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Download your free Healthy Eating Portion Plate

Wondering what your plate should look like now that you have diabetes? Here’s an example of a healthy eating portion plate.

If you’re eating low carb, you can simply leave out the purple ‘Starch’ section of the plate.

Download the Healthy Eating Portion Plate PDF, with all kinds of helpful information on which vegetables, protein and starch to choose, below:

Healthy eating portion plate: Vegetables

For example:

Vegetables per meal:
Fill half the plate (GREEN SECTION) with any of these non-starchy vegetables
OR
Eat as many of these vegetables as you can hold in both hands

  • Vegetables are high in fibre, vitamins and minerals.
  • Non-starchy vegetables are very low in carbohydrates and do not affect your blood glucose levels significantly.
  • Include a variety of different coloured vegetables.
  • Use healthy preparation methods (and try to add only a little butter, cream, cheese sauce or oil).

Dark green vegetables: eat plenty of these!

  • Baby marrow, Broccoli, Cucumber, Gem squash, Green beans,
  • Leafy salad greens (including Romaine lettuce), Lettuce, Collards, Kale, Turnip greens, Green herbs (e.g. Parsley).
  • Red and Orange vegetables: Beetroot, Carrots, Pumpkin, Red peppers, Tomato
  • Fresh, frozen and canned vegetables can be used (prepared with herbs and a little salt).
  • Other vegetables: Cabbage, Cauliflower, Egg plant (brinjal), Mushrooms, Onions.

Free meal plans

We know that even with these guidelines, it can be tricky to know exactly what to eat. Our Diabetic South Africans community asked us for meal plan ideas, and we delivered! Meal plans are a really helpful way to start eating the right kind of diet for diabetes. Whether you’re looking for a balanced meal plan, a low carb meal plan or something more specific like an Indian, traditional, vegetarian or budget meal plan, we have something for you. It doesn’t have to be hard to eat well with diabetes.


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Sweet Life is a registered NPO/PBO (220-984) with a single goal: to improve diabetes in South Africa. We are funded by sponsorships and donations from aligned companies and organisations who believe in our work. We only share information that we believe benefits our community. While some of this information is linked to specific brands, it is not an official endorsement of that brand. We believe in empowering people with diabetes to make the best decisions they can, to live a healthy, happy life with diabetes.

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