Stock Up Right!
Reviewed by Staff of Diabetes Digest

Your kitchen is probably the source for most of the food you eat. For this reason, stocking your kitchen with the foods you need and removing foods that are not healthy to have around is important for you to manage your diabetes successfully.

The following is a list of important foods and ingredients that can help you manage your diabetes. Although fresh fruits and vegetables are best, most of the products listed below are easy to store for long periods of time.

If you have these foods on hand, you’ll be able to prepare quick meals, conquer a new healthy recipe and in general eat healthier. (Note: This list is geared toward people who need to lose weight or maintain weight loss, as well as keep blood glucose, blood fats and blood pressure in control. Look for salt-free products whenever possible.)

Vegetables:

•  Frozen and canned
• Tomato products: canned sauce, whole, chopped and paste

Fruits:

Supply of canned (light syrup or no sugar added) and frozen (no syrup); dried fruit (a great portable snack)

Dairy:

• Fat-free milk (calcium-fortified if possible)
• Non-fat dry milk
• Low-fat, or non-fat yogurt as a replacement for sour cream or light sour cream
• Reduced-fat or part-skim cheeses

Starches:

• Frozen or canned corn and peas, canned beans, dried beans and peas
• Flour and corn starch for thickening sauces
• Loaf of whole grain bread
• Bagels
• Tortillas

Fats:

• Oils: stock and use only canola oil and olive oil (Note: they are highest in monounsaturated fats); non-stick pan spray
• Spreads: tub margarine, light butter, Margarine-butter combination or a trans fat-free spread, or stanol and sterol spreads like Benecol or take control.
• Salad dressings: Make your own with olive oil or light mayonnaise, use reduced-calorie commercial, or dilute your regular salad dressing with vinegar or lemon juice
• Nuts: Keep small amounts of a few nuts that you enjoy, use them for snacks and on salads and in stir-fry dishes
• Mayonnaise, cream cheese and sour cream: Take advantage of low or non-fat products that you enjoy
• Protein/Meats
• Frozen chicken breasts, turkey sausage and flank steak
• Canned salmon, tuna or sardines
• Tofu (in boxes)

Grains:

 Assortment of rices, pastas, couscous (cooks in 10 minutes), millet and barley

Seasonings and flavors:

• Garlic or onion powder (Note: fresh is preferable)
• Peppercorns and peppermill
• Lemon and/or lime juice (bottled)
• Cooking wine: red, white, marsala and sherry
• Vinegars: assortment of balsamic, raspberry and red wine
• Mustards: assortment of regular, honey mustard and dijon
• Sauces: teriyaki and soy (low-sodium if needed), salsa, Worcestershire and tabasco
• Bouillon: cubes or packets
• Herbs and spices: dried (Note: buy and stock in small amounts to get maximum flavor)
• Broth: cans of chicken, vegetable and beef (buy low-sodium if sodium is a concern)
• Flavoring syrups: vanilla, maple and strawberry (buy sugar-free if available, use small amounts in coffee, milk and yogurt to satisfy your sweet tooth)

Sweet tooth-satisfying items;

• Hot cocoa packets (sugar-free and/or fat-free)
• Sorbets, frozen yogurt, fresh fruit popsicles, sugar-free or fat-free
• Low-sugar jelly or jam
• Diet gelatin
• Powdered drink mix sweetened with no-calorie sweetener
• No-calorie carbonated and non-carbonated drinks or bottle water
• No-calorie sweetener as sugar replacement
  

Preplanning is a must

If your current style of shopping and preparing meals is “on the fly,” then it is time for a change. This style of feeding yourself typically leaves you light on the healthy foods—fruits, vegetables and whole grains—and heavy on the protein, fats and sugars. Believe it or not, it also costs you time and money. Set aside a few minutes each week to pre-plan what you will need to have on hand to eat well. This strategy will serve you well.

 Shopping for and preparing healthy meals will be much easier if you stock your kitchen with the healthy basics and deplete your supply of foods that leads you astray. Also, keep a running shopping list. As you use up an item from your stock supplies, replace it so you have it on hand when you need it. And always have foods on hand to prepare a few fast meals, such as pasta with turkey sausage in tomato sauce, pizza, soup, cheese quesadillas or tuna fish sandwiches.