There’s no such thing as a ‘diabetic’ diet. But if you’re living with diabetes, a healthy, balanced diet will help you, and your family, to eat well, feel good and enjoy food.
For many of us, every penny counts when it comes to the weekly shop. With careful planning and know-how, eating healthily on a budget is simple. Next time you’re shopping for food, use these tips to help you save money while still packing your meals full of nutrition.
On this page:
- Healthy lunches
- Fruit & veg
- Dairy foods and alternatives
- Meat, fish, eggs, pulses, beans and nuts
- Starchy foods
- Foods high in fat, salt and sugar
- Drinks
- Store cupboard staples
Healthy lunches
Tempting ‘meal deals’ can be a quick and easy option during a busy lunchtime. But they’re not the only choice.
- Use food labels to choose healthier sandwiches, and cut down on salt, sugar and fat by choosing fruit and bottled water over crisps and fizzy drinks.
- Plan your lunches for the week ahead and stock up on fruit, vegetables, salads leaves, wholegrain bread, hummus, fish, eggs, chicken, and unsweetened yoghurts at the weekend.
- Make extra pasta or soup for dinner and take it for lunch the next day, along with a salad.
- Carry fruit, a small amount of unsalted nuts or an easy home-made muesli bar in your bag to nibble on when hunger strikes.
- Start a once-a-week healthy lunch club with colleagues, where you each bring in a healthy home-made lunch to share.
- Try to avoid shopping for lunch (or any food!) when you’re really hungry – you might buy more than you need.
Fruit & veg
We know eating fruit and vegetables are good for health. They are packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre and they are naturally low in calories. We should all try to eat at least five portions a day.
- Canned, dried and frozen produce all count towards your five-a-day. These can be cheaper than fresh foods and will help you to organise your meals and make sure you always have healthy options on hand.
- Frozen fruit and veg are quickly frozen after picking, preserving their vitamins and minerals. Choose veg tinned in water, not salt.
- Don’t be put off by ‘value’ or ‘own brand’ labels – give them a try and see how much you save.
- Go for tinned fruit in natural juice rather than syrup. Otherwise, you can drain the syrup and wash the fruit before use.
- Look out for fresh produce which is in season and buying locally can also be cheaper. Look out for what’s on special offer and stock up on it. So, when there’s plenty of butternut squash in the autumn, you could make soup that you can freeze, or peel, dice and freeze chunks to add to home-made curries. Eating fruit and vegetables that are in season is a great way to make sure you’re getting a wide range of nutrients and flavours throughout the year.
- Try to avoid buying fruit juices and smoothies as they don’t have as much fibre.
Dairy foods and alternatives
Milk, cheese and yoghurt all contain calcium, which is essential to keep your teeth and bones in tip-top condition. They are a good source of protein, too, but some can have added sugars, and cheese can be high in salt. When it comes to butter, choose spreads made with vegetable oils in place of butter.
- Buy strong-flavoured cheese, such as mature cheddar, Parmesan or feta, so that you can use less, but still enjoy great taste. Remember, one portion is the size of a small matchbox.
- Keep an eye on low-fat fruit and flavoured yoghurts – they can be loaded with added sugar. Try plain yoghurt with fresh fruit on top.
- If you prefer dairy-free alternatives like plant-based milks, check products are unsweetened and calcium-rich to support bone health.
- Cottage cheese is high in protein and low in fat which makes a great ingredient in lots of recipes – add it to mashed potato in place of butter, or pop some into a blender to make a lower-fat alternative to sour cream dips.
Meat, fish, eggs, pulses, beans and nuts
These foods are high in protein, which makes you feel fuller for longer. But a healthy diet means eating less red and processed meat. Fish is a good option and the essential fatty acid, omega-3, found in oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, trout, pilchards and sardines, is a ‘good’ fat which helps keep your heart healthy. People living with diabetes should be aiming for at least two portions of oily fish a week.
- Try to include some protein in meals, so that you feel satisfied and less likely to snack.
- Choose plant-based sources of protein such as lentils, chickpeas, Quorn, soya or tofu.
- A whole chicken costs about the same as chicken breasts, but you get more meals for your money. Roast with vegetables, slice into sandwiches and make soup with the leftovers.
- Eggs are great for lots of breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner dishes. Mix cooked eggs with unsweetened plain yoghurt and a little low-fat mayonnaise and use as a filling for your lunchtime sandwiches.
- Choose plain fish without batter or baked fish in breadcrumbs rather than fried.
- Frozen and tinned fish is cheaper than fresh and it’s a good idea to have a few tins in the store cupboard and fillets in the freezer to turn to when you’re stuck for ideas for lunch or dinner. Choose tinned fish in water or tomato sauce, rather than in brine (salt water).
