Reverse Diabetes with a Simple Diabetic Meal Plan

Diet is the key to overcoming diabetes. Diabetes can occur at any age, but Type 1 diabetes happens at an early childhood age and is not reversible. Type 2 diabetes on the other hand is curable. This type is not limited to any age group. But the good news is that it is possible to reverse Type 2 diabetes, to bring it back to its normal levels with a simple diabetic meal plan. Whether you have been newly diagnosed or you want to get back to your healthy diet, this meal plan is the only one you need for a fresh and healthy beginning. In this blog, let’s delve into the points to consider before developing a simple diabetic meal plan. You will also get an idea of what to include while considering healthy food for diabetic patient and some easy ideas for good diabetic snacks.

Development of a meal plan

Before ideating your meal plan you must first assess your goals. A simple diabetic meal plan will get you the right nutrients with the right food proportions while keeping your blood sugar levels normal.

Points to consider

1. Healthy Eating Plate (Selection of Food Items)

The trick to gaining control over diabetes is managing your carbohydrate intake in your simple diabetic meal plan. There’s a concept called carb counting that can help you with this. It involves keeping track of the carbs you intake through every meal. Carbohydrates have a significant impact on your blood sugar levels so make sure you keep that in check. Include a lot of proteins in your meals, they can stabilize blood sugar levels, boost metabolism, provide satiety, and help manage your weight. You can include healthy food for diabetic patient like tofu/ cottage cheese (paneer), greek yogurt, eggs, fish, and a lot more!

Foods are categorized based on their glycemic index. The glycemic index helps you choose foods that affect blood sugar levels more slowly. Foods with a high glycemic index, that is 70 and above are quickly converted to sugar, which also rapidly increases blood sugar. On the other hand, food with a low glycemic index, that is 55 and less slowly processes sugar so the blood sugar levels remain steady. High GI foods are white bread, potatoes, and processed food in general. Low GI foods include green leafy vegetables, most fruits, lentils, whole grains, etc. So for your simple diabetic meal plan, you should include a lot of low GI foods.

Other than carbs and proteins, fats are also of two types; healthy and unhealthy. For your simple diabetic meal plan, you can include healthy fats like a wide variety of nuts, olive oil, and avocado. All of these are healthy food for diabetic patient and also good for heart health.
Lastly, drink plenty of water. Apart from managing carbs, water in your simple diabetic meal plan can help effectively manage sugar levels. You can also drink coconut water or lemon juice, unsweetened. Avoid sodas and flavored drinks that don’t add to your health. If you want you can also consume unsweetened tea or coffee with good diabetic snacks, but in limited amounts.

2. Right Portion Size in Right Proportions

A balanced diet requires you to consume it in the right proportions. There is a method called the plate method that you can follow in your simple diabetic meal plan to eat right by measuring the right proportions. The plate method is to visually segregate your plate into different sections for the various food groups. For example, half of your plate should be for non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, leafy vegetables, spring onions, cucumber, etc. A quarter of the other half should be lean protein and the other quarter with some form of carbs like whole grains or brown rice.

3. Short Intervals between Meals

A simple tip to follow for your simple diabetic meal plan is to have your meals in short intervals. Having your meals in proportion and short intervals can help stabilize your blood sugar levels. Regularly eating smaller meal portions and good diabetic snacks throughout the day can help you feel more full.

4. Healthy Snacks

If you’re thinking that a diabetic patient can’t enjoy a good snack, you are greatly mistaken. There are healthy snacks that can fill you with the right nutrients and give you the energy you need. Nuts, fruits, oats, and vegetables are all good options that can be turned into easy snacks so that you can avoid an unwanted spike in your blood sugar levels. Keep reading for some ideas for good diabetic snacks.

5. Non-restrictive Dieting

Be gentle with yourself while following a diet. Preferably choose a non-restrictive diet while you ideate on your simple diabetic meal plan. Being too strict with your diet can be unsustainable in the future. Making small changes in your diet will be more beneficial to build healthy eating habits. Once this simple meal plan becomes a routine thing you adhere to, it can help reverse Type 2 diabetes by keeping it to normal levels.

Meal Plan

Here’s a simple meal plan that includes healthy food for diabetic patient

1. Breakfast: For breakfast, you can have 2 medium-sized idlis and coconut chutney or mint chutney. Another option is to have 2 chapatis and 1 bowl of vegetable dalia. You can add unsweetened tea to your breakfast option.
2. Pre-lunch snack: Easy pre-lunch snack ideas include healthy food for diabetic patient like fruits, pears, or guava or having a small bowl of cucumber tomato salad.
3. Lunch: For lunch include 1 cup of brown rice, mixed vegetables, and side it with some cucumber raita. Another option is to include quinoa pulao instead of brown rice.
4. Evening snack: Some good diabetic snacks include sprout salad or roasted chana. A small bowl portion can provide satiety. You can also include unsweetened lemon green tea.
5. Dinner: For dinner, include 2 ragi dosas with mint chutney or Greek yogurt with olive oil. Along with that include 1 cup spinach and fenugreek leaves, sauteed, and 1 small bowl of toor dal soup.
6. Night munchies: For your night snacks you can eat some good ol walnuts/ almonds (a handful) or fruits like berries (a handful) and apples (1).

With these tips and ideas for a simple meal plan, you can certainly achieve your health goals and bring back your sugar levels to the normal range. Just make sure you build sustainable habits, enjoy your meals, remain consistent, and drink plenty of water.