Can Peanuts, Honey, and Dates Be A Part of a Diabetic Diet

Carbs, Calories, Cholesterol, and Diabetes

Nutrition planning can be confusing when juggling carbs, calories, and cholesterol on a diabetic diet. Many people believe that there are foods that must be banned from your diabetic diet. A common misconception is that diabetics can never eat sugar. It is true that simple sugars should not be a large part of the diabetic diet but it is more important to gain an understanding about carbohydrates. Diabetics may need to lose weight so counting calories is important. However, the carbs are the culprits that spike your glucose or drop it to the danger level!

Let's take a look at the nutritional makeup of peanuts, honey, and dates.

Peanuts: 1 cup 875 calories 76.5 gm fat 22.3 carbs 0 cholesterol
Honey: 1 Tablespoon 64 calories 0 fat 17.3 carbs 0 cholesterol
Dates: 1 date, pitted 66 calories 0 fat 18 carbs 0 cholesterol


Peanuts, honey, and dates have no cholesterol and therefore will help to lower your LDL. If you are a diabetic you must take a closer look at these foods by portion size. You will notice that 1 cup of peanuts has a whopping 875 calories, 76.5 gm fat, and 22.3 carbs. Clearly, on a weight management program peanuts must be taken in moderation! Honey and dates have nearly 18 carbs per serving! Before reaching a conclusion about adding peanuts, honey, or dates to your diet you must understand some basic information about eating on a diabetic diet.

A diabetic meal plan should include foods from all the basic food groups. Managing your carbohydrate intake means you should eat enough carbohydrates throughout the day to keep your glucose levels within normal ranges without damaging spikes or lows. To accomplish this you should have 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner should have 45 carbs each while your between meal snacks should be about 15 carbs each.

Fat combined with white flour can be as detrimental to your health as eating foods high in sugar content. Potatoes and rice are converted into sugar in the digestive system. Moderation and portion control is the key to managing your diabetes. Eat healthy foods in the right portion to keep your glucose level balanced throughout the day.

Peanuts, dates, and honey are healthy additions to your diet as long as you count your carbs and use portion control.