6 Easy Meal-Planning Tips to Manage Diabetes

Controlling your blood sugar doesn't have to mean bland, boring meals. Try these simple ways to flavor up your meal.

When someone gets diagnosed with diabetes, they often assume that their diet has to become extreme. They either think that they need to cut carbs to the bare minimum and eat mostly meats and other animal products, or they envision that every meal needs to be a big, boring salad (dressing on the side).

“Both extremes are incorrect,” says Virginia-based dietitian Jill Weisenberger, R.D.N., author of Diabetes Weight Loss: Week by Week. Not only is a healthy diabetes diet a balanced one—which means eating a variety of foods, including carbohydrates—it can also be super flavorful.

“There are many ways to jazz up your meals and not raise your blood sugar,” says dietitian Toby Smithson, R.D.N., founder of DiabetesEveryDay.com and author of Diabetes Meal Planning and Nutrition for Dummies.

Below, find six strategies you can use to eat well and manage your diabetes.

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Diabetes Strategy #1: Divide Your Plate

For a simple way to determine portion sizes without measuring, and to make sure your meals are balanced, divide your plate into four equal parts. Fill two of the quadrants with non-starchy vegetables, such as leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, asparagus, green beans, eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, or tomatoes—raw, like in a salad, or steamed or stir-fried.

Then fill a quarter of the plate with a lean protein such as chicken, turkey, fish, beans, eggs, or soy-based foods like tofu. Fill the last quarter of your plate with a starchy food, like one of the recommendations below.

Diabetes Strategy #2: Upgrade Your Carb Choices

Make minimally processed food choices most of the time, Weisenberger recommends. Intact whole grains like brown rice and quinoa provide a host of needed nutrients, making them a good choice for that last quadrant of your plate. And less refined foods like whole wheat bread and crackers typically provide greater nutrition than ultra-processed foods like white bread. “Fruit is nearly always a good choice,” she adds.

Diabetes Strategy #3: Choose Heart-Healthy Fats

“Having diabetes increases your risk of heart disease,” Weisenberger says, and eating unhealthy trans fats and saturated fats adds to that risk.

Instead of cooking with margarine or butter, and consuming high-fat dairy products, choose options like olive oil or canola oil, and low-fat or fat-free dairy. Nuts, seeds, nut or seed butters, and avocado are other sources of heart-healthy fats.

Diabetes Strategy #4: Plan Your Mealtimes

"Try to space out your meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) to about four hours apart to help maintain on-target blood sugar," Smithson recommends. By making sure that your meals are balanced and contain fiber and healthy fats, you'll be more likely to stay fuller longer in between them.

Also, don’t skip meals. “This often leads to larger meals and more carbs at those meals, which can negatively impact blood sugar management,” explains dietitian Lori Zanini, R.D., author of The Diabetes Cookbook & Meal Plan for the Newly Diagnosed.

Diabetes Strategy #5: Stay Hydrated

“Adequate hydration helps improve the function of organs, helps improve metabolic health, and can also aid in blood sugar stabilization,” Zanini says. If you don’t like plain water, try adding a squeeze of citrus. You can also enjoy unsweetened seltzer, tea, and coffee. Learn more by reading The 3 Best Drinks to Manage Blood Sugar (and 2 to Avoid) here.

Recommended FREE SilverSneakers On-Demand Class: Body Hydration Tips for Seniors

Diabetes Strategy #6: Treat Yourself (But Only Occasionally)

Desserts and high-carb meals like spaghetti can fit into a diabetes eating plan. "When you want to treat yourself to sweets or other special foods, instead of adding them in, swap them for the carb-containing foods in your usual meal," Weisenberger says.

"When you eat excessive amounts of carbohydrate at one time, your blood sugar will also become excessive. But if, for example, you swap the 30 grams of carbs in cookies for 30 grams of carbohydrate in fruit and brown rice, your blood sugar will be more moderate," she says.

Or, if you crave pasta, balance out your meal by adding more lower-carb foods like vegetables or proteins to your plate, Smithson says. Keep in mind that it's best not to do this every single day "or you won't have the wholesome, nutrient-dense diet your body craves for energy and lifelong health," Weisenberger says.

An Ideal Day of Eating for People with Diabetes

“A diabetes meal plan does not require skipping any food groups but instead focuses on eating appropriate portions of both macro- and micronutrients to support stable blood sugar, improve energy levels, and encourage satisfaction after meals,” Zanini says.

Here’s what she says an ideal day of eating might look like (find the recipes in her cookbook):

• Breakfast: Sweet Potato, Onion, and Turkey Sausage Hash served with a hard-boiled or poached egg
• Snack: ¼ cup blueberries and 2 tablespoons nuts
• Lunch: Thai-Style Chicken Roll-Ups served with a simple green salad
• Snack: 1 ounce natural cheese and 1 cup sliced vegetables with 2 tablespoons hummus
• Dinner: Mushroom and Pesto Flatbread Pizza served with a side of spinach and tomatoes sautéed in olive oil
• Dessert (optional): Berry Smoothie Pop made with nonfat Greek yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, and frozen berries

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