A healthy diet and lifestyle can help you maintain a healthy weight and prevent type 2 diabetes. Managing your diabetes is important to prevent heart disease and other diabetes complications.
Seafood is one smart option for reducing cholesterol and preventing coronary heart disease. Besides containing high levels of omega-3s, seafood is Mashed with iodine, selenium, zinc, vitamin D, calcium, and protein. However, you may wonder how seafood is beneficial for people with diabetes.
First, it’s free from carbohydrates. And, as you may know, carbohydrates affect your blood glucose levels. Moreover, it contains low amounts of trans and saturated fats, which is extremely beneficial for people with diabetes.
Maintaining optimal health, low cholesterol levels, and a healthy heart lowers the chances of many diabetes-related complications. What’s more, seafood contains omega-3s which are great fighters against cholesterol, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
What Seafood Is Best for People with Diabetes
1. Salmon
Salmon is loaded with “healthy” omega-3 fatty acids which help improve your skin, heart, brain, and more. In other words, it helps prevent many health complications related to diabetes.
You can poach, broil, and bake it in the oven at 400 degrees. Salmon is just delicious when grilled. It goes well with dill and some lemon juice.
2. Tilapia
This fish is rich in protein but low in fat, which makes it great for those with diabetes. It’s easily available and even easier to prepare. You can sauté it in a nonstick pan with a touch of stock or white wine and a little cooking spray.
Combine the tilapia fillets with roasted or steamed vegetables and a whole-wheat roll or brown rice.
3. Cod
Cod makes slightly firmer fillets than tilapia, so you can use bolder seasoning, grilling, and other more aggressive cooking methods. Keep in mind that the thinner the cod fillet, the quicker it’ll cook.
If you have thick fillets, don’t forget to flip them over during cooking. Also, you can marinate them before cooking. Take a closer look at the store-bought marinade ingredients, and avoid those high in sugar or salt.
4. Trout
One of the best examples of fish rich in omega-3s is the rainbow trout. You can bake or broil it with some citrus juice or nonsalt seasoning. The important thing to keep in mind when cooking seafood is not to use too much salt.
Instead, use some flavorful herbs and keep your healthy trout free from salt.
5. Shrimp
In comparison with other types of seafood, shrimp is high in cholesterol. So, a lot of people with diabetes who are trying to prevent high cholesterol might avoid it.
However, a healthy serving of this seafood once per week, or once in 2 weeks won’t influence your diabetes diet or heart health. In fact, a three to four once of shrimp serving contains as much cholesterol as an egg.
6. Other Shellfish
Crab, lobster shells, and other shellfish are healthy seafood that doesn’t have to be hard to prepare. Instead of adding salt to the cooking water, try bay leaf seasoning. In this way, your shellfish will be tastier and much healthier.
7. Canned Tuna and Salmon
Canned tuna and salmon are cheaper types of seafood to have as part of your weekly fish-eating goal. Both of them are shelf-stable staples that can become a delicious addition to the diet of anyone with diabetes.
What’s more, you can choose a lower calorie and almost fat-free version by choosing fish canned in water than in oil. Combine it with some mustard or plain yogurt to make delicious salad toppings or sandwich fillings.
8. Sardines
Not only that canned sardines are cheap, but they are also healthy for people with diabetes. They contain high levels of vitamin D and calcium, as well as omega-3s, which makes them a great addition to a diabetes diet.
However, skip brands high in salt. You can have sardines on their own, or added to other dishes. What’s more, you can even try grilling them fresh.
Other great seafood sources of omega-3 fatty acids include bream, oysters, mussels, mullet, snapper, and barramundi.
There are even some studies that show that eating seafood regularly, twice a week, may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes in populations with a high prevalence of overweight and obesity.
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