• Have 3 meals of similar size each day.

Breakfast Water, tea, coffee or low calorie drinks

1 fruit, raw or unsweetened, and/or yoghurt and/or
• Include wholegrain breads, cereals, vegetables
and fruit daily. Use dried beans, split peas or
lentils often.
breakfast cereal/porridge and/or wholegrain
bread/toast with a scraping of margarine or
If required, choose a small snack such as –
2 crispbread or 2 crackers or
1 fruit or 1 yoghurt or
A BASIC GUIDE
peanut butter, Vegemite, Marmite, tomato,
• Use only a scraping of margarine or peanut butter
on bread, or try low fat spreads.
or ‘Diet’ spread
Tea or Coffee (no sugar)
1 small glass of milk
or 1 thin slice or bread. TO FOOD
The need for snacks will depend on weight, medication
• Cook without fat – steam, boil, bake, microwave,
and individual diabetes goals. If you are unsure, consult FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES
grill – or stirfry in water, stock, or a wipe or spray Lunch your dietitian.
of oil. Soup (optional)
Vegetables from ‘Eat Freely’ list
• If you use coconut cream use only a little, and
Wholegrain bread, rolls or crispbread or choice This pamphlet is compiled by
dilute with water or low fat milk.
from carbohydrate list Diabetes New Zealand in consultation with
• Use very little salt in cooking and avoid it at the Scraping of margarine or low fat spread members of the NZ Dietetic Association.
table. Lean meat or fish or egg or chicken or
low fat cheese or dried beans – small serving Diabetes New Zealand
• Fill up on vegetables from the ‘Eat Freely’ list. PO Box 12 441
and/or yoghurt
Wellington
1 fruit, raw or unsweetened
• Alcohol can affect Visit the DNZ website at
Tea or coffee (no sugar)
the control of your
diabetes. It is high www.diabetes.org.nz
in calories. Discuss For other DNZ publications, contact:
with you dietitian or
Evening meal
Soup (optional) Diabetes Supplies Ltd
doctor. PO Box 54 Oamaru
Lean meat or fish or chicken – small serving
Phone 0800 DIABETES (0800 342 238)
• If overweight aim to (no fat, crumbs, or batter) Fax 03 434-5281
lose weight slowly. Potato or kumara or rice or pasta
or noodles or roti or chapatti or green banana Other brochures and booklets available:
• ACTIVITY/EXERCISE (cooking) or taro – average serving • It’s Time to Shed Some Light on Diabetes
ARE VERY Selection of other vegetables • Living With Diabetes and Insulin
IMPORTANT. Aim 1 fruit, raw or unsweetened • New Zealand Supermarket Shopping Guide
for 30 minutes per Tea or coffee (no sugar) • Cardiovascular risk and Diabetes
day. Walking is great Meat • Testing Your Blood Glucose
exercise. and meat • Fit for Life
Carbohydrate alternatives • Diabetes and Kidney Disease
• Diabetes and Your Eyes
Important! As a guide for your Vegetables
• Footcare
Eating at regular times is especially evening meal, use this
important if you are taking tablets or insulin DIABETES NEW ZEALAND
plate model: June 2003
for your diabetes.
Free foods add variety without raising blood glucose levels. Carbohydrate (starchy foods) Too much sugar Add variety to your diet with…
Choose a selection of vegetables daily – eat plenty Have a similar amount at each meal to keep blood glucose Foods with too much sugar add extra carbohydrate to
Herbs, spices, garlic
For example: levels even. Eating too much will raise your blood glucose your diet and raise blood glucose levels
Marmite/Vegemite
levels. Select wholemeal or wholegrain products, eg oat,
Mushroom rye, barley or wheatbran
Sugar – all types Low calorie or
Asparagus ‘Lite" salad dressing
Jam, marmalade, honey
Beetroot Onion Bread, bread rolls Treacle, golden syrup Artificial sweeteners
Broccoli Parsley Pita bread, crackers Lollies, chocolate, carob ‘Diet’ jelly
Peas Crispbreads, muffins Sweetened condensed milk Vinegar
Brussel sprouts
Scones, cabin bread Sweetened fruit Worcester sauce
Butter beans Peppers Roti, chapatti Jelly, ice cream Soy sauce, tomato
Cabbage Puha Dried beans, baked beans, split peas, lentils sauce or paste
Puddings & desserts
Carrot Pumpkin Rice, noodles, pasta, spaghetti Cakes & biscuits Lemon, rhubarb
Cauliflower Radish Kumara, potato, corn, parsnip
Muesli bars
Yam, breadfruit, taro, tapioca
Celery Silverbeet Cordials What to drink?
Green banana (cooking)
Choko Snowpeas Powdered fruit drinks
Porridge, breakfast cereal (low sugar) Aim for 6-8 cups of liquid per day
Iced tea drinks
Cucumber Spinach Fruit – raw, stewed or canned (without sugar or syrup) Water
Some flavoured coffee & milk
Egg plant Spring onion 2 - 3 average sized fruits Tea, coffee
Fizzy drinks, flavoured mineral water
Green beans Swede Clear soup
Fruit juice (including ‘no added sugar’ varieties)
For balanced and healthy eating, also include… Energy drinks
‘Diet’ or low calorie drinks or soda water
Kamo kamo Taro leaves
Leeks Tomato Protein foods
Too much fat This is a basic guide to the sort of foods people with diabetes
Watercress Choose a small serving at 1 or 2 meals per day
Lettuce Too much saturated fat increases the risk of heart should include in their diet.
Meat, with fat cut off, chicken without skin
Marrow Zucchini disease. Too much fat increases energy intake and
Fish & seafood, egg
contributes to weight gain There is a lot more to learn about healthy eating. Contact a
Dried beans, split peas, lentils (eg, baked beans,
dietitian for more advice on your own personal eating plan.
bean salad) Deep fried foods and fatty snacks
Fatty meat, eg salami, sausage, canned corned beef
Low fat dairy products
Saveloys, luncheon sausage, fatty bacon
Choose 2-3 servings per day
Pies, pastries, croissants
Milk or soya milk
High fat biscuits, crackers and cakes
Yoghurt (unsweetened or ‘Diet’/’Lite’)
High fat savouries, eg sausage rolls
Cottage cheese,
Potato chips
other low fat cheese
Cream, coconut cream, cream cheese, sour cream
Fats Mayonnaise, salad dressing
Use in small amounts. Dripping, lard, suet, Chefade, Kremelta, butter
Margarine, peanut butter High fat takeaways
Oil – eg olive, canola, peanut, soya
Nuts (dry roasted)
Avocado