Last updated on September 28, 2022
Healthy meals for diabetics
Type 2 Diabetes isn't an excuse for giving up healthy eating. It just means you need to eat healthier.Type 2 Diabetes Diets are all about balance. High in protein including meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, nuts, legumes, soybeans, and whole grain bread. A good diabetes diet is what you need to help maintain your blood sugar levels and even reverse diabetes in some cases.
Diabetes Meal Plans: What Foods Should You Eat To Control Your Blood Sugar Levels?
Diabetic Breakfast
The Count: 294 calories, 40 g carbs
This quick meal delivers protein in a scrambled egg, and just 40 carbs, mostly from fiber-rich oatmeal and blueberries. Fiber slows digestion to help prevent blood sugar spikes. People with diabetes need to watch all types of carbs: healthy cereal, bread, rice, pasta, starchy veggies, sweets, fruit, milk, and yogurt. Spread your total carbs across the day.
Diabetic Menu - Lunch
Pork Tenderloin Meal
Shrimp, Feta Pasta
Tuna Sandwich Meal
Shrimp Pasta Alfredo
Roast Chicken Meal
Pork Tenderloin Meal
The Count: 360 calories, 42 g carbs
Pork tenderloin is one of the leanest and most versatile cuts of meat. Here it's prepared in a Dijon mustard glaze, and served with steamed broccoli and mock mashed potatoes. Pureed cauliflower stands in beautifully for carb-heavy white potatoes. Round out the meal with a whole wheat dinner roll.
Shrimp Pasta Alfredo
The Count: 2,290 calories, 196 g carbs
A typical shrimp pasta Alfredo in your local eatery can have huge portions and 73 grams of artery-clogging saturated fat. Diabetes makes heart disease more likely, so doctors advise limiting saturated fat to about 15 grams per day for a 2,000-calorie diet.
Shrimp, Feta Pasta
The Count: 369 calories, 48 g carbs
Low-fat shrimp and juicy, ripe tomatoes make this pasta dish a winner for everyone. Feta cheese has a tangy flavor with one-third less fat than hard cheese. Try pasta that is made of 50% to 100% whole grain to add the benefits of fiber: better blood sugar control and more satisfaction.
Roast Chicken Meal
The Count: 1,050 calories, 183 g carbs
Lunch is just as important as other meals when you have diabetes, so don't grab just any sandwich or wrap. Ready-to-eat tuna salad can be swimming in mayonnaise. Chips and a large sweetened drink push the total carbs to 183 grams: far too much.
Tuna Sandwich Meal
The Count: 312 calories, 29 g carbs
Roast chicken is simple to make. Serve up 1/2 cup of breast meat, skin removed. Add sweet potatoes and asparagus for a super-nutritious meal. The potatoes are high in fiber and vitamin A. They're so naturally sweet, all they need is a sprinkle of cinnamon, a spice that may help manage blood sugar.
Diabetic Diet - Salads
Warm Lentil Salad with Garlicky Sausage
Rainbow Salad with Chicken and Creamy Lemon Dressing
Warm Lentil Salad with Garlicky Sausage
Ingredients:
1 cup lentils3 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or half as much table salt)2 cups finely diced vegetables (I use something like 2 carrots, 2 stalks of celery, and ½ a red onion, but you can use any combination you like or all one type, and/or add zucchini or bell peppers if you like)½ stick (1/4 cup) butter, cut into pieces (or ¼ cup olive oil)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar (or another vinegar of your choosing)1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil1 (12-ounce) link kielbasa, cut into ¼-inch diagonal slices (or an equal amount of hot dogs or another garlicky sausage, or skip this altogether)2 tablespoon finely chopped celery leaves (or parsley)Black pepper
Instructions
- Put the lentils, water, and salt in a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables so that you can add a tablespoon or two to the pot while the lentils cook, to help flavor the lentils.
- Once the lentils come to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer until the lentils are just tender, around 25-30 minutes (add boiling water if all the water ever seems to have cooked off).
- Stir the rest of the vegetables into the lentils and simmer for another 2 minutes, then gently drain all of it in a colander and return to the pot.
- Add the butter (or olive oil), vinegar, and garlic to the hot lentils, and stir gently.
- At some point (ideally, while the lentils are cooking), sauté the kielbasa or hot dog slices in the oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan, turning the slices so they get nice and brown.
