Diabetic Diet

Diabetes Mellitus is a condition where the body is unable to process glucose (a form of sugar).

The most prevalent form of Diabetes is Type II Diabetes which occurs mainly in adults but because of childhood obesity, there is an increasing trend in type 2 diabetes developing among children.

You are at risk from this form of diabetes if you have a generic predisposition to it (i.e. it’s in your family history), if you are overweight, and/or are aged over 40.

In Type II Diabetes, the pancreas still creates insulin, but not enough, – or the insulin does not function correctly (insulin resistance).

This form of Diabetes can be managed (to some degree) with the right diet and exercise, but also with diabetes pills, insulin, and a Dexcom glucose meter.

Some have even reversed their type 2 diabetes with diet but it usually depends on the severity of the condition whether or not this is possible.

Diet Plan for the Diabetic

A healthy eating plan for a Diabetic person is a traditional low fat diet. This diet would have a ration of 25-30% fats, 50-55% carbs, and 20% protein.

It also eliminates simple carbs in exchange for those that are complex and digest slowly.

Reverse Diabetes Today is a diet plan that has helped many reverse their Diabetes. Click here to learn more.

Below is an example of the kind of diet that most governmental authorities recommend.

SAMPLE MEAL PLAN

Breakfast

1/2 Grapefruit, 1 medium bowl oatmeal topped with extra low-fat milk. 1 Tsp honey and 1 Tsp flax seeds.

Snack

1 kiwi fruit

Lunch

40g (uncooked) Basmati rice – cook and server with 4oz cooked chicken strips. 1 small orange, chopped cucumber, and 2 Tsp pine nuts, with oil-free French dressing.

Mid afternoon snack

2 dark rye crisp breads spread with yeast extract.

Dinner

4 oz salmon fillet topped with 1 1/2 Tsp olive oil blended with 1 garlic clove, grilled and server with 6ox potato mashed with seasoning. Serve with peas and spinach.
1 medium glass of dry white or red wine, or fruit juice.

Try these tasty Diabetic recipes.

Diabetic Meal Plans & Delivery

Diet-to-go offer ready-made diabetic meals – delivered to your home. Their 1200 calorie meal plan satisfies the American Diabetes Association Guidelines.

See more about the Diet to go Diabetic Plan here.

Diabetic Guidelines

  • Drink plenty of water (to aid in kidney function).
  • Aim for slow but sustainable weight loss.
  • Eat little and often – this helps keep blood sugar levels even.
  • Don’t eat less than 25% fats, as essential fats will help to slow down absorption of the meal.
  • Try to eat plenty of fresh fruits, salads, and vegetables.

Other Diabetic Focused Diet Plans

Mayo Clinic Diabetes Diet From the health professionals at the famous Mayo Clinic
40 Days to Better Living: Diabetes Faith based diabetes reversing program.
There is a Cure for Diabetes Gabriel Cousens, MD, claims that diabetes is a curable disease that may be reversed through dietary and lifestyle changes.
NutriSystem D – Diabetic Meal delivery service that specializes in diabetic approved meals.
Diabetes Dtour Diet It is a six-week program targeted specifically to meet the needs of type 2 diabetics, but also for anyone who is struggling with food cravings, excess weight and chronic fatigue, which may also be signs of an increased risk of developing diabetes.
 By Mizpah Matus B.Hlth.Sc(Hons)
    References:
  • Barnard, N. D., Cohen, J., Jenkins, D. J., Turner-McGrievy, G., Gloede, L., Green, A., & Ferdowsian, H. (2009). A low-fat vegan diet and a conventional diabetes diet in the treatment of type 2 diabetes: a randomized, controlled, 74-wk clinical trial. The American journal of clinical nutrition, ajcn-26736H. link
  • Turner-McGrievy, G. M., Barnard, N. D., Cohen, J., Jenkins, D. J., Gloede, L., & Green, A. A. (2008). Changes in nutrient intake and dietary quality among participants with type 2 diabetes following a low-fat vegan diet or a conventional diabetes diet for 22 weeks. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 108(10), 1636-1645. link
  • Barnard, N. D., Gloede, L., Cohen, J., Jenkins, D. J., Turner-McGrievy, G., Green, A. A., & Ferdowsian, H. (2009). A low-fat vegan diet elicits greater macronutrient changes, but is comparable in adherence and acceptability, compared with a more conventional diabetes diet among individuals with type 2 diabetes. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109(2), 263-272. link

42 Comments or Reviews

Comments now closed
  1. shanrece

    i need to know some food that people shouldnt eat for a type 1 diabetic

  2. john

    can someone help me about diabetic type 1 what should i eat??or can some one give me a food plan for diabetic type 1 person heres my account on facebook strange_nerd143@yahoo.com…plss add me and help me

  3. Sada

    i hear a lot of overweight people have started taking sugar diabetics tablets for weight loss yet they are not diebetic. does it really work, what are the side-effects?

