Planning your meals
Eating for diabetes isn’t about going on a diet. It’s about making
small, healthy changes to make your eating habits more balanced.
One or two high fat, sugar or salty foods won’t undo all your good
work. Use the ideas on the following pages to plan your meals over the day.
Breakfast
All breakfast cereals are fine. The best choices for your diabetes control and for satisfying your appetite include varieties like porridge, branflakes, all bran and fruit ‘n’ fibre. Add semi skimmed or skimmed milk, and try adding fruit to notch up a portion towards your five-a-day target early in the day. You can use any fruit and it can be fresh, frozen, stewed, canned or dried. A small glass of unsweetened fruit juice can count towards one of your five a day, but no matter how much you drink fruit juice can only count as one portion in any one day. Some people find it affects blood glucose levels quickly so it’s not the best choice for quenching your thirst.
Bread, toast, bread muffins and crumpets are a good alternative to cereal. All are fine but wholegrain and granary versions are better for your diabetes control and may make you feel fuller for longer. Choose a low fat spread or one based on monounsaturated fat such as Bertolli or Mono or supermarkets own brands. Ordinary jams and marmalades or reduced sugar versions are okay too.
Lunch
Making time for lunch helps you to ensure that you spread your food out over the day. This is good for controlling your appetite as well as your diabetes. Lean meat, fish, eggs, beans, pulses, soups and salads are all good choices. Try these with granary bread, toast, pitta bread, jacket potatoes, pasta or rice.
For a better balance try adding some extra salad and follow lunch with a piece of fruit or a low fat or diet yogurt.
Main meal
Try to have a balanced main meal every day. Using your plate as a rough guide will help you to eat foods in the recommended proportions (see below).