- Now stir the kielbasa slices into the newly dressed lentils, along with the celery leaves (reserve a bit for garnish) and a big grinding of black pepper. Taste the salad and add more salt or vinegar, if you think it needs brightening—or a splash of olive oil if it’s too acidic. Pour into a serving dish, garnish with the celery leaves, and serve warm, with a crisp green salad
Rainbow Salad with Chicken and Creamy Lemon Dressing
Rainbow Salad with Chicken and Creamy Lemon Dressing Ingredients
1 Romaine heart, chopped (or 4 cups salad greens)
1 carrot, scrubbed or peeled and sliced
½ peeled raw beet, shredded
4 radishes, sliced
1 cup finely shredded red cabbage3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (roughly 1 ½ pound) seasoned with 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt* (or ¾ teaspoon table salt) and grilled sauteed, and sliced; or 4 cups cooked chicken (from a roasted or rotisserie chicken), shredded or sliced; or 1 recipe tofu <
Creamy Lemon Dressing ¼ cup roasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or chopped toasted walnuts (to toast the walnuts, put them in a 350 oven for 4 or 5 minutes, until they’re just turning golden and fragrant)
Creamy Lemon Dressing
1/3 cup mayonnaise (not low-fat, ideally Best Foods or Hellman’s)
The juice and finely grated zest of one small lemon or ½ large lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
black pepper
½ teaspoon yellow mustard or ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric (if you like, just to give it a more yellowy color)
*Note: A great habit to get into is salting chicken (and other meats), as soon as you get it home from the store, even (or especially) if you’re not going to cook it for a day or two. It gives the salt plenty of time to season the chicken all the way through.
Instructions- Arrange the greens and vegetables on a large platter.
- Top with chicken or tofu.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients, and taste for salt, then drizzle some over the salad.
- Top the salad with pepitas or walnuts. Bring the extra dressing to the table and serve the salad right away.
Pork tenderloin is one of the leanest and most versatile cuts of meat. Here it's prepared in a Dijon mustard glaze, and served with steamed broccoli and mock mashed potatoes. Pureed cauliflower stands in beautifully for carb-heavy white potatoes. Round out the meal with a whole wheat dinner roll.
Low-fat shrimp and juicy, ripe tomatoes make this pasta dish a winner for everyone. Feta cheese has a tangy flavor with one-third less fat than hard cheese. Try pasta that is made of 50% to 100% whole grain to add the benefits of fiber: better blood sugar control and more satisfaction.
Lunch is just as important as other meals when you have diabetes, so don't grab just any sandwich or wrap. Ready-to-eat tuna salad can be swimming in mayonnaise. Chips and a large sweetened drink push the total carbs to 183 grams: far too much.
1 cup lentils3 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or half as much table salt)
Instructions
- Put the lentils, water, and salt in a medium-sized pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables so that you can add a tablespoon or two to the pot while the lentils cook, to help flavor the lentils.
- Once the lentils come to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer until the lentils are just tender, around 25-30 minutes (add boiling water if all the water ever seems to have cooked off).
- Stir the rest of the vegetables into the lentils and simmer for another 2 minutes, then gently drain all of it in a colander and return to the pot.
- Add the butter (or olive oil), vinegar, and garlic to the hot lentils, and stir gently.
- At some point (ideally, while the lentils are cooking), sauté the kielbasa or hot dog slices in the oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan, turning the slices so they get nice and brown.
- Now stir the kielbasa slices into the newly dressed lentils, along with the celery leaves (reserve a bit for garnish) and a big grinding of black pepper. Taste the salad and add more salt or vinegar, if you think it needs brightening—or a splash of olive oil if it’s too acidic. Pour into a serving dish, garnish with the celery leaves, and serve warm, with a crisp green salad
Rainbow Salad with Chicken and Creamy Lemon Dressing
Rainbow Salad with Chicken and Creamy Lemon Dressing Ingredients
1 Romaine heart, chopped (or 4 cups salad greens)
1 carrot, scrubbed or peeled and sliced
½ peeled raw beet, shredded
4 radishes, sliced
1 cup finely shredded red cabbage
1 carrot, scrubbed or peeled and sliced
½ peeled raw beet, shredded
4 radishes, sliced
1 cup finely shredded red cabbage
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (roughly 1 ½ pound) seasoned with 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt* (or ¾ teaspoon table salt) and grilled sauteed, and sliced; or 4 cups cooked chicken (from a roasted or rotisserie chicken), shredded or sliced; or 1 recipe tofu <
Creamy Lemon Dressing ¼ cup roasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or chopped toasted walnuts (to toast the walnuts, put them in a 350 oven for 4 or 5 minutes, until they’re just turning golden and fragrant)
Creamy Lemon Dressing
1/3 cup mayonnaise (not low-fat, ideally Best Foods or Hellman’s)
The juice and finely grated zest of one small lemon or ½ large lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
black pepper
½ teaspoon yellow mustard or ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric (if you like, just to give it a more yellowy color)
*Note: A great habit to get into is salting chicken (and other meats), as soon as you get it home from the store, even (or especially) if you’re not going to cook it for a day or two. It gives the salt plenty of time to season the chicken all the way through.
The juice and finely grated zest of one small lemon or ½ large lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
black pepper
½ teaspoon yellow mustard or ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric (if you like, just to give it a more yellowy color)
*Note: A great habit to get into is salting chicken (and other meats), as soon as you get it home from the store, even (or especially) if you’re not going to cook it for a day or two. It gives the salt plenty of time to season the chicken all the way through.
Instructions
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