Stock Your Fridge with These 5 Foods When You Have Diabetes

A well-balanced diet is essential to help people with diabetes achieve better blood glucose control. Keeping the right foods on-hand makes it easier to maintain a healthy daily diet. Make sure to stock your fridge with these 5 fantastic foods when you have diabetes.

• Fruits make an excellent quick breakfast on-the-go when added to protein and are also tasty snacks. Keep in-season fruits in your refrigerator, such as apples, pears and blueberries. These sweet treats are easy to eat and provide essential fiber and antioxidants. They can also help ward off your cravings for sugary snacks. Keep easy-to-peel citrus fruits in the refrigerator to get your essential daily dose of vitamin C along with other important nutrients. Try yummy oranges, grapefruits and tangerines to add some color and flavor to your diet.
• Certain dairy products boost your energy and provide important nutrients such as calcium. Make sure to keep low fat plain and Greek yogurt in the refrigerator to eat as a snack. Add berries for more taste. Keep string cheese on-hand to grab as a fast snack. Shredded cheese, when used sparingly, can add dimension to your meals including salads and soup. Low-fat or fat-free milk is a source of vitamin D, protein and calcium, making it a perfect addition to any snack or meal.
• Eggs are an excellent source of protein, vitamins and minerals to boost your metabolism and give you more energy to fuel your day. Omelets are a perfect meal anytime of the day. Use egg whites, skim milk and sautéed vegetables such as spinach and peppers to create a tantalizing culinary delight. Keep hard-cooked eggs in the refrigerator as a quick go-to item for breakfast or lunch. This is a much better option than reaching for packaged foods or fast foods. Talk to your doctor about how many egg yolks you should eat in a week. Egg whites are considered free.
• Adding fiber to your daily diet gives you energy and essential nutrients. High fiber breads should be stored in the refrigerator. High fiber breads are a great source of fiber, protein and B vitamins. Make a sandwich using lean tuna or chicken with vegetables and fruit. This is a perfect, quick meal anytime that is a much healthier choice than going to the local drive-thru window.
• Make it easy to add more greens to your diet by keeping packaged salad and shredded cabbage in your fridge. Serve salad greens with a few almonds, croutons and lean, grilled chicken for a delightful lunch or dinner. Have Walden Farms dressing’s on-hand to add flavor to your salads without adding unwanted fat, sugar or salt. Walden Farms also makes sugar-free, fat-free dipping sauces to enhance the flavor of everything from chopped vegetables to fruit. Shredded cabbage can be used as a filler to add volume to salads, stir-fries and soup without packing on a lot of calories.

Evaluate the contents of your refrigerator to ensure you always have plenty of healthy food on-hand to satisfy your hunger. This helps you stay away from unhealthy foods and makes meal planning easier. Stocking these 5 foods is a great way to jumpstart your efforts to have a better diet and achieve optimum well-being.