Foods for Diabetic Athletes

According to the American Diabetes Association, 23.6 million Americans, or 7.8 percent of the population, have diabetes as of 2009. Thousands of diabetics across the country are also athletes, which makes it even more difficult for them to keep their blood sugar at safe levels. The American Diabetes Association uses the glycemic index (GI) to measure how different types of carbohydrate-containing foods affect blood glucose levels. Diabetic athletes should have a diet that consists of foods with low GI ratings.

Fruits

Diabetic athletes should have a diet that includes specific types of fruits. Not every type of fruit should be included in a diabetic athletic diet. Many fruits have extremely low GI scores while other fruits contain very high GI scores. According to the American Diabetes Association, fruits with a low GI score, under 30, include cherries, grapefruit, plums and peaches. Fruits are also very high in fiber, which is also beneficial for a diabetic athlete. Fruit salads are a great meal for a diabetic athlete because they provide for long-lasting sustained energy and are an excellent source of fiber. When creating your fruit salad, be sure to avoid sultanas, watermelon, pineapples and mangoes, because they have GI scores over 50.

Vegetables

A diet for a diabetic athlete should always contain large amounts of vegetables. Vegetables contain lots of fiber along with extremely low GI ratings. Foods with low GI ratings are digested slowly, which provides long-lasting, sustained energy for athletes. Red peppers, green beans, mushrooms, cabbage and tomatoes all have a GI score under 20, which make them great for a diabetic athlete.

Beans

Diabetic athletes can add beans to any salad to make it even more healthy and tasty. Butter beans, navy beans, yellow split beans, red lentils and green lentils all have a GI rating under 40. Beans have extremely high levels of fiber, which make them perfect for diabetic athletes. You can also eat beans as a meal an hour before an athletic event for a great pre-game meal.

Nuts

If you are a diabetic athlete, then you should strongly consider adding nuts to your meals. Many nuts, such as cashews, walnuts and peanuts, have fairly low GI scores under 30. Nuts are high in calories, though, so don't have too many. You can add nuts to a salad or eat them by themselves as a snack.

Milk

According to Amy Goodson, a registered sports dietitian with Ben Hogan Sports and TCU athletics, milk is an excellent post-game recovery snack for athletes. Coincidentally, milk also has a low GI rating of under 30, which makes it ideal for diabetic athletes.