Top Ten Meal Planning Tips!
There is not a single meal plan that works for everyone. What we are all striving to achieve is a plan that fits our personal preferences and, most importantly, helps achieve our blood glucose targets as well as maintaining a healthy weight.
It is often thought that planning a healthy meal is difficult to create and expensive. However, with a little bit of pre-planning, healthy meals can be easy to prepare, fit anyone’s budget and excite the taste buds!
To start you off on your journey to find the meal plan that is right for you, we have compiled our top ten meal preparation tips.
1. Fit a plan to YOUR life! If your weekdays are hectic balancing work and family demands, enlist some help on the weekend and get the whole family making quick, tasty dishes you can eat on the run during the week.
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2. Carbohydrate counting or “carb counting,” is a meal planning technique for managing blood glucose levels that is based on the premise that carbohydrate-containing foods have the greatest effect on blood glucose compared to foods that contain mainly protein or fat.
3. Glycemic Index (GI) – learn about glycemic index (GI) – stock your fridge with foods with a medium or low GI since foods with a high GI raises blood glucose more.
4. Lean meats – choose leaner cuts of meats and try to eat seafood a couple of times a week.
5. Portion sizes – establishing the proper portion sizes is easy if you follow the plate method.
6. Eat lots of vegetables.
7. Cooking method – grill, broil, bake, and stir fry instead of frying.
8. Flavouring – use herbs and spices to cook, instead of salt.
9. Low fat – try low fat cheese, skim milk and low-fat yogurt.
10. Reduce sugar – try to reduce your sugar intake.
Of course there are many more ideas that you can add, a lot of which you will find in the articles below.
Finally, we’d like to suggest that you reach out to a dietitian to help you talk about specific choices that will fit your life, and preferences and foods you will want to stick with.
Meal Preparation Articles
Simple cooking with spicesEnhance your cooking routine with spices right from your pantry. Read this article to learn how to spice up your meal plan!
Healthier alternatives for diabetes meal planningEating healthy is one of the cornerstones of managing diabetes. Despite what many people believe,
Carb counting: a meal planning solution that offers flexibilityCarbohydrate counting or "carb counting," is a meal planning technique for managing blood glucose levels that is based on the premise that carbohydrate-containing foods have the greatest effect on blood glucose compared to foods that contain mainly protein or fat.
5 tips to make a healthier birthday cakeBirthdays are for celebrating, and there’s no better way to indulge than with a delicious birthday cake! With a few tweaks to ingredients and toppings, baking a birthday cake can be healthier than store-bought options and tastier as well.
Navigating the grocery store: the pasta aislePasta is a kitchen pantry staple. It’s inexpensive, versatile, requires little cooking expertise and it’s delicious. Read on to get 7 tips about choosing and using pasta for your diabetes diet.
Do air fryers fit into a diabetes diet?Dreaming of French fries and crispy chicken? Fried foods aren’t usually part of the meal plan when you have diabetes, or at least they aren’t recommended. But can air fryers make fried foods a better fit for your diabetes diet?
Navigating the grocery store for snacksSnacks can be part of a diabetes diet. The important thing is to choose healthier options – such as those with lower levels of carbohydrate, fat and sodium – and check your portion size. Read this expert blog to learn about navigating the grocery store for snacks.
Navigating the grocery store for seafoodGrocery store shopping may seem like one of those chores on your weekly “to do” list, like doing laundry or mowing the lawn. But unlike other weekly tasks, grocery shopping is one of the most important things you can do for your health.
Navigating the grocery store for vegetablesWalking through the vegetable section of your local grocery store can be an intimidating experience, especially if you aren't familiar with a lot of the choices available.
Navigating the grocery store for cerealsWhen you think about beginning your day on the right track, a good place to start is with a healthy breakfast. Breakfast cereals are a popular choice because they are quick and easy to prepare.
