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Planning healthy meals

Planning healthy meals takes a little knowledge and advance planning. Be sure to connect with your doctor and other members of your diabetes care team, such as your certified diabetes educator (CDE) or registered dietitian (RD) to help you create a healthy eating plan.

Basic meal planning tips

Healthy eating is an important part of managing diabetes and reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other health conditions. It's good to start with one or two things you can do today to plan for healthier meals. Once you feel comfortable with your new habits, come back to this page and choose another healthy eating tip to work on.

Portions matter

The amount of food you eat is as important as the type of food you eat for diabetes management. Portion sizes are different for everyone, so what’s right for you may not be right for someone else.

Canada’s Food Guide suggests one way to plan your meal portions. Fill half your plate with vegetables. Equally divide the other half of your plate between protein foods and whole-grain foods. Include some fruit and milk or yogurt on the side, if you’d like. For more specific food portion information, check out our Handy Portion Guide.

Choose carbohydrates wisely

It's true that all carbohydrates (carbs) affect your blood sugar, but choosing high-fibre carbs can help reduce the resulting impact on blood sugar. It is a myth that people with diabetes are not “allowed” to eat any carbohydrate foods or even any sugar sources. The type and amount of carbohydrate you eat is what matters.

There are many carbohydrates that provide key nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fibre. Low-glycemic index foods such as legumes (think chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, peanuts), whole grains, and fruits and vegetables can help maintain healthy blood sugar levels, protect you from heart disease and stroke, and help you feel full longer after a meal. Choose these types of carbohydrates more often in your meal planning.

Eat more whole foods

Highly processed foods and beverages  are often high in sodium, sugar and saturated fat. Instead of processed foods, choose whole foods and prepare most of your meals at home. Preparing and eating meals at home more often results in better diet quality and a reduction in risk of several chronic health conditions.

Eat more vegetables and fruit

At each meal and snack, choose fresh, frozen or canned vegetables and fruits. They are all excellent options to maximize nutrient intake and include more fibre in your diet. Eat whole or cut vegetables and fruits instead of drinking juices (fruit juice and fruit juice concentrates are high in sugar). While the portion size of fruit matters in terms of its impact on your blood sugar, non-starchy vegetables (such as asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, greens) have little, if any, impact on your blood sugar levels. If choosing canned, look for lower sodium varieties and fruit in natural juices and not syrup.

Limit sugars and sweets

Limit sugars and sweets such as regular pop, desserts, candies, jam and honey. The more simple sugars you eat, the more difficult it will be to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Sugary beverages and sweets tend to spike blood sugar, making it difficult to stay in your desired range. Non-nutritive sweeteners can be useful in moderation if you wish to include them.

Be consistent with your carbs

Try to eat three meals per day at regular times and space your meals no more than six hours apart. Eating at regular times helps your body control blood sugar levels. It also helps to try to eat about the same amount of carbohydrate at each meal. Most people aim for 45–60 grams (g) of carbohydrate for meals and 15–30 g carbs for snacks.

It can be helpful to learn about counting carbohydrates as the amount of carbohydrate eaten at one time has an impact on blood sugar. Having too many carbs at a meal may cause your blood sugar level to go too high, and not enough may cause your blood sugar to go too low, depending on the type of diabetes medication you take.

Choose healthy sources of fat

Some fats have more health-protective benefits than others. Fats found in foods, such as olive oil, canola oil, other vegetable oils, avocado, soft margarine, nuts, seeds, and oily fish like trout and salmon, can have benefits in protecting us against heart disease. These are called unsaturated fats.

Saturated fat, on the other hand, can increase your cholesterol level and your risk of heart disease. Fats found in foods such as butter, animal-based proteins (like beef, pork and chicken), cakes, pastries, deep-fried foods and high fat dairy products all contain saturated fat. Choose foods with saturated fat less often. Include healthy proteins, including plant-based protein and lower fat dairy products, more often.

Drink water

Make water your beverage of choice. Water is a sugar-free and calorie-free way to quench your thirst and stay hydrated. Drinking regular pop and fruit juice will raise your blood sugar.
Alcohol can affect blood sugar levels and may contribute excess calories to your diet. It is always best to consume alcohol in moderation.

Plan ahead for healthy meals

Planning healthy meals and snacks can go a long way to helping you reach your goals. Talk to your registered dietitian or healthcare team about the amount of carbs that are right for you and for help with meal planning. If you are interested in creating your own meal plan, our Weekly Meal Planner can help. Otherwise, check out our preset weekly meal plans that are ready to go with recipes and snack suggestions.

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