- Smoked and cured fish like smoked salmon or mackerel can be high in salt, which can raise your blood pressure. You can easily make a tasty, lower-salt fuss-free meal using fish, for example, simply put a few mackerel under the grill and serve with salad and boiled baby potatoes on the side.
- Dried or canned beans, pulses and lentils are cheaper options and great for filling out meat dishes, such as bolognese and chilli con carne, and can help you cut down how much meat, fat and saturated fat you eat. Pulses are low in saturated fat and they also contain a type of fibre that can lower your cholesterol and help you reach the fibre recommendation of 30g a day for adults. Three heaped tablespoons of pulses – like beans, lentils and peas, chickpeas, kidney and haricot beans – count as one of your five-a-day. You can buy the basic ranges in water and, with baked beans, go for the reduced sugar and salt version.
Starchy foods
Carbohydrates are needed for energy, but as the body breaks them down into glucose (blood sugar), it’s important to be aware of the amount of carbs in foods and drinks if you have diabetes. It’s a good idea to get into the habit of weighing the amount of pasta or rice you use, as it’s easy to cook (and eat) too much. Over time, you’ll be able to estimate the right amounts without weighing.
Choose wholegrain options to up your fibre intake and keep you feeling fuller for longer than refined carbohydrates. Wholegrain varieties take longer for the body to break down, so blood glucose levels do not ‘spike’ then drop rapidly. Better options include:
- wholegrain, granary, pumpernickel or rye bread
- wholewheat or brown pasta and noodles
- basmati or wild rice
- porridge oats or muesli – many breakfast cereals have free sugars, so read the labels.
- quinoa, bulgur wheat, couscous or yam.
Foods high in fat, salt and sugar
These foods include biscuits, crisps, chocolates, cakes, ice cream, butter and sugary drinks. We know that these aren’t great for your waistline, blood sugar levels, blood pressure or cholesterol and they are not needed in the diet. The less often, the better. However, we enjoy eating them from time to time, so here are a few tips to help you enjoy these foods as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
- Choose sugar-free, diet versions of soft drinks.
- Buy smaller packs and individually wrapped items so you don’t eat too much too often.
- Use less fat and calories when cooking by measuring the amount of oil you use. That’ll make the oil last longer, too.
- Buy canned fruit in juice, not syrup.
- Use sweeteners in place of sugar.
- Fruit is a delicious dessert for everyone – try fresh berries, poached pears or baked apples. Eat with natural unsweetened yoghurt or low-fat crème fraiche, rather than cream or custard.
- Try baking at home – you can often use less sugar and fat than the recipe suggests. Try using wholemeal flour instead of white flour, and mashed banana and vegetable oil instead of butter.
Drinks
Don’t drink your calories! All sugary, fizzy drinks and alcohol are high in sugar and calories (about 140 calories in a can of cola) so it’s very easy to consume too much.
Fruit juices and smoothies contain vitamins, but still contain a lot of calories and sugars, so only drink one small glass (150ml) a day. Try:
- water or sugar-free fruit squash
- diet/zero versions of soft drinks
- alternating alcoholic drinks with water or sugar-free non-alcoholic options.
Whether you have diabetes or not, to help keep health risks from alcohol at a low level, it’s safest not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week. These guidelines are the same for men and women. You might want to drink less than this if you’re trying to lose weight.
Store cupboard staples
Stock up on these ingredients and you’ll always have the basics for a quick and tasty healthy meal. These store cupboard staples are versatile, won’t go off quickly and pack a punch when it comes to flavour.
- Onions – will keep fresh for a long time in a cool, dry place and form the basis of many quick, simple meals, such as omelettes, stews, curries, soups, sauces.
- Tinned tomatoes – combine them with onion for a basic sauce to eat with pasta or rice.
- Beans, lentils, chickpeas – canned or dried, they are high-fibre and do not have a big impact on blood glucose.
- Whole wheat pasta, brown or basmati rice and noodles – quick, handy and tasty.
- Olive, sunflower or rapeseed oil – use a teaspoon to measure or buy a cooking oil spray.
- Dried herbs and spices, and black pepper – flavour your food without adding salt. If a recipe calls for a specific spice, try using a similar alternative you already have in the cupboard, so you don’t need to buy so many.
- Tinned tuna in spring water – use in salads, sandwiches, wraps and pasta sauces.
- Porridge oats – use in a classic porridge or overnight oats for a filling breakfast with fibre that lowers your cholesterol levels, or sprinkle on top of fruit crumbles, or for an occasional treat, use in biscuits or flapjacks.
