Most of us know that it’s easy to eat more food than you need, often without realizing it. The Diabetes Plate Method is a simple and visually-appealing way to make sure that you get enough non-starchy vegetables and lean protein into your system, while limiting the amount of higher-carb food that is more likely to spike your blood sugar. Having a good meal plan that packages your food tastes, goals, lifestyle and medication can be critical to avoid high or low blood sugar levels. When you have diabetes, planning your meal is vital to guide you through when, what and how much to eat to get the nutrition you need while keeping your blood sugar levels in your target range. We explored how fiber is essential to our gut health and even looked into food labelling and the importance of carb counting. We´ve focused on the different types of sugar and how carrots (although not able to give you incredible night vision!) play an important role in eye health. Try some of these tips to help you plan healthy meals.In some earlier blogs, we´ve explored a buffet of issues regarding diabetes and nutrition. Planning ahead for healthy meals is worth the time. Make the leftovers into a different meal by adding some other foods. Cook larger batches so you have leftovers. Make time to prep foods so they are ready to eat. ![]() If you don’t want to go to the store, try shopping online with your grocery store or online grocery dealer. If you need a starting place, try ADA’s sample shopping list. Use paper or try an app from your grocery store. Now you know what to cook, so make a list of what you need. A bowl of raw and cooked vegetables with beans and avocado could be a great meal that didn’t require a recipe. Remember, you don’t always need a recipe. Look for a list of healthy recipe substitutions. ADA has a meal kit with CHEF’D that isn’t subscription based.īe creative with recipes and swap foods according to your likes and healthier choices. Typically these options are more costly but could help you to get started with some healthy meal ideas. Meal kits: This can be a great option for recipes and food delivery to your door.Recipes for Healthy Living is a free resource from ADA that includes diabetes-friendly recipes, meal plans, and cooking videos. Most of these are subscription based but may be worth the cost if you are feeling stuck. Online meal plans: Many websites offer meal plans, recipes, and cooking videos for various diets.Some of my favorites include: stick blender, julienne peeler, vegetable spiralizer, grill pan, toaster over, food processor, and multi-cooker (slow cooker or pressure cooker). Kitchen tools: It’s important to have some good tools in your kitchen for making meals.The American Diabetes Association ( ADA) has several cookbooks that include meal plans and recipes. Recipes: Look for new recipes online, buy a new cookbook, or try a cooking magazine.Make cooking exciting again by trying some new things. Too often we get into a rut of cooking the same foods and we get bored. Once you have dinners planned, think about some ideas for breakfast and lunch. This helps to keep the carbs lower and increases fiber, vitamin and mineral intake. When you look at your plate, ½ should be non-starchy vegetables for lunch and dinner (extra credit if you can do that for breakfast). This includes all the food groups in a healthy portion-controlled way. Try Create Your Plate or the diabetes plate method to help with meal planning. We really should be planning meals around the vegetable. Instead of 7 meals, think about cooking 3-4 meals and planning for some leftovers. ![]() It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by planning ahead for meals. If you need more or less time that’s fine too. Try to give yourself 30 minutes one time a week to think about what meals to make. If you don’t meal plan, now is the time to start. If you already regularly meal plan, maybe some of these tips will give you new ideas. Meal planning also helps to reduce mindless eating. For people with diabetes this is especially important because food directly impacts blood glucose levels. It doesn’t matter what diet you are trying to follow you need to meal plan. Meal planning is the first step in healthy eating.
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