I have Type 2 diabetes – what can I eat?

From the moment you are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes you are likely to be faced with what seems like an endless list of new tasks.

All the medical appointments, taking medication, stopping smoking (if you smoke), being more active and eating a healthy, balanced diet – no wonder it can all seem so daunting and overwhelming.

One of your first questions is likely to be 'what can I eat?' But with so much to take in, you could still come away from appointments feeling unsure about the answer. And then there are lots of myths about diabetes and food that you'll need to navigate too. You're not alone in this, we're here to help and have suggested ways you can find more support on this page.

Here we explain the basics of eating well when you have Type 2 diabetes and how this can help you manage your diabetes. Some people have even put their diabetes into remission. We've also put together some options to try for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Is there a diabetes diet?

In the past, people were sent away after their diagnosis with a list of foods they weren't allowed to eat, or often told to simply cut out sugar. Long gone are those days of “do's and don'ts”.

The way to go nowadays is to eat a healthy, balanced diet. Try and make changes to your food choices that are realistic and achievable in the long term, this will be different for each person diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes depending on your current diet and the goals you want to achieve.

Many people with Type 2 diabetes make changes to their diet in order to achieve:

• good blood glucose (sugar) levels
• good blood fat levels (cholesterol)
• good blood pressure
• a healthy weight
• diabetes remission.

There's a lot of evidence to say that your diet can affect all of these. If you're overweight, finding a way to lose weight can help you manage your blood sugars, blood pressure and cholesterol. There are different ways to approach to weight loss, including low-carb, Mediterranean and very-low calories diets. 

We've made some tailored meal plans for you to try. They're nutritionally balanced, are calorie and carb counted, and can help if you want to lose weight or keep to a healthy weight. Reducing your overall portion sizes can also help you to lose weight.

Remember to always speak to your healthcare team or see a registered dietitian for specific advice and an eating plan that is tailored to your needs. 

Whether you need to lose weight or not, choosing the healthier foods in the long term will help with your diabetes management and your overall health. 

Is there anything I should avoid?

Before your diabetes was diagnosed, you may have been more thirsty than usual. It is a good idea to avoid sugary drinks and fruit juices as a way of quenching thirst. They can put blood glucose levels up very high and very quickly, and can make you gain weight in the long term. Instead, drink water, sugar-free and diet soft drinks. Tea and coffee are still OK to include, too.

Avoid foods labelled ‘diabetic’ or ‘suitable for diabetics’. These foods contain similar amounts of calories and fat, and they can affect your blood glucose levels. They are usually more expensive and can have a laxative effect. Stick to your usual foods. If you want to have an occasional treat, go for your normal treats and watch your portions.

Also reduce your intake of red and processed meat, and highly processed carbohydrate foods such as white bread, white rice and polished cereals. Eating too much of these foods have been linked to bad health such as increased risk of certain cancers and heart diseases.  

Get our 10 top tips for eating well with diabetes.

What should I eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Having diabetes doesn't stop you from enjoying your usual foods but it's important to make healthier choices more often. Why not try one of these?

Breakfast

• a bowl of cereal with semi-skimmed milk
• 2 slices of wholegrain toast with spread and/or jam
• a fat-free yogurt and fruit.

More ideas for a healthy breakfast.

Lunch

• a chicken or ham salad sandwich...
• a small pasta salad...
• soup and a roll...

...with a piece of fruit and a diet or fat-free yogurt

Tips for healthy lunchtime swaps.

Dinner

• lasagne and salad
• roast chicken with potatoes and vegetables
• beef stir-fry, vegetables and rice
• chicken tortillas and salad
• salmon and noodles
• curry and rice

These ideas may not look much different from what you eat already, and your favourite recipes and meals can usually be adapted to be healthier without you noticing too much difference. Easy changes to make are to:

• reduce the fat, sugar or salt content of your food
• include more fruit and vegetables
• reduce your portion sizes.

Making any of these changes would certainly help. Some people may approach this with radical changes but other may prefer to make small changes in the beginning and build on those. But what really makes the difference in the long term is to involve your diabetes team for ongoing support. This will help you to stick to your changes in the longer term.

What sort of snacks do I need to eat?

It usually isn't necessary to eat snacks between meals if you aren't taking any medication for your Type 2 diabetes. If you treat your diabetes with certain medications that put you at risk of hypos (low blood glucose), you may need a snack to prevent a hypo. However, if your medications are making you snack regularly to prevent hypos, speak to your healthcare team who will review your medications. Regular snacks can make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight, and this can affect your diabetes management in the long term. If you do get peckish between meals, the healthiest snack choices could be a piece of fruit, unsalted nuts or natural unsweetened yogurt. The key is to plan, and watch your portions.

Check out our healthy snack information for more tips.

What is recommended in the long term?

If you are overweight, finding a way to lose excess weight is the best way of managing Type 2 diabetes. And there are lots of different ways to do this. Get our guides to weight loss and managing a healthy weight.

Losing excess weight has been shown to be beneficial in managing blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. There is emerging evidence that losing substantial weight, especially when you are newly diagnosed, can help put your Type 2 diabetes into remission.

Following a healthy, balanced diet can help to control blood glucose, blood fats and blood pressure, as well as helping to maintain a healthy weight. This can help to reduce your risk of diabetes complications, including heart disease and stroke. A healthy, balanced diet  means eating  more fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, pulses, unsalted nuts, and fish especially oily fish and eating less red and processed meat, sugar sweetened beverages and refined carbs such as white bread and white rice. 

The amount of carbohydrates you eat has the biggest effect on your blood glucose levels after eating. Therefore, reducing portions can help manage your glucose levels. It is also important to choose better sources of carbohydrates including wholegrains, pulses, fruits and vegetables and some dairy foods such as unsweetened milk and unsweetened yoghurt.

Get support to eat well

Get support from your healthcare team, and talk to family and friends about how you’re feeling and what they can do to help. If you usually do the cooking at home or someone cooks for you, it can help to read this information together and talk about small swaps and changes you can make in the kitchen. 

Go on a structured education course

Being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes can often feel like there’s a lot to learn. But going on a course can help you understand what diabetes is and how food affects your body.

Ask your healthcare team about getting on a structured education course near you or find out more in our diabetes education section.

Join Learning Zone

Learning Zone is our online education service to help people with diabetes understand and manage their condition successfully. We’ve made a section all about food hacks to help you learn how to make those simple swaps – log into Learning Zone.

Chat about food in our online forum

Our support forum has over 16,000 members. It’s a place to have a chat with someone else who has Type 2 diabetes, ask questions about food, or just read other people’s posts to see what diets are working for them. We’ve got dedicated forum boards for people talking about food, recipes and weight loss. 

Call our helpline

Our helpline is free and our trained counsellors get hundreds of calls about food every week.