A balanced calorie and carbohydrate meal through the week is important. It helps keep a healthy weight and overall balance in glucose levels. In this article, we will feature a number of meals that can be taken in each day of your 7 day diabetic meal plan, from day 1 through day 7. Complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits will feature greatly in daily meals. Additionally, lean proteins and healthy fats are equally important in your 7 day diabetic meal plan. Saturated fats, refined carbohydrates such as white rice and white bread, artificial sugars etc should be consumed in limited amounts.
Each daily meal plan will contain balanced carb values of about 30-45 grams of carbohydrates. Snacking between meals will contain 15 grams of carbohydrates. Carbohydrate provisional values of each particular diet have been listed against each diabetes meal plan.
Day 1
BREAKFAST
(About 250 calories and 41 grams of Carbohydrates)
- Half a cup of whole grain wheat or oat, cooked in half a cup of low-fat or non-fat milk.
- 1 chopped medium plum
- 4 chopped walnut halves
It is advisable to top this recipe with plum or walnuts. Alternatively you could take ¾ cup of blueberries and a ¼ of non-fat or fat-free yoghurt.
LUNCH RECIPE: Turkey-Apple Cheddar melt
(300 calories and 37 grams of carbohydrates)
- 2 slices of whole meal bread. Could be whole-grain wheat or oat bread.
- 2 teaspoons of whole grain mustard
- ½ medium apple (sliced)
- 2 tablespoons of shredded cheddar cheese.
It is advisable to buy deli turkey that has less than 150 milligrams of sodium per serving. For a lunch snack, ½ medium apple with ½ teaspoon of natural honey and cinnamon is a great choice.
DINNER RECIPE
(400 calories and 54 grams of carbohydrates)
- Two and a half cups of vegetable soup.
- 1 serving of rosemary goat cheese toast.
It is advisable to save about ¾ cup of soup for your lunch the following day.
Day 2
BREAKFAST RECIPE: Bagel Avocado toast
(300 calories and 33 grams of carbohydrates)
- 1 serving of whole bagel-avocado toast
- ½ a cup of blueberries
- 25 pieces of pistachios.
It’s advisable to snack with 10 cherries before your lunch meal.
LUNCH RECIPE: Weight loss Soup
(300 calories and 47 grams of carbohydrates)
- ¾ cup of vegetable weight loss soup
- 2 slices of whole wheat baguette. Pre-cut in ¼ inch thickness.
Before your dinner, you could take Cinnamon apples for your snack. This is 1 medium apple with added cinnamon to taste.
DINNER RECIPE: Lentils with roasted vegetable salad
(420 calories and 48 grams of carbohydrates)
- Two and a half cups of lentils
- Roasted vegetable salads with greens dressing
- 1 serving of chocolate-banana bites (frozen)
For this kind of diet 7 day diabetic meal plan, it is advisable cook extra ½ cup of lentils. This could be taken with your lunch recipe in the following day.
Day 3
BREAKFAST RECIPE: Yoghurt with blueberry Honey
(289 calories and 27 grams of carbohydrates)
- 1 serving of healthy low-fat or fat-free yoghurt with blueberries.
- 1 teaspoon of flaxseed
- 6halves of walnut. Can be whole or chopped
The flaxseeds are added into yoghurt to increase on the amount of dietary fiber and omega-3. It’s advisable to snack with one medium plum just before your lunch meal.
LUNCH RECIPE: Mixed greens with lentils and sliced apples
(provides 350 calories and 50 grams of carbohydrates)
- You only need 3 and ½ cups of mixed geens with sliced apples and lentils. Before you take your dinner, it’s a great option to snack with 1 medium orange.
DINNER RECIPE: Chicken Sausage and Pepper
(500 calories and 50 grams of carbohydrates)
- 400 grams of chicken sausage and ground pepper
- ½ a cup of brown rice (cooked)
- ½ teaspoon of olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning
In this recipe, 7 day diabetic meal plan, you will have to season rice with olive oil, Italian seasoning and salt to taste. Serve the pepper and chicken sausages over rice.
Day 4
BREAKFAST RECIPE
(295 calories and 40 grams of carbohydrates)
- ½ a cup of cooked oat, pre-prepared in a ½ cup of milk and water
- 1 chopped medium plum
- 3 chopped walnut halves.
