Meals & Inspiration for Type 2 Diabetes
Work with your healthcare team to develop a personalized meal plan, then check out our meal inspiration pages. You’ll find great ideas, delicious products, easy recipes, and helpful tools to make your meal planning and shopping easier!
Building a Meal for Type 2 DiabetesDetermining what, how much, and when you eat foods, especially foods that contain carbohydrates, is important for managing Type 2 diabetes. Yet, there’s no single “diabetic diet” that’s right for everyone. The graphic below can help! Use this as a visual guide to get started with what to put on your plate. Work with your healthcare team to learn how much and when to eat foods that will support your specific needs. Fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables, one quarter of your plate with protein foods, and one quarter of your plate with grains or starchy vegetables. One serving of fruit, milk or yogurt may also be added to a meal. |
A few examples for each food category
- Non-Starchy Veggies: asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, jicama, leafy greens, onions, mushrooms, radishes, and tomatoes
- Protein Foods: seafood, poultry, meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils*
- Grains** or Starchy Veggies: bread, cereal, corn, pasta, peas, potatoes, oats, rice, quinoa, corn, and winter squash
- Fruit: apples, berries, cherries, grapes, peaches,
and oranges - Milk: reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free milk
- Yogurt: Greek or plain low-fat or fat-free yogurt
*Beans and lentils are sometimes counted as starchy vegetables. Refer to the FAQ “Are beans and lentils starchy veggies or protein foods?” for more information.
**Choose whole grains more often than refined grains.
Breakfast
Meal Inspiration
non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains
Avocado Toast paired with Flavor Bomb Tomatoes
plus Flavor Bomb Tomatoes
non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains, fruit
Eggs with Spinach & Carrots paired with Fresh Cantaloupe
plus Fresh Cantaloupe
protein, whole grains, fruit
Organic Multigrain Waffles with Almond Butter & Strawberries
protein, whole grains, fruit
Organic Instant Oatmeal with Blueberries & Shelled Walnuts
non-starchy veggies, protein, fruit
Organic Eggs, Sausage, Peppers & Onions with a side of Grapes
protein, whole grains, fruit
Simple Scrambled Eggs with Whole Wheat English Muffins & Bananas
plus Whole Wheat English Muffins
and Bananas
fruit, whole grains, protein
Red Rooster Smoothie with Organic Sprouted Multigrain Sandwich Bread & Just Almonds Smooth Almond Butter
Lunch
Meal Inspiration
non-starchy veggies, protein, grains
Cauliflower Crust Veggie Pizza with Arugula Salad
non-starchy veggies, protein, grains
Margherita Panini with Kale & Mushroom Soup
non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains
Mushroom Soup with Whole Wheat Baked Crackers and Baby Spinach Salad with Beets, Feta, & Walnuts
non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains
Turkey on 1/2 Organic Whole Wheat Pita Bread with Carrots, Mini Peppers & Hummus
Dinner
Meal Inspiration
non-starchy veggies, protein, grains
Chicken Parmesan with Broccoli & Zucchini Noodles
non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains
Pan-Seared Chili Garlic Fish with Szechuan Sauce
plus Red Quinoa
non-starchy & starchy veggies, protein, whole grains, fruit
Kung Pao Beef Stir Fry served with Brown Rice & Clementines
plus Instant Brown Rice
and Clementines
non-starchy & starchy veggies, protein
Horseradish Crusted Salmon with Asparagus & Diced Sweet Potatoes
non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains
Black Pepper Cod with Yu Choy & Mushrooms with Organic Brown Rice
non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains
Roasted Rosemary Chicken with Steamable Rice, Green Beans & Carrots
protein, non-starchy veggies, starchy veggies
Grilled Jerk Chicken with Grilled Asparagus and Grilled Corn on the Cob
protein, starchy veggies, non-starchy veggies
Roasted Turkey Thighs with Roasted Butternut Squash & Simple Sauteed Greens
protein, starchy veggies, non-starchy veggies
Easy Turkey Tacos with Tomato, Avocado & Mexican Black Beans
plus Tomatoes On-The-Vine
and Avocados
and Mexican Black Beans