What Is a Diabetes Meal Plan?
While there is no specific diet for people with diabetes, your diabetes meal plan covers three important areas: Healthy foods in healthy amounts, eaten with healthy timing in mind. It helps you control your blood sugar, maintain a healthy weight, and keep your risk of heart disease low. This way of eating can prevent, control, and may even help reverse the disease.
Diabetes Diet Plan: Recommended Foods
A good diabetes meal plan includes a variety of healthy foods. A mixture of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, and fat helps you manage your blood sugar better and stay full longer. Focus on whole foods instead of processed foods.
There are four types of nutrients in food that can affect your blood sugar. Create your diabetes meal plan with these nutrients:
Healthy carbohydrates
Carbohydrates include the sugars, starches, and fiber in food. Choose whole, unrefined carbohydrates, which can help you feel full, control your blood sugar, boost digestion, and lower cholesterol.
Examples of healthy, unrefined carbohydrates include:
- Whole grains like quinoa, oats, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta or bread
- Low-sugar fruits like blueberries and raspberries
- Vegetables like broccoli, collard greens, and squash
- Low-fat dairy products like milk and unsweetened yogurt
- Lentils, beans, and peas (also known as legumes and pulses)
Fiber-rich foods
Fiber is found in plant-based foods. Your body can't break down or absorb fiber, but it helps move food through your digestive system. It can help you feel fuller after a meal, which makes it easier to manage your weight. Fiber also helps keep your blood sugar and cholesterol under control.
Examples of fiber-rich foods include:
- Vegetables
- Whole fruits (instead of fruit juices, which can make your blood sugar rise)
- Whole grains
- Nuts
- Beans, lentils, and peas
Protein
Your body digests protein more slowly than carbohydrates, which can help you feel fuller longer. Protein also helps build muscle and repair cells, including skin cells. This is important for people with diabetes, whose skin may be slower to heal.
Some proteins are healthier than others. Examples of healthy protein foods for your diabetes meal plan include:
- Lean meats like skinless chicken and turkey breast
- Seafood such as cod, tilapia, and tuna
- Eggs
- Low-fat dairy foods like plain yogurt and low-fat milk and cheese
- Plant-based protein including nut butters, tofu, and beans
Good fats
Fat helps your body in many ways. It stores energy, helps cells grow, and protects organs. Good fats can also reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other health problems, including heart disease and some cancers. Fats that are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated can boost heart health by lowering your unhealthy LDL cholesterol. But good fats are high in calories, so small portions are best.
Include these good fats in your meals:
- Nuts
- Olive oil and olives
- Avocados
- Omega-3 fatty acids (found in oily fish like sardines and salmon, walnuts, and flaxseeds)
Check your blood sugar before and after meals. Look for patterns between what you eat and drink and your blood sugar levels after. You also may want to track how many grams or servings of carbohydrates you eat with each meal and try to keep it about the same from meal to meal. This can also help you take charge of your blood sugar.
Diabetes Diet: Foods to Avoid
Knowing what foods to avoid can be just as important for maintaining your blood sugar and weight. Here are foods that you should try to avoid or limit:
Simple and refined carbohydrates. Simple and refined carbohydrates are less nutritious and low in fiber compared to complex and unrefined carbohydrates. They can also increase your risk of heart disease.
Simple and refined carbohydrates include highly processed foods like sugary snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages. Other refined carbohydrates are white rice and pastas and crackers made with white flour.
High-calorie, high-fat proteins. Proteins that are high in calories and fat can upset the balance in your healthy diabetes meal plan. Your heart health also depends on lean proteins that reduce your risk of developing clogged and hardened arteries. Go easy on high-fat proteins like certain cuts of beef, pork (including sausage and bacon), and egg yolks.
Saturated fats. Saturated fat raises your blood cholesterol. You can find it in high-fat animal protein like bacon and sausage, high-fat dairy like butter, full-fat cheese, and ice cream, plus coconut oil and chicken skin.
Trans fats. Also called hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil, trans fats are liquid oils that become a solid fat. They are more harmful than saturated fat when it comes to blood cholesterol levels. Ingredients like stick margarines and shortening contain trans fats, as do processed foods like some chips, cookies, and fast food french fries.
Cholesterol. Your cholesterol count is made up of the natural cholesterol in your blood plus the cholesterol that comes from food. Watch out for high-fat dairy and high-fat animal products, plus egg yolks, liver, and other organ meats.
Sodium. Don’t forget to watch salt, too. That's part of healthy eating with diabetes. Eating less sodium has been shown to help prevent and treat high blood pressure. Read labels and choose foods that are low in sodium. Learn more about reading food labels and grocery shopping with diabetes.
