Keeping a collection of diabetic menus and recipes on hand can be an extremely helpful tool in keeping your blood sugar levels balanced. Many of these diabetic menus and recipes are balanced to where you can gain proper nutrition while keeping your weight down as well. Managing your weight is one of the most important things you can do on a diabetic diet. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) states that “losing just a few pounds through exercise and eating well can help with your diabetes control and can reduce your health problems.” Meal planning in advance with diabetic menus and recipes keeps you satisfied and keeps you from making mistakes in your diabetic diet.

 

Diabetic Diet Menus

 

Menus for diabetic diets are one of the tools diabetics typically use to make their meal planning easier. Diabetic menus are mainly designed to keep you from consuming too many carbohydrates at any one time. Some are designed to ensure that you are getting the right amount of nutrition, but many are not. It is up to you to manage your diet carefully to ensure that you are getting the proper amounts of nutrients as well as keeping your blood sugar levels balanced. It is commonly recommended that you choose several day’s worth of diabetic menus at a time, so that you are prepared and know that you are getting a good balance of food.

 

Diabetic Menus for a Week

 

Menus for a diabetic diet are usually made to include 45 grams of carbohydrates at each meal and 15 grams of carbohydrate at each snack. If you are unsure of the amount of carbohydrates that you should consume at each setting, you should speak to your doctor or dietitian before changing your diet. Otherwise, feel free to use the following diabetic menus for a week:

 

Sunday

Breakfast

  • 2/3 cup raisin bran & 1 cup skim milk

 

Mid-Morning Snack

  • 1tbsp. almonds & 6 oz. plain fat-free yogurt

 

Lunch

  • ¾ cup red beans & rice, 1 slice whole wheat bread

 

Mid-Afternoon Snack

  • 3 cups popcorn and 25 grapes

 

Dinner

  • 1 ½ cups Shrimp Linguine
  • Baby Greens and 1 small orange

 

Monday

Breakfast

  • 1 cup cooked oatmeal & ½ medium banana

 

Mid-Morning Snack

  • One small pear & a light cheese stick

 

Lunch

  • 2 hard shell tacos & 2/3 cup refried beans

 

Mid-Afternoon snack

  • Mix light tuna, 1 teaspoon light mayonnaise, & 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • Top 2 rye crackers with the mixture

 

Dinner

  • 1 baked chicken breast
  • ½ cup green beans topped with toasted almonds
  • 1 whole grain dinner roll
  • 1 cup artificially sweetened tea

 

Tuesday

Breakfast

  • 1 bran blue berry muffin & ¾ cup strawberry ice cream

 

Mid-Morning Snack

  • ¼ peeled avocado with a dash of garlic salt
  • 1 whole grain tortilla

 

Lunch

  • 1 cup vegetable soup & 5 saltine crackers

 

Mid-Afternoon Snack

  • Half a banana, sliced
  • ½ oz. melted dark chocolate

 

Dinner

  • 1 lean cut pork chop
  • ½ cup corn, pinto beans, and rice
  • 1 peanut butter cookie

 

Wednesday

Breakfast

  • 1 cup skim milk & 4 graham cracker squares

 

Mid-Morning Snack

  • 1 oz of thinly slice deli ham & ½ cup pineapple chunks

 

Lunch

  • Top half a round of whole grain sandwich thin with 2 tomato slices
  • Add 1 cup fresh mushroom and melt reduced-fat cheese on top for a mini pizza

 

Mid-Afternoon Snack

  • ½ red sweet pepper, sliced
  • ¼ cup guacamole
  • ½ cup carrot sticks

 

Dinner

  • 1 cup sliced turkey & brown rice
  • 1 cup apple slices
  • 1 cup artificially sweetened tea

 

Thursday

Breakfast

  • 10 vanilla wafers
  • 1 cup skim milk

 

Mid-morning snack

  • 6 oz. carton of fat-free yogurt (your choice of flavor)
  • 1/3 cup fresh raspberries
  • 3 tbsp. puffed wheat
  • Mix to make a parfait

 

Lunch

  • Turkey Sandwich on whole wheat bread
  • 1 tsp. mayo or mustard

 

Mid-Afternoon Snack

  • ¾ oz. baked tortilla chips
  • ¼ cup salsa

 

Dinner

Spicy Chicken Breast

  • ½ cup couscous mixed with chopped carrots and zucchini
  • 1 diet soda

 

Friday

Breakfast

  • 1 cup whole-grain cereal
  • ½ cup blue berries
  • 1 cup skim milk

 

Mid-Morning Snack

  • 1 apple, sliced

 

Lunch

  • 1 peanut butter & jelly sandwich on wheat bread
  • 1 diet soda

 

Mid-Afternoon Snack

  • 15 baby carrots
  • 2 tbsp. light ranch dressing

 

Dinner

  • 1 serving Salmon
  • ½ cup carrots & green beans
  • ½ cup brown rice
  • 1 small piece light cake with berries

 

Saturday

Breakfast

  • 1 cup strawberries
  • ½ cup cottage cheese
  • ¼ cup almonds

 

Mid-Morning snack

  • 2 tbsp. peanut butter
  • 6 low-sodium crackers

 

Lunch

  • 1 small red potato, 1 large carrot, ½ cup green peas

 

Mid-Afternoon Snack

  • 1 Orange

 

Dinner

  • ¾ cup cheddar soup
  • 1 cup lettuce & sliced tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp. fat-free ranch dressing
  • 1 brownie cookie