Mixing the oatmeal with flaxseeds and topping it with plum and walnuts gives the best results. Snacking with 10 cherries is a good option too.
LUNCH RECIPE
(veggies with hummus sandwich)
- 1 serving of hummus sandwich with healthy vegetables.
- 3 apricots (dried)
This is a simple easy meal that can be complemented with 1 medium orange as an afternoon snack.
DINNER RECIPE: Lemon herb salmon with Caponata
(350 calories and 45 grams of carbohydrates)
- 1 serving of lemon herb salmon with caponata or Farro. If you do not have Farro, substituting it with another whole-grain meal such as brown rice is a good choice.
Day 5
BREAKFAST RECIPE: Bagel avocado toast
(300 calories and 40 grams of carbohydrates)
- 1 serving of bagel avocado toast
- 20 cherries
After this recipe, snacking with 6 apricots previously dried is worthwhile.
LUNCH RECIPE: Turkey and Pear melt
(350 calories with 40 grams of carbohydrates)
- ½ of a large whole-wheat pear.
- 3 ½ Oz. of deli turkey
- ½ medium sliced pear
- 2 tablespoons of cheddar cheese
- 1 cup of mixed greens.
Add turkey, cheese and pear to the pita pocket then toast in a toaster oven until all the cheese melts. Add your cup of greens to pita before eating. It’s healthy to snack with ½ sliced medium pear.
DINNER RECIPE: Meatballs with spaghetti squash
(450 calories and 40 grams of carbohydrates)
- 1 slice of whole-wheat baguette
- ½ tablespoon of goat cheese
- 1 serving of spaghetti squash and meatballs
- ¼ fresh chopped rosemary leaves
Toast baguette and top with cheese and rosemary.
Day 6
BREAKFAST RECIPE: Yoghurt with honey and blueberries
(300 calories and 30 grams of carbohydrates)
- 2 teaspoons of ground flaxseeds
- 5 halves of walnut halves
- 1 serving of low-fat yoghurt with blueberries and honey
Mix flaxseeds with fat-free yoghurt topped with walnuts. Its very healthy to snack with 14 cherries just before taking your lunch.
LUNCH RECIPE: Weight loss soup
(340 calories and 40 grams of carbohydrates)
2 ½ cups of a healthy vegetable soup. If you feel hungry, snack with 1 medium orange.
DINNER RECIPE: Glazed chicken with spinach
(400 calories and 50 grams of carbohydrates)
- ½ cup of steamed butternut squash
- 1 serving of apple glazed chicken and 5 leaves of spinach.
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- ½ teaspoon of fresh thyme (dried)
Toss the squash with thyme and olive oil. To improve taste season with salt or pepper.
Day 7
BREAKFAST RECIPE: Blueberry pecan pancakes
(300 calories and 40 grams of carbohydrates)
- 3 tablespoons of fresh or frozen blueberry
- 2 teaspoons of ground flaxseeds
- 2 blueberry pecan pancakes
Microwave the berries until they form a sauce like paste for 1 minute. To add fiber content, stir in flaxseeds and serve with pancakes. It’s a great choice to snack with 1 medium orange.
LUNCH RECIPE
(450 calories and 50 grams of carbohydrates)
- 2 cups of mixed greens
- ½ cup of cucumber sliced
- ¼ cup of grated carrots
- 1 ½ tablespoon of salad dressing.
Combine the greens with the salad dressing, carrots and cucumber. In this case, you can snack with 1 medium apple.
DINNER RECIPE: Mushroom sauce pork chops
(450 calories and 48 grams of carbohydrates)
- ½ cup of brown rice (cooked)
- ¾ cup of roasted Brussels with sun-dried tomato.
- 1 serving of mushroom sauce pork chops.
This diabetic dinner recipe is a slow cook diet. Starting it early will ensure you have your meal ready in the right dinner time.
In conclusion, this 7 day diabetic meal plan is based on advanced control of calories and carbohydrates, saturated fats, sodium and fiber. In case you are concerned with a particular nutrient in your diabetic meal plan, it is advisable to consult your doctor or dietician. However, this 7 day diabetic meal plan best suits any individual’s diabetic needs.