Avoid trans fats: A lot of processed foods contain trans fats, particularly those that contain partially hydrogenated oil . Potato skins, wholegrain bread and breakfast cereals, brown rice, and wholewheat pasta are all good sources of this kind of fibre.

Choose whole grains. Whole grains are better sources than refined grains of fiber and other important nutrients, such as B vitamins. Refined grains go through a process that strips out parts of the grain — along with some of the nutrients and fiber. Foods can be prepared in ways that are good for you and not as good for you. Here are a few ways to spot healthier choices in each of these nutrient groups. Some types of fibre found in fruits and vegetables – such as apples, carrots, potatoes – and in oats and pulses can be partly digested and may help reduce the amount of cholesterol in your blood. Tips for eating more starchy foods Carbs such as whole grains, non-starchy vegetables, whole fruits, and legumes have been shown to be healthful.

Certainly, if you’ve got type 1 diabetes and are on a basal bolus regime or insulin pump, many of you will have attended a course or had a one-to-one session with your health care professional. These teach you how to carb count and enable you to effectively match insulin dose to the carb containing foods you are eating or drinking. This can give you greater flexibility in terms of diet and routine.

Low carb diets tend to have more dramatic weight loss results in the short term, but extremely low carb diets are not maintainable. [1] Diabetes diet, eating, and physical activity. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/diet-eating-physical-activity. Accessed Feb. 24, 2022. This is the amount of bolus insulin you need to inject at meals for a certain amount of carbohydrate.If you know how many grams of carbohydrate are in a meal and your insulin-to-carb ratio then you can work out the number of units of bolus insulin you need to take for the meal. So if your meal had 70g of carbohydrate and your insulin to carbohydrate ratio was 1 unit of bolus insulin for every 10g carbohydrate, then you'd need to take 7 units of bolus insulin. But there's no need to throw out your favourite recipes and cookbooks. Taking the time to work out the carbohydrate values of your day-to-day meals helps you build up a personal reference list that you can use again and again. 5. Restaurant and cafe nutrition information CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta says that counting calories is not enough to lose weight. What is also needed it increasing your metabolism ( see how) and decreasing your appetite. Counting calories and restricting carbs can be overdone, and these two dieting methods are very popular among those suffering from anorexia. Leave potato skins on where possible, to keep more of the fibre and vitamins. For example, eat the skin when you have boiled or baked potatoes. High-carb diets from sugary and starchy sources have been shown to lead to increased weight gain. Excessive weight gain can raise the occurrence of diabetes.

All food contains calories. Examples of calorie-rich foods include animal fats, such as lard and fish oil, vegetable oil, salad dressing, peanut butter, candy bars, cheese, fried foods and processed meat such as sausages. Rice and grains are an excellent choice of starchy food. They give us energy, are low in fat, and good value for money.

Carbohydrates: How carbs fit into a healthy diet

Your diabetes healthcare team will help you work this out and, eventually, you might even have a different insulin-to-carb ratio for each meal. They will usually estimate your starting insulin-to-carb ratio and then fine-tune this based on your blood sugar control.

Feldman M, et al. Digestion and absorption of dietary fat, carbohydrate, and protein. In: Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 11th ed. Elsevier; 2021. http://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Feb. 24, 2022. However, completely cutting out any type of food from your diet could mean you miss out on a range of nutrients that you need to stay healthy. Increasingly, people with type 2 diabetes who use insulin are being taught about carb counting, both on courses or in consultation with their health care professional. Being aware of the amount of carbs in food and drinks is important for everyone with diabetes, but carb counting is really helpful if you use basal and bolus insulin. Once you’ve got to grips with estimating the amount of carbohydrate you are going to eat and drink, you'll need to know your insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio.American Journal of Public Health : “Effects of Soft Drink Consumption on Nutrition and Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Wholewheat or wholegrain are healthier than ordinary pasta, as they contain more fibre. We digest wholegrain foods slower than refined grains, so they can help us feel full for longer. Bread, especially wholemeal, granary, brown and seeded varieties, is a healthy choice to eat as part of a balanced diet.