Keep Your Blood Sugar On Target With This Diabetic Diet Plan

Many doctors advise their diabetes patients that changes to their diet are a key component of managing diabetes, but it can be tough to stick to a diabetic diet plan when you're not used to eating low carb or low sugar.

We've chosen seven different breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks that you can mix and match for a week of healthy, diabetes-friendly eating that will kick start your lifestyle change without you even noticing that anything's missing.

BREAKFAST

Oatmeal: The complex carbohydrates will keep your blood sugar steady, and the fiber will help regulate digestion. Add fruit for sweetness or nuts for extra protein, and serve with low-fat milk.

Chia pudding: Similar to a bowl of cereal but without the carbs, chia pudding is made with high-protein chia seeds which have a pudding-like consistency when soaked in milk. Add fruit, nuts, cinnamon, ginger or vanilla essence for flavoring.

Omelet: A great high-protein breakfast and a good choice when eating out. Add plenty of healthy vegetables like mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach and use a cheese that's low in fat.

Eggs Benedict: Eggs are always a healthy, high-protein base for a meal, and lean bacon, wholewheat muffins and sour cream instead of hollandaise keep the fat and refined carbohydrates down.

Blueberry pancakes: A diabetic diet plan is easy to stick to when you can have pancakes! Use a high blueberry-to-pancake ratio to pack as much healthy fruit in as possible and use wholemeal flour instead of white for slow-release carbs.

Nuts: If you have to run straight out the door, a handful of mixed nuts or some trail mix with dried fruit (not chocolate!) is an easy, portable breakfast.

Smoothie: Blend a cup of low fat milk or yogurt with half a cup of fruit and a few ice cubes for a cool, refreshing smoothie. Add a little wheatgerm for some extra protein.

LUNCH

Soup: Easy to make in advance and freeze in portions, soup without heavy cream is best for diabetics. Tomato, miso, pork tenderloin and butternut squash are all packed with healthy vegetables.

Chicken Salad: A staple of the diet plan for diabetics everywhere, chicken salad is so easy to make with leftover chicken from dinner and whatever fresh vegetables you have lying around, and is just as tasty with fat-free yogurt instead of mayo.

Stuffed peppers: A versatile dish that can include anything left unused in the fridge and packed to take to work. Add scraps of chicken or ham or beans for protein and fill out with brown rice for extra fiber.

Frittata: These taste great hot or cold, and you can vary the ingredients depending on season. All those eggs are a great source of vitamins D, B12, riboflavin and phosphorous.

Bean burrito: Burritos can be as good or bad for you ask you like depending on what you put in them, so fill your with beans, tomatoes, onions, green chillies, mozzarella and super healthy tomato salsa.

Baked sweet potatoes: Sweet potatoes are lower in calories than normal potatoes and contain more vitamin A and antioxidants, so they make for a healthier lunch, but they go just as well with chili and sour cream.

Turkey wrap: Wraps are more diabetic-friendly than sandwiches because the bread makes up a smaller proportion of your meal. Turkey is a rich source of protein and the skinless kind is also low in fat.

DINNER

Stir Fry: So fast and easy, you can add anything you want for a range of different flavors; soy sauce, chili, garlic, ginger or cashews all add interest and texture. Cook with an oil high in monounsaturated fat like canola.

Chili: A spicy beef chili is the perfect thing for winter evenings, and the low carbohydrates and high vitamin C from the peppers and tomatoes make it a perfect addition to any diabetic diet plan.

Baked salmon: The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon are essential for good health, and if you serve it with Dijon mustard instead of creamy sauce it's also low fat. Asparagus and new potatoes make great sides.

Chicken Curry: Curries are a healthy choice if you use a light cooking oil and don't add too many creamy ingredients. Include lots of fresh vegetables and trim the fat from the chicken before you use it.

Lamb skewers: Thread some chunks of lamb, pepper, onion and tomato onto a skewer and cook in the oven or on the barbecue for 10-15 minutes, then serve with flatbread and yogurt.

Beef sirloin: High in protein, low in fat and an infinitely satisfying dinner, beef sirloin can be served with roasted vegetables or a side salad. Make a light sauce instead of gravy for a lighter, low calorie meal.

Seafood risotto: Brown rice is better than white for keeping blood glucose steady and seafood is high protein and low in sodium. Prawns and mussels are classic ingredients, and cook it in dry white wine for extra flavor.

SNACKS

Vegetable sticks with hummus: Sticks of carrot and celery dipped in humus are satisfying and nutritious, and chickpeas – the main ingredient in hummus – could help lower your cholesterol.

Popcorn: Leave off the butter, sugar and salt and popcorn suddenly becomes a light and relatively healthy snack. Flavor it with cinnamon, vanilla or coconut flakes and it will be half the calories of the stuff you get at the movies.

Froyo: Much better for you than ice-cream, make your froyo with low-fat Greek yogurt and it will keep your blood glucose steady and fill you up.

Fruit: Yes, it's obvious but if you're bored of fruit then try some unusual new flavors like passionfruit, pomegranate, papaya or kumquat. Or you could just stick to good old strawberries.

Raisins: If you typically find yourself snacking on M&Ms or Reese's in front of the television, raisins are the same sweet, easy-to-eat handfuls without the calories or resulting spike in blood glucose.

Peanut or almond butter: Check the ingredients to make sure there's no added sugar or salt before you buy, then you can spread as much as you like on rice crackers or apple slices.

Sugar-free jello: This stuff has saved many people struggling to stick to their diabetic diet plan, and we can see why. Although it's not good for you to eat too much, the lack of sugar makes it much lower calorie than the original and it will satisfy your craving for something sweet.