HealthInfo Canterbury
Eating well with diabetes
Eating healthy food is an important part of managing your diabetes.
Eating well with diabetes doesn't mean you need to eat different food from your family. However, you do need to know how much carbohydrate, and what types of carbohydrate are in your food, as these will directly affect your blood sugar levels.
You can find out more about carbohydrates by watching this short video from Health Mentor Online.
You should base your meals on the Diabetes New Zealand healthy plate model, shown in the picture on the right.
This means eating starchy carbohydrates, lean meat, fish, or eggs, and plenty of vegetables, in the right portions as shown on the plate. You also need some fruit, low-fat dairy products, and healthy oils.
You may want to consult a dietitian to help you develop an eating plan that suits your lifestyle and manages your diabetes. A dietitian can also help you to lose weight if you need to.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
Healthy food and drinks
- Diabetes New Zealand – Food and nutrition for diabetes
Comprehensive advice about eating healthy food to help you manage your diabetes.
- Health Mentor Online – Films about the basics of using the plate
This page has several short videos explaining healthy eating in diabetes. There's also a video about how to lose weight.
Understanding food labels
- Health Mentor Online – Nutrition label challenge
Take this challenge to find out what's on food labels, how to use the information, and how to compare products. You can also use this handy shopping guide.
Healthy recipes
- Diabetes New Zealand – Recipes
Healthy recipes for salads, mains, desserts, and more. It also has information about how to adapt your recipes to make them healthier.
On the next page: Blood glucose (sugar) self-monitoring
Written by Christchurch Diabetes Centre dietitians. Adapted by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed February 2017.
Sources
Review key: HIDIA-21832
