Diabetic Diet Plan for a Beginner- Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes usually means a lot of things for the patient. One of those important indications is that the Doctor has suggested that you need to make some changes to your life, your diet especially.
As a result of this suggestion, it is only logical that this is a good time to make wise decisions about your eating habits.
Now, the issue for most diabetes patients is how to go about this diet plan change successfully.
Due to this, we have proffered a solution which is a diabetic plan for beginners to ensure they live a healthy life.
Before we go ahead with the diabetic plan, we would love to explain why a diabetic plan is important below.
Benefits of Diabetic Plan
It helps to control your blood sugar level which is important when treating diabetes.
Controls your weight. Excessive weight gain is in no way beneficial to the body.
Hence, it is vital that you keep an eye on what you eat to prevent the issues that may arise from gaining too much weight.
It helps to prevent the risk of having heart-related diseases which is not good for your health.
A diabetic diet is also vital to help keep your glucose level in check.
This is because if your glucose level is not properly monitored it can lead to a more serious situation such as kidney damage, nerve damage and heart damage.
For beginners, they may find it hard to incorporate this meal plan successfully.
However, we always advise you take it one step at a time and you should have the end goal in mind.
That being said, below is the list of foods for diabetics.
The List of Foods for Diabetics
Leafy Vegetables
Green vegetables are very nutritious to the body and they contain very low calories which are great for weight loss.
Examples of leafy green vegetables are Spinach, Kale, cabbage, beet greens, etc.
A study once revealed that intake in vitamin c which leafy green vegetables provide can lead to a reduction in inflammation. It can also improve blood sugar levels with diabetes 2.
They also contain antioxidants that help to promote good eye sights and fight away cataracts.
Eggs
This should be included in your diabetic diet. They contain a whole lot of benefits for the entire body.
They are great for weight loss because they are very filling and they keep you full for a long time.
Eggs are also known for the reduction of inflammation. They increase the good cholesterol level in the body.
A research that was carried out revealed that people who consumed a high protein diet which contains 2 eggs daily recorded improvements in their blood sugar level and cholesterol level.
Another benefit of eggs is that it improves one eyesight and reduces heart-related diseases.
Strawberries
Fruits are generally known to the nutritious for the body. One of those nutritious foods is strawberry.
This fruit contains antioxidants which are known as anthocyanins. This antioxidant helps to reduce insulin and cholesterol levels after a meal.
They are great and you should include strawberry in your type 2 diabetes diet.
Fatty Fish
This is one healthy food you should include in your gestational diabetes diet.
Examples of fatty fish are Salmon, sardines, mackerel, etc.
This type of fish is very important for diabetic patients because they reduce the risk of having heart disease and stroke.
They are also great for weight loss because they increase your metabolism level.
You can also include this diabetes meal plan in your food plan.
For a better understanding of how to incorporate these healthy foods into your diabetic diet, here is a simple 3 days diabetic diet plan you can follow below.
Read Also: 30 Day Paleo Diet Plan for Beginners to Lose Weight and Belly Fat Fast
Easy 3 Days Diabetic Diet Plan for Weight Loss and Flat Belly
DAY 1
Breakfast
- Oats with Walnuts and Plum
- 1/2 cup of oats cooked in a small quantity of milk.
- Chopped one medium-sized of plum
- Chopped 4 medium-sized of walnut.
Snack
- Yogurt topped with blueberries
- Plain yogurt, top it up with blueberries.
Lunch
- Turkey and Apple cedar Melt
Ingredients
- 1 cup of mixed greens.
- Medium-sized of sliced apple.
- Turkey
- 2 slices of whole wheat bread.
- 2 teaspoon of shredded Cheddar cheese.
Preparation
- Top one slice of bread with 1 teaspoon of mustard, apple, turkey and 1 Teaspoon of cheese.
- Then toast sandwich face-up in a toaster oven until the cheese begins to melt and bubble.
- Now, you can add the mixed greens to the sandwich before serving it.
Snack
- One apple
Dinner
- Vegetable weight loss soup
Ingredients
- Mixed vegetables such as carrots, onions, kale, stalk celery, etc.
- Ground pepper
- Salt
- Minced garlic
Preparation
- Heat the oil in a pot.
- Add all the vegetables.
- Cook it and ensure you stir frequently until the vegetables begin to soften. Do this for about 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and boil it.
- Decrease the heat to a simmer and cook
- Stir it occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes more.
DAY 2
Breakfast
- Avocado toast and egg
Ingredients
- 1 slice of 100% whole grain bread
- Avocado
- One egg
- Salt
- Pepper
Preparation
- Toast bread.
- Scoop out avocado and mash onto toast.
- Top with a soft-boiled egg.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Serve and enjoy.
Snack
- Strawberries
Lunch
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- A teaspoon of olive oil.
- Diced onion.
- Diced green bell pepper.