  4. kvt1

    I work with someone who claims to be a diabetic, but only eats a bag of cheetos for lunch and drinks less than 12 oz of water in an 8 hour day, also says consumes only 500 calories a day, me thinks all is lies.

  5. Joy Ghatak

    My father is a dibatic patient from last 28 years.He is also suffering from enlarged heart. His age is 74 years.He is on medication. Doctor has advised him to take Glynase MF 1/2tab before brakefast, 1/2 tab before lunch and 1/2 tab before dinner.
    The problem is that when he is taking 1/2+1/2+1/2 tablet his blood glucose level comes down to 100 – 110 2 hrs after lunch.
    In evening time sometime it also comes down to 60 – 70.

    When we are giving him 1/2 tab before brakefast and 1/2 tablet before dinner the glucose level goes upto 210 – 220 2hrs after lunch.

    I am unable to understand what to be done to maintain his blood glucose level. Sir, Please help.

  6. Karen P

    My doctor told me that I am pre diabetic. My blood sugar levels are starting to rise. I am also genetically predisposed to diabetes. I am also a celiac – gluten intollerant. I am confused as to what I can and cannot eat. Many gluten free foods contain corn products. I was told that corn products have high carbs. What sort of diet should I follow to avoid taking meds for diabetes??

  7. Lydia

    I would like to be able to keep my sugars down and loose weight

  8. larry

    I would like a list of foods that a type 2 should not eat.
    Thank you

  9. Bobbert

    I wouldn’t follow that diet as a diabetic either. It is high in sugar (honey, juice, rice, potatoes). I have been diabetic over 20 years and have ALWAYS been told by dietician the foods listed aren’t wise. Re: comment losing weught and always thirsty. You do sound like you are developing diabetes. These were the symptoms I had when I was diagnosed. You are losing weight b/c your body is spilling sugar. Your body is spilling sugar as you are becoming diabetic. Once you start medication and get your sugar under control you won’t be so thirtsy and will maintain/gain your weight.

  10. YNielsen

    I have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes about 2 years ago….

    Diabetics should not consume more than 150grams of Carbs.
    Eating a well balanced meals consisting about 40 to 50 grams of carbs per meal, you should lose weight. One serving of carbs is 15grams. Each meals should consist of 3 serving of carbs (equals 40 -50 grams of carbs).I try to stay away from processed foods and alway make my meals so i know whats exactly in them. Eat alot of Whole Wheat, High Fiber, low sugar, low salt. When eating meats, a serving size should be no larger than the palm of your hand. When eating bread, i eat 2 slices of Miltons bread. Its high in fiber and low carbs…about 15grams per slice. As a diabetic you are able to eat grapefruits. I believe half of a grapefruite is 1 serving. There is nothing wrong with eating honey…as long as the carb content is within what you should consume. Ok…im done rambling on….

  11. M. Darling

    I’ts 2010and its time for a change.So i’m willing to try and give it my all that the lease I can hope for. This desease has plague my family from genaration to genaration.I’m not sure about the grapefruit,however it might work for some people,but the rice sounds good.

  12. vivek

    hello i am vivek 34 years old ,last week i check my blood sugar,fasting was 130 ,after eating food it was 190,but my family people no one has sugar and also i am not meat eater and also not smoking,having regular walking exercise,eating lot of vegetable always ,pl explain me how i got this,

  13. Yolande Webster

    I’m trying to avoid diabeties. I’m supposed to stop eating sugar, but I’m finding it really hard. I know enough to stay away from candy & pastry, but cereal is a problem. What can I do when I get the sugar cravings?

  14. Steff

    I am underweight constantly thirsty and have a high blood sugar and been told by GP I am borderline diabetic he did not explain which Type I was but told to cut down on sugar, I dont have a large sugar diet but due to weight loss I am trying desperatly to put weight on. Can snyone please advise what type I am and suggest some diet advise.

    Please Steff

  15. lanette

    i need help with a diabetic diet . i need the do and dont food to eat please help me//

  16. Lib

    I am diabetic and wouldnt touch that recipe with a bargepole
    Grapefruit, oatmeal, honey , rice, orange, rye bread, potatoes, fruit juice (a hypo remedy, by the way).

