Many times, members will ask us for a diabetic-friendly meal plan. We can’t do that for you, because you are a unique individual, with your own level of diabetic health, possibly complicated by other health/medical issues. You have a specific dietary lifestyle, which may be dietary vegan, lacto-ovo vegetarian, or Adventist non-vegetarian or pescatarian. There is certainly no one best menu/meal plan that works equally well for everyone!

We recommend you start with the list of “safe” foods that you created from “eating to your meter” and/or with a basic food list (see our “Low-carb Food List for Diabetics” for example).

Recipes

You probably already have a recipe collection, on cards, in binders, or digital copies. Now is the time to take a new look at your recipes and discard any that are not diabetic-friendly (or at least put them in the back of the file!). It’s also time to add new recipes that are diabetic-friendly, using only ingredients from your customized “safe foods” list.

Menus

A menu is a list of foods and beverages for a single meal or event. The first item should be a protein food to ensure you get essential amino acids. Include whatever fat comes with the protein food to ensure you get essential fatty acids. There are no essential carbohydrates. If/when you need glucose, your body can make glucose from excess protein (gluconeogenesis), glycogen stored in the liver, or body fat (ketones). Finally, when you add carbohydrates to your meal, be sure to stay under the total carbs recommended for your chosen diabetes dietary protocol. The best carbohydrates are from unprocessed, whole-food, low-carb non-starchy vegetables.

Meal Plans

A meal plan consists of menus for all the eating times in a day or a week or other time period. It can be the traditional three meals a day, two meals a day with intermittent fasting, or OMAD (one meal a day). Take leftovers into consideration, meals that you pack to eat away from home, and what you eat at a restaurant or someone else’s home.

If You Need More Help

You could start here and adjust for you and your family:

Food Lists – Print out a copy of our “Low-carb Food List for Diabetics.” Cross off any foods that you are allergic/sensitive to, that you don’t like, or that you don’t want to learn how to cook.

Meal Plans – This is so individual to every diabetic and to their family that there’s no way I could give you even a sample meal plan. The best I can do is give you a general format for:

  • First Meal of the Day – Choose from:
    • Beverage(s): water, coffee, tea – if you need a sweetener, use pure liquid stevia; if you need “creamer,” use full-fat heavy whipping cream (or unsweetened coconut cream) or unsweetened almond or coconut milk (with no additives)
    • Eggs (any style: fried, scrambled, omelet, poached, hard-cooked, etc.), cooked in grass-fed butter
    • Vegetable(s): incorporate with eggs or breakfast casserole (spinach, broccoli, green chilies, avocado, mushrooms, onion, tomato, etc.)
    • Cheese (full-fat: cheddar, Monterey jack, Colby, Queso, Asiago, mozzarella, feta, Swiss, provolone, etc.)
    • Protein: turkey, beef, or chicken bacon
    • Hot porridge made with hemp hearts, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, almond meal, unsweetened coconut, cauliflower rice, etc.
    • Bread, mug muffins, tortillas, naan, etc. – homemade from a low-carb recipe using almond flour and/or coconut flour
    • Chaffles – 1 egg + ½ c. mozzarella cheese (or any cheese of your choice)
    • Fruit (as tolerated): ¼ c. raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, or blueberries (fresh or frozen, unsweetened)
    • Yogurt: unsweetened unflavored full-fat Greek yogurt (e.g., FAGE® Total 5%)
    • Vegan/vegetarian options: tofu bacon, coconut bacon, scrambled tofu, coconut yogurt, etc.
  • Midday Meal/Snack (optional)
    • Beverage(s): water, sparkling water, infused water, hot or iced tea (if you need sweetener, use pure liquid stevia)
    • Green salad (lettuce, arugula, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, olives, green onions, cauliflower florets)
    • Salad dressing: homemade with extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, and red wine vinegar, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, etc.)
    • Protein: hard-cooked eggs, full-fat cheese, almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts
    • Fermented: sauerkraut, dill pickles
    • Bread (see options under First Meal)
    • When transitioning from 3 meals to 2 meals/day, incorporate these foods into the First Meal and/or the Last Meal
  • Last Meal of the Day
    • Beverage(s): same as Midday Meal/Snack
    • Casserole, Skillet Meal, Stir-fry, or One-dish Meal (use a suitable diabetic-friendly recipe)
    • Protein: grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, wild-caught fish; cheese, full-fat
    • Vegetable(s), raw (1–2 cups): green salad (see above)
    • Vegetable(s), cooked (½ cup): non-starchy, green leafy, and cruciferous
    • Yogurt and Fruit (see First Meal options)
    • Bread (see options under First Meal)
    • Vegan/vegetarian options: organic non-GMO tofu, tempeh, homemade seitan

Shopping List

Here we have come full circle! Your grocery shopping list should look pretty much like your customized “safe foods” list, with the addition of whatever diabetic-friendly cooking and baking products you might need.

Finally, I did find a few resources that may be helpful in planning your diabetes menus and meal plans. Good luck! NOTE: We do NOT recommend ADA-compliant or high-carb low-fat dietary vegan.

ADA-compliant

Planning Meals
From the American Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Vegan Menu for People with Diabetes
The menus have been written based on the American Diabetes Association…
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2003issue2/vj2003issue2diabetes.htm

 

High-carb Low-fat Vegan

Plant-Based Weekly Meal Plan
By Diet: LOW-CARB MENU
Warning: This is vegan but it is NOT low-carb!
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/weekly-meal-plan-the-low-carb-vegan-menu/

Meet the Vegducken, the Ultimate Vegetarian Main Dish for Thanksgiving
http://www.epicurious.com/holidays-events/vegducken-best-vegetarian-thanksgiving-dish-article

 

Low-carb High-fat (non-vegetarian, vegetarian, vegan)

2 Week Vegetarian Keto Diet Plan | The KetoDiet Blog
https://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2015/07/05/2-week-vegetarian-keto-diet-plan

28 INCREDIBLE LOW CARB VEGETARIAN MEALS
http://www.ditchthecarbs.com/2016/10/17/low-carb-vegetarian-meals/

81 Delicious Savory Low-Carb Vegetarian Recipes | The KetoDiet Blog
http://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2015/05/27/81-delicious-savory-low-carb-vegetarian-recipes

Design a Diabetic Meal Plan
A successful diabetic meal plan is one that helps a diabetic patient avoid high blood sugar spikes, so that insulin needs are less, and blood sugar stays steady and at or close to normal ranges.
http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/diabetic-meal-plan.html

How to Eat Low-Carb as a Vegetarian or Vegan
Includes a suggested menu for one week.
https://authoritynutrition.com/low-carb-as-a-vegetarian

Sample Diabetes Menu
It includes links to low carb diabetes recipe posts to aid in food preparation.
http://www.diabetes-warrior.net/a-meal-plan-you-can-live-with/sample-diabetes-meal-plan/

Vegan Keto Meal Plans ($15)
http://meatfreeketo.com/vegan-keto-meal-plans/