- Minced garlic
- Skinless and boneless chicken breasts
- A teaspoon of chili powder
- 2 teaspoon of cumin
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- Crushed tomatoes
- 4 teaspoon of green chilies
- Reduced-sodium chicken stock
- Cups of hot water
- Can of no-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
- 5 corn tortillas, sliced into strips
- 2 avocados, cut into cubes
- Shredded light cheddar cheese
Preparation
- In a big pot, pour a small amount of oil and heat it over medium heat.
- Add pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook them until they become soft.
- Now, add the chicken breasts, cumin, chili powder, and salt.
- Stir them until all ingredients are well mixed with the spices.
- Add tomatoes, chilies, stock, and hot water and simmer 20 minutes or until chicken well cooked.
- Remove chicken breasts and place them on a plate.
- Meanwhile, use an immersion blender to purée part of the soup to thicken it a bit.
- Cut the chicken into small pieces using a fork and return them to the pot with black beans.
- Leave it to simmer for an extra 20 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy.
Snack
- Apple and peanut butter
Dinner
- Potatoes and vegetables.
- Ingredients
- Potatoes
- Olive oil
- Vegetables such as carrots, spinach. Onion etc.
Preparation
- Boiled potatoes
- Add a little amount of olive oil in a heated pan and lightly cook the vegetables.
- Serve and enjoy.
DAY 3
Breakfast
- Blueberries-pecan pancake
Ingredients
- A cup of all-purpose flour
- Half cup of whole-wheat flour
- Half cup of dried blueberries
- Finely chopped pecans, toasted
- 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- 1½ cups nonfat buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Preparations
- Mix the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, pecans, blueberries, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a wide bowl.
- Mix eggs, buttermilk, and oil in a medium bowl.
- Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir until they are all combined.
Snack
- Medium-sized orange
Lunch
- Brown rice and vegetables.
Ingredients
- Brown rice
- Vegetables.
Preparations
- Boil the rice
- Stir fry the vegetables
- Serve and enjoy
Snack
Dinner
- Beans and Wild salmon
Ingredients
- Beans
- Wild salmon
- Olive oil
- Pepper and salt
Preparation
- Cook the beans.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Fry the fish lightly with olive oil
- Place it on top of the beans.
- Serve and enjoy.
You can also incorporate low carb snacks for diabetics into your diabetic diet.
They are Tuna salad lettuce wraps, stuffed avocado, low carb strawberry smoothie, carrot sticks, plain yogurts with nuts.
Smoked salmon cucumber bites.
List of Fruits That Lower Blood Sugar
Here are also a list of fruits that lower blood sugar:
- Peaches
Peaches are diabetes-friendly fruits which you can include in your diabetic diet.
They are juicy, delicious. They contain vitamin A and C, fiber and potassium which are great for the body.
- Orange
Oranges are great at reducing at normalizing blood pressure. It also contains folate and potassium. You can also have orange while you are on your hypoglycemia diet.
Pears
They are a good source of vitamin k and a great source of fiber. You should include pears in your 1200 calorie diabetic diet.
Berries
They are low in carbs and they contain many nutritional values for the body.
They are packed with antioxidants which are great for fighting cancer, fight heart disease, for fighting inflammation.
Apart from fruits, these foods also lower your blood sugar level: Oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread, yogurt, etc.
There are also foods you should avoid. These foods are:
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List of Food to Avoid with Type 2 Diabetic
Sweetened Beverages
Sweetened beverages are one of the many foods you should not include in your diabetic diet.
This is because fructose is known to strongly link to insulin resistance and diabetes.
Also, the high fructose presence in sweetened beverages can lead to metabolic changes which can lead to belly fat and low metabolism weight which can lead to weight gain.
Pasta, White Rice, and White Bread
A study discovered that meals that are high in high-carb bagel lead to an increase in blood sugar. This also reduces brain function in people with type 2 diabetes and reduce mental capacity
Pasta, white rice, and white bread contain slight fiber which helps to slow down the absorption of sugar in your bloodstream.
Sweetened Breakfast Cereal
Cereal should never be included in your diabetes plan. This is because cereals are highly processed and they are high in sugar which is harmful to diabetes patients.
They also provide very little protein and this nutrient is very important for the body. Protein is important because it is filling which helps your weight loss.
Cereals are not to be included because they do more harm than good.
Flavored Coffee Drink
The flavored coffee drink is under the category of an unhealthy drink.
This is because flavored drinks are high in carbs which are known to increase one’s blood sugar level.
Instead, we advise that you should go for plain coffee.
French Fries
French fries are generally unhealthy food. This is because they do more harm than good for diabetes patients.
Also, they produce a high amount of toxins in the body. These toxins can increase your risk of having various types of diseases.
It can also increase inflammation in the body.
Instead of opting for French fries, you should rather go for sweet potatoes.
Take Away
Being diabetic does not mean you cannot live your best life. It is true there will be some restrictions which might feel inconvenient for someone recently diagnosed.
But when you consider the fact that it is all for your own good, it won’t feel that bad.
Therefore, ensure you follow this diabetic diet plan for a healthy life and have fun while at it.
