We get one question on Diabetic South Africans over and over again: do you have a meal plan? Yes, we do – here it is. But one meal plan doesn’t necessarily make sense because we all have such different diets. Some of us are vegetarian, eat a traditional menu, eat mainly Indian food or need to eat on a budget.
That’s why we were so excited to find these five meal plans from Sanofi, with ideas for everything from a Western diet to a budget diet, Indian diet, vegetarian diet and traditional diet. Take a look at the meal plans below, and download them to see the information in full detail.
The plate model
These meal plans all use the plate model to help with portions. The idea is that you divide a plate into four parts.
- Fill half of the plate with a variety of vegetables.
Spinach, carrots, lettuce, gem squash, carrots, peas, butternut, beetroot, cabbage, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, peppers, asparagus, eggplant and baby marrow are all good choices. - Fill one of the quarter sections with whole grain, high fibre, low GI starches.
Corn, rolled oats, high fibre breakfast cereals, bulgar wheat, “Stampkoring”, wild brown rice, sweet potato, baby potato, heavy seed/rye breads and whole grain crackers are all healthy choices. - Fill the last quarter of the plate with protein foods.
Skinless chicken and turkey, fish and other seafood, lean cuts of beef and pork (sirloin, fillet or pork loin), tofu, soya, eggs and legumes (lentils, dry beans and chickpeas). Avoid processed meats (salami, vienna sausages and polony), which are high in saturated fat and salt
Fruit and dairy
These meal plans suggest a variety of fruits in controlled portions.
One serving is a medium portion of fruit (oranges, apples, pears or small bananas), or two small fruit (plums), or one cup of fresh fruit salad. Always eat some protein (nuts, cheese, peanut butter) with a fruit to prevent a blood sugar spike.
You can also add 2 servings of dairy per day: a glass (240 ml) of low-fat milk, or 180 ml of plain, unsweetened yoghurt.
Western meal plan
Budget meal plan
Vegetarian meal plan
Traditional meal plan
Indian meal plan
Let us know which of these meal plans you’re most excited to try, or what helpful tips you have to share about meal plans and diabetes.
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