    Diabetics cant tolerate sugar,all carbohydrates are sugar ergo we cant tolerate carbohydrates without high spikes in blood sugar. We cant ‘cover’ it with meds, as it wont stop high spikes(btw more research than ever suggesting its not persistent hyperglycemia but high numbers per se which cause the damage)

    Im not saying dont eat any carbs just not in one sitting, like that
    Eating little and often is also NOT a good idea for those taking insulin as the profile wont allow you to snack every few hours without injecting or risking overlapping injections

    Also, low GI – good for Type 2, not for Type 1 who have to match insulin to food. Slow absorption equals misfired insulin

    Just some thoughts for the day

  17. sharon

    i need help my father is sick,his creatinine is very high,he was diabetic for more than 10 years now.is there any way to lower his creatinine?pls advise me what to do.very much worried about him.thanks

  18. jackie

    hey linda there is a website called bnaiyer.com. go to it and look at the diabetic exchange list and diabet meal planner. also, you can eat the regular food as usual but cut the portions. eat 6 meals per day but in small portions. cut sodas, fruit juice. use fruits instead but fruits must be small sizes they are still loaded with sugar

  19. louise

    I do believe diabetics can eat anything,yes anything–lowering your food intake and not having
    things too often that anyone should have
    IE:chocolate bars,chips until the bag is empty,
    over eating at any meal,(a NO NO -for anyone ))
    Get the picture?Then of course exercise is most important
    walk,if you can’t run,swim or get in the pool and do something
    And don’t let sugar fall too low eat small amounts during the day to regulate it
    using common sense is all it takes,yes lower fats and sugar contents keep a log of what you eat your readings will let you know what you cannot or can eat:
    hubby found this to me more helpful and he is doing good:
    your truly louise
    PS–I taught this for years and it works:
    good luck!

  20. Hazel Gibson

    What do I eat to stay healthy? Type two diabetes.

  21. linda

    I WOULD LIKE A FOOD LIST OF WHAT TO BUY AT THE STORE ,SUCH AS WHAT NAME OR KIND.My sugar is out of control.

  22. Margaret

    I have been told to lower my sugar, lower my weight, lower my colesterol, I don’t have any idea what to eat or drink. I am not much of a fish eater and I can do without meat. I sure would like to know what to do

  23. tomi

    Kidney failure/ bad heart/ highblood pressure……
    yeah, my mom is very sick. She didn’t take care of herself even though we pleaded with her. Now i’m taking care of her trying to get everything balanced out. She didn’t care what the doctors said and now she is to this point in just a year.
    Please talk to your doctors and follow what ever they tell you to do.
    Good Health

  24. Carol

    Seriously, people! If you have questions, ASK YOUR DOCTOR!!! That is why they are there. Diabetes (type 2) is very easy to control if you control your eating and exercise. See an nutritinist who specializes in your illness. If you need one, your doctor will write a referral! As many have stated before, no two bodies are alike and what works for one may not work for all. Use your head and follow your doctor’s instructions.

  25. theresa

    I HAVE DIABETICS TO AND I AM NOT SURE WHAT TO EAT AND WHAT NOT TO EAT I NEED TO GET A PLAN FOR WHAT TO EAT

  26. karen

    my husband was just diagnosed yesterday with type 2. here’s how we decided to look at it. we were starting to hear that we can’t do this or that. first of all ‘we’ have diabetes because it involes a ;ifestyle that is basically good for anyone- excersize, good eating etc.next we look at it as things we can do, we can see our grandchildren if we look after ourselves. we can feel better because it motivates us to loose weight. we can have energy because we are released from some of the bad symptoms. we do not have to fight it but it is something in our lives that we can control when everything else is so crazy. and last of all it is something we can LIVE with when we are losing so many loved ones to other horrible and deadly diseases. i hope this is an encouragement to someone it seems to take some of the fear out of it for us

  27. alan roach

    If you want to sort out your diabetes and lose weight, read
    “The Diabetes Revolution” by Dr Charles Clark and Maureen Clark, my wife lost 10 lbs with no effort and cut her medication by 33 percent

  28. pooh

    well i my doc just told me that i am a diabetic i dont know what that is but i been looking into it to find out more but is it a bad thing or what i just dont no what to do about this

  29. Linda

    Your DR Will Help You He help me.

  30. Mary Jane Magana

    I’m a diabetic. I’m angry at my illness I’ve made so many mistakes ex. not taking my medicine, fasting, not watching what I ate. I now have 40%kidney function and so I’m nervous and scared.