Sample Diabetes Meal Plan
Eating a healthy, balanced diet when you have diabetes doesn't mean you can't eat foods that taste good. In the sample menu and recipes below, the meals have a good balance of protein and fat and a great source of fiber. You can plug them into your diet -- in the right portion sizes -- along with the other fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy, protein, or fats in your plan.
Here's how you might work in a high-fiber carbohydrate along with some lean protein and "good" fat.
High-fiber carbs:
Whole-grain cereal (hot or cold) with fruit
Whole-grain bread, English muffin, or bagel
Whole-grain waffles or pancakes with fruit
Lean protein (low in saturated fat):
A higher omega-3 egg blended with 2 egg whites for an egg dish. Add vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, or tomatoes.
Low-fat milk or soy milk for your cereal or as a beverage
Part skim-milk cheese added to your omelet
Low-fat or nonfat yogurt with fruit or cereal, or in a smoothie
Smart fats:
Avocado added to your omelet
Nuts for cereals or a yogurt parfait
Extra virgin olive oil used in omelet
Canola oil used in whole-grain muffins, pancakes, or waffles
Lunch
A sandwich or wrap with whole-grain bread or tortilla and a lean protein such as:
Skinless chicken or salmon
Part skim-milk cheese or soy cheese
Water-packed tuna dressed in vinaigrette
A bean-based lunch such as:
Bean burrito with whole-grain tortilla
Hummus with whole grain-bread or vegetable dippers
Vegetarian or lean-meat chili or bean stew
Main-course salad made with:
Dark green lettuce
Lots of vegetables
Lean meat, fish, beans, or cheese plus avocado and nuts, if desired
Dressing made with extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, or yogurt
Dinner
High-fiber carb choices:
Cooked grains like brown rice, quinoa, barley, bulgur, or amaranth
Whole wheat bread, tortilla, pita bread, or buns
Colorful vegetables on the side or in the main course
Dark green lettuce for a side or dinner salad
Fresh fruit on the side or with the entrée
Lean protein (low in saturated fat):
Grilled or baked fish, by itself or in a mixed dish such as tacos
Skinless poultry -- grilled, baked, or stir-fried
Lean beef or pork -- sirloin, tenderloin -- with no visible fat
Part skim-milk cheese in entrees, such as eggplant parmesan, vegetarian pizza on whole wheat crust, vegetable lasagna, or enchiladas
Smart fats:
A sensible amount of extra virgin olive oil or canola oil used for cooking
Nuts added to entrée or side dishes
Avocado or olives with entrée or side dishes
Healthy Snacks
Cucumber slices with hummus
Canned tuna on whole grain crackers
Apples with peanut or almond butter
The Diabetes Plate Method
Use the Diabetes Plate Method to make meal planning simple. This approach can be used to create different healthy diabetes meal plans at home. Here’s how to do it:
- Start with a plate that's not too small or large (about 9 inches wide).
- Fill half the plate with vegetables. Choose non-starchy vegetables like leafy greens, broccoli, squash, or asparagus. These low-carbohydrate vegetables won't increase your blood sugar, and are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
- Fill one quarter of the plate with lean protein like skinless chicken, fish, cottage cheese, or plant-based protein.
- Fill one quarter of the plate with healthy carbohydrates. Choose whole grains, beans, fruits, dairy products, or starchy vegetables like butternut squash or potatoes.
- Drink water or a low-calorie, unsweetened beverage with your meal.
Takeaways
Following a diabetes meal plan can prevent, control, and even reverse the disease. Your meal plan needs four types of nutrients that can affect your blood sugar, including healthy carbohydrates, fiber-rich foods, protein, and good fats. Learning which foods to avoid is also important for people with diabetes.
Diabetes Meal Plan FAQs
What is the best meal for people with diabetes?
The best meal for people with diabetes is a plate of mostly non-starchy vegetables and smaller amounts of lean protein and healthy carbohydrates.
What foods can those with diabetes eat freely?
People with diabetes can eat non-starchy vegetables freely, especially leafy greens.
What foods reduce blood sugar?
Fiber-rich foods can help maintain blood sugar levels. Eating a balance of lean protein with starchier foods can also help keep blood sugar in check.
Can people with diabetes eat rice?
People with diabetes can eat rice, but they should choose brown rice instead of white rice. Brown rice is a whole grain that can help control your blood sugar.
Which vegetable is best for diabetes?
Non-starchy vegetables are important in a diabetes meal plan. They won't increase your blood sugar, are low in calories and are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Is a 1,200-calorie meal plan good for people with diabetes?
A 1,200-calorie meal plan may be good for some people with diabetes, but for most people it won't be enough calories. Talk to your doctor to figure out how many calories you need each day.
