ill give you a moment to pause the video to write down these cooking oil and fat doís
and doníts. Were just about ready to check out, so if
youíd like to go back to another aisle, feel free.
Before we check out, I do want to give you a couple of quick tips on reading food labels.
While you may choose to read other areas of the label like fat grams or sodium grams,
itís especially important for those of us with diabetes to pay attention to serving
size and net carbohydrate grams.
Always check serving size because thatís what all the information on the Nutrition
Facts label is based on. In other words, the food company is basing their Nutrition Facts
on the ìfactî that you will eat the amount they have listed. So, if the serving size
for crackers is 4, all the nutrition numbers are based on you eating 4 crackers. If you
eat 8 crackers, you would have to double all the numbers on Nutrition Facts.
You may also want to compare the carbohydrate content of two items. When I want to compare
the carbohydrate content of foods, I find the total carb grams and then subtract out
the dietary fiber grams to find my net carb grams. Compare the net carb grams in one item
to the net carb grams in another and you might want to select the choice with the lower net
carb. See the example listed on the screen.
All this shopping has me thinking about the great meals Im going to make when I get home.
And the best part is, by filling up my cart with healthy options, Im betting that whatever
meal I put together will help keep my blood sugar where it needs to be. How will I know?
I use a OneTouch Ultra2 Meter. It allows me to add meal tags to my blood sugar results.
I can even make comments about things like whether I grilled or baked my dinner. Its
really easy to use and it lets me know my numbers in a matter of seconds. I like that.
Well, were ready to check out, so this would be a good time to pause or rewind to make
sure you have everything you need on your list.
Thanks for spending some DTimeTM with me at the grocery store.
And I hope youre excited about filling up your cart with your favorite foods the next
time you make a trip.
Donít forget to spend some more DTimeTM learning about simple ways to eat healthy when you
get home from the store.
Or other topics like the ones you see to the right.
Remember, living with diabetes isnít all-or-nothing. You have the power to make choices. Ill see
you next time.