Now that the New Year is well and truly underway, what resolutions are you going to stick to when it comes to healthy eating? Pick n Pay’s dietician Leanne Kiezer suggests three simple resolutions – and gives examples on how to make them work.
1. Eat a healthy breakfast
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day! Start your day with a satisfying breakfast that doesn’t spike your blood sugar, and you’re more likely to stay in range the whole day.
The perfect breakfast for a person with diabetes is made up of:
- 1/4 plate high-fibre carbohydrates (unless you’re low carb)
- 1/4 plate lean proteins
- 1/2 plate vegetables and fruit
- Small amount of healthy fats
Here’s a list of what you can choose from to build a healthy breakfast, and here are some healthy breakfast tips.
2. Pack lunch for work
We all know how tempting it can be to grab something unhealthy when we’re at work and hunger pangs strike… If you pack a lunch for work, you’re much less likely to snack on junk food, and more likely to stick to your healthy eating resolutions. Here are some tips on how to make the right food choices at work.
And here are some ideas for delicious lunchboxes!
- A sandwich made with low GI bread filled with lean protein (cottage cheese / low-fat meat / tinned fish). Stuff with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and other salad.
- Vegetable soup with 1 to 2 slices of low GI bread or a small wholewheat roll.
- A picnic lunch with wholewheat crackers, hummus for a dip and cucumber chunks, carrots sticks, baby tomatoes or snap peas instead of a salad.
- A salad made with lean protein (chicken or tuna) with very little dressing and no high fat toppings (croutons, bacon bits, cheese etc).
3. Fill half a plate with vegetables at dinner
Need a reminder on how to build balanced meals for healthy eating (don’t we all?!) The goal is to always fill half your dinner plate with vegetables or salad. That way, there’s less space for carbs! Also remember to have some healthy protein at every meal.
Here are some delicious diabetes-friendly dinner recipes to inspire you.
Pick n Pay Health Hotline
Did you know that Pick n Pay employs a registered dietitian to provide free food and nutrition-related advice to the public? Contact Leanne via the Health Hotline on 0800 11 22 88 or email her directly on
healthhotline@pnp.co.za to start your nutrition conversation.
Photo by OLA Mishchenko on Unsplash
[…] my blood sugar, my energy and, as a result, my life. She taught me carb counting and explained the different parts of my plate and how they interacted. She gave me an idea of how to start eating a healthy […]