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Our diabetes
educators can
help you find
more ways
to thrive with
diabetes. Call
417-328-7957.
Look for in-season berries—they taste the
best and are more affordable than out-of-
season fruit. Just wash and enjoy. You can
also buy frozen berries.
Tomatoes.
Is it a fruit? Is it a
vegetable? Brimming with vitamins
C, E and A, as well as iron, a tomato
is good for you no matter how you
slice it. If fresh tomatoes aren’t for
you, cooked tomatoes also offer
plenty of nutrients. And officially,
tomatoes are a fruit, although they
are treated like vegetables in most
Americans’ kitchens.
Dark-green, leafy
vegetables.
According to the ADA,
you can’t eat too many dark-green, leafy
foods, such as spinach, bok choy, broccoli,
kale, chard and greens (including mustard,
collard, turnip and dandelion greens). In
general, the darker the green, the better
it is for you. Greens are low in calories
and carbohydrates. But that doesn’t mean
they’re wimpy. These veggies contain
generous amounts of vitamins A and C,
calcium, and iron.
Fish high in omega-3 fatty
acids.
Fish such as salmon and
albacore tuna, with large amounts of
omega-3s, are also a great source of
protein and vitamin D and are low in
saturated fat. Omega-3s are good
for your heart and help lower
triglycerides (a type
of blood fat). Aim
to eat 6 to 9 ounces
of fish per week. Avoid
breaded and deep-fat-fried
fish. Bake or grill fish, and
season it with herbs and lemon
juice—not salt.
Whole grains.
Rolled oats, pearled
barley, whole wheat and
rye are all examples of
whole grains—they still
have the germ and bran
intact. By comparison,
processed grains, such
as enriched wheat flour,
don’t have these essential
parts—which means
they don’t contain the
nutrients you need. Whole
grains are a good source
of fiber, magnesium,
chromium, omega-3 fatty
acids and folate.
Nuts.
Walnuts, peanuts, almonds
and pecans—pick your favorites and
enjoy. They are packed with protein
and are also high in folate, niacin,
fiber, magnesium, selenium, zinc and
unsaturated fats (the healthy kind).
A handful of nuts makes a healthful
snack that may reduce your risk of
heart disease and some forms of
cancer. But don’t overdo it—nuts are
also high in calories.