  31. Cathy

    Diabetic I am…type 2 and hating every moment of it! I lost weight when I was first diagnosed and now am putting it right back on): I hate the struggle but I want to live to enjoy my grandbabies.I sure do miss my fruits though.They make my numbers jump sky high..all except apples.Merry Christmas to you all.

  32. Kimber

    We are all different. We may be lumped under one label “diabetic” but we are uniquely diabetic. Everything affects diabetes and diabetes affects everything. So your lifestyle will have the greatest impact on whether food or medicine will control/defeat YOUR diabetes and how.

    Eric-Student:
    Let me throw another wrinkle into your very impressive intelligence on the subject. I am a type 1.5 diabetic. Go ask your doctor about THAT one. It threw me for a loop but explained why I was not textbook 1 nor 2.

    Lucy, Dorothy, Jacqueline,
    Don’t diet; change your eating habits and then GET ACTIVE now. Let life be your motivation for that is what you hold in your hand. When was the last time you saw an obese bicylist? Go get a 10-speed and spend 30 minutes on it through your neighborhood for 4 days a week. No stress or strain on your joints but very effective.

    Blessings and Melodies from Heaven to you all!

  33. Lucy

    Im confused cos i can read lots of diffrent stories about what you should eat and what you should not eat.my blood sugar it has never been more than 150 but some doctors gives me always tabs others tells me i should not take tabs i need only diet and walking alot. Please i need to know what is good for me and what i should eat

  34. Eric- Student

    First are you guys realizing that this is for type 2 not type 1 diabetes. It seems a lot of the information you guys are talking about is dealing with type 1 diabetes which is just about the opposite of type 2. With type 2 it is mainly caused by Obesity and blood glucose is not transfered into the cells right due to insulin resistance. Type 1 is genetically aquired and permenate if aquired and onset by the age of 8 to 12 and deals with the immune systems attack of the pancreas where as type 2 may have genetic precursers butit is usually is onset due to Obesity. Type 2 diabetes usually can be cured or reversed if permanate cell damage has not been done by diet. Genetically you are at risk but not “doomed” to get type 2 where as in type 1 you usually get it and diet will help but not have a chance to ever cure or reverse it. In type 1, the best you can hope for is to have better health and not take as much medicine. In type 2 it can be reversed in most cases all together providing a “cure” although it can reacure if diet is not watched. I do not know yet if this is a good diet but it seems to include your carbohydrates, protiens, and essential fatty acids. please make sure the information that you talk about is relivant or you may steer people in the wrong direction.

  35. Roger Grant - PS

    As two examples of knowing the maximum food weights one can eat safely, I would not eat the above breakfast and dinner sample meal plans, because they would send my blood glucose too high. By contrast others following the DiabeticOptiCarbDiet, with less severe diabetes, could eat them safely.

  36. Roger Grant

    Jacqueline (and June) are right – everyone is different. So to control blood glucose level you need to know the maximum safe weight of any food (or food combination) YOU PERSONALLY can eat without your blood glucose going up to levels where the damage causing complications is caused. The DiabeticOptiCarbDiet is the only diet I know providing these safe weights for EACH INDIVIDUAL according to their diabetic severity, etc. As its creator, I am the longest beneficiary. It has kept me free from complications for 10 years,while controlling by diet and exercise alone (and not low-carbing),with no detrioration in sight. More at

  37. Dorothy Ryder

    I am desperate to lose weight as I am a Diabetic and being 14stone I cant control my blood sugar. I am taking tablets and Insulin but I always have a high sugar reading.Please help me I havent got the will power to do it on my own.

  38. June

    If you are on statins for high cholesterol, the medication packet recommends that you should avoid grapefruit.

  39. jacqueline

    Everyone is different. Eat it, take your counts. Never say never or always. Some fruit will spike one person’s blood sugar and another not. You have to be responsible to take your own blood count to know if you can eat apples, grapefruit, whatever.

  40. Susan

    I have never been told not to eat grapefruit due to diabetes, but have read not to w/ certain high blood pressure medications.

  41. ORALIA

    I NEED HELP I NEED TO LOSS WEIGHT FOR MY HEIGHT I’M A DIABTIC, I HAVE ASTHMA,HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE YOU NAME IT I HAVE IT. AND KIDNEY INFECTION.

  42. Kate

    You shouldn’t tell diabetics to eat half a grqapefruit for breakfast- it’s one fruit we should NOT eat, according to my GP