McDonalds There's actually quite a few choices that a person with diabetes can enjoy at McDonald's… My recommendations are: Hamburger or cheeseburger with small or medium french fries with water. Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich with snack size Fruit & Walnut Salad.
A regular Big Mac (with cheese and sauce) contains 540 calories and raises your blood sugar to abnormal levels. Junk food triggers your brain's reward system by releasing a surge of 'feel-good' chemicals – such as the neurotransmitter dopamine – which induce feelings of pleasure.
French fries, potato chips, and doughnuts are particularly bad choices for diabetics because they're made with carb-heavy, starchy ingredients, which can cause blood glucose levels to shoot up.
Avoid Fried Foods Like French Fries and Chicken Nuggets
Fried foods are usually breaded, which can add up to lots of carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, and calories, says Kimberlain. Too much fat in your diet can lead to weight gain, she adds, which can worsen type 2 diabetes.
Fried Chicken Restaurants
In general, poultry is a smart choice while following a diabetes-friendly diet—except when it's breaded or dipped in flour and fried. This version adds not just carbs but saturated fat and calories as well to menu items at restaurants like KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) and Popeyes.
French fries are a food you may want to steer clear of, especially if you have diabetes. Potatoes themselves are relatively high in carbs. One medium potato contains 34.8 grams of carbs, 2.4 of which come from fiber ( 53 ).
Soups, vegetable sticks with dips, olives, undressed salads, chicken tikka, grilled shish and seekh kebabs are generally healthier choices than spring rolls, samosas and pakoras. Naans are often very large; they're made with low-fibre white flour and may be drenched in butter.
“When ordering Chinese, focus on dishes packed full of lean proteins and vegetables with limited rice and noodles,” advises Palinski-Wade, who suggests ordering steamed chicken and broccoli with the sauce on the side.
Burger: You can have a burger, but consider forgoing the bun. Top with lettuce, tomato and onion, and skip the condiments to avoid unnecessary sugars. Bean salad: Beans are a good option. While baked beans tend to be higher in sugar, a light bean salad is a great choice.
Quarter Pounder (No Bun) 360 calories and 9 grams carb. Regular size Bacon Egg and Cheese (No Biscuit) 190 calories and 4 grams carb. Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich (No Bun) 160 calories and 2 grams carb. Pair any of these with the side salad and you have yourself a perfect low carb meal!
These types of carbs are digested more slowly, keeping blood sugar levels even. Even comfort foods, such as macaroni and cheese can be diabetes-friendly!
The short answer to this question is yes, people with diabetes can enjoy all types of pizza. However, it's a good idea for all people, not just those with diabetes, to limit their intake of pizza.
Aside from breakfast - Yes, you can enjoy a genuine Subway sandwich if you have diabetes. You'll need to forego the white bread and instead pick the 9-grain wheat bread. Subway creates this delicious bread completely from whole wheat. If you pick a mini whole wheat sandwich, then you are looking at 27 carbs.
In case you didn't get the memo: Yes, those of us with diabetes CAN eat ice cream. Even though some outside the diabetes community don't think so, and they try to convince us we can't or shouldn't, the fact remains that an ice cream sundae or vanilla waffle cone every once in a while isn't going to kill us.
Breakfast ideas for people with diabetes include the old faithful Egg McMuffin which, according to the McDonald's website, will provide just 300 calories, 18 grams of protein and 12 grams of fat.
People with diabetes can eat pasta but should choose whole grain types and watch their portion size. Diabetes-friendly pasta recipes may include alternative types of pasta, along with healthy vegetables, protein, and low-fat sauces.
There's a myth about chocolate and diabetes. But you can eat chocolate, just in moderation and not too often. Try not to eat a lot in one go as it affects your blood sugar levels. If you snack on chocolate regularly it may start to increase your cholesterol levels and make it more difficult to manage your weight.
Is steak OK for diabetics? If you're choosing cuts of meat with less marbling, steak can certainly fit into a diabetes-friendly diet in moderation.
Fast foods are not the best option for people with diabetes, as they offer a number of foods high in sugar, salt, and fat. Even healthier options are often still highly processed. People should check their blood sugar 2 hours after a fast food meal to see how it has affected them.
Make an open-faced sandwich, using thin sandwich bread to lower carbohydrate counts, or turn it into a wrap with low-carb tortillas or lettuce. Select lean, low-salt deli meats, such as roast turkey. Use low-fat mayonnaise, or replace it with other spreads, such as mustard, pesto, hummus, yogurt, or avocado.
Choose Grilled Fish instead of Fried Fish
In addition, fried food is often wrapped in a breading of flour, which is rich in carbohydrates and causes glycemic peaks. For these reasons, you can enjoy a delicious dish greatly reducing the negative effects by choosing Fish and Chips with grilled cod instead of fried.
According to the diabetes association, starchy vegetables, like potatoes, are perfectly okay to include in a healthy diabetes diet. Being a complex carbohydrate, starch generally takes longer to break down in the body than simple sugars like sucrose. Therefore, starchier potatoes are the best for type 2 diabetes.