O MeA e tAtAU OnA e IlOA - Australian Diabetes Council

Common questions about food and diabetes - continued
Can I eat unlimited vegetables?
Vegetables provide an excellent source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. Recommendations for
vegetables are five or more servings a day. One serve of vegetables is equal to ½ cup cooked
vegetables or 1 cup salad or 1 medium potato* or ½ cup cooked legumes*. Most vegetables
have very little impact on blood glucose levels and weight. These vegetables are referred
to as free foods and can be included in unlimited quantities (e.g. lu’au leaves, cabbage,
pumpkin, capsicum, lettuce, cucumber, tomato).
*Starchy vegetables (that is, potato, sweet potato, corn, taro, cassava, sweet potato, kumara
and legumes) do contain carbohydrate. This means they are broken down into glucose to
provide the body with energy. Starchy vegetables can be included as part of a healthy eating
plan in moderate amounts to help manage blood glucose levels.
Are “diet” foods suitable?
Not all diet foods or foods marked “suitable for people with diabetes” are useful for people
with diabetes. Often they can be quite high in kilojoules or may have a lot of fat in them. Also
they can often be quite expensive.
Diet foods that you should avoid are:
• Diabetic chocolate. These are usually high in fat.
• Diet or low carbohydrate beer. These beers are still high in alcohol. It is the alcohol that is
more of a problem than the carbohydrate content.
Some diet foods are fine for people with diabetes. These are foods that normally may be
high in added sugar. Replacing the sugar with a sweetener such as Equal, Splenda and
Sugarine means you do not have to worry that they will raise your blood glucose level too
high. These include:
• Diet soft drinks
• Diet cordials
• Diet jellies.
What foods can I eat if I am always hungry?
If you are often hungry, make sure you are not overly restricting how much you eat just to
keep your blood glucose levels down. This is especially important for children, adolescents
and the elderly. Speak to your dietitian about what is the right amount of food for you.
If you are eating the right amount of food and are still hungry, try to include high fibre, low
fat and low glycemic index foods in your meals and snacks. They can help to keep you
feeling fuller for longer.
Some foods can be eaten without affecting your blood glucose level or body weight. These
are the kind of foods you should aim to eat if you are still hungry. These foods are often
called “free” foods. They include:
• Most vegetables except the starchy vegetables (taro, cassava, kumara, potato, sweet
potato, corn, legumes), avocado and olives.
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