Eating with diabetes doesn’t have to be hard. There are many ways to prep healthy and great-tasting food even when on a budget. Whether you are cooking for one, have a small space, or don’t have many cooking supplies—you can have a balanced eating plan that helps you manage your blood glucose (blood sugar).
Cooking and Meal Prep for One
You have many options even if you’re cooking for one. You can purchase pre-portioned single serving packages of protein like frozen chicken or fish. Use the Diabetes Plate as your guide by adding your protein to a salad (you can buy salad kits) or vegetables, and served with a baked potato, or beans as your quality carb.
Mediterranean roll-ups, easy egg muffins, or this Pesto Chicken Wrap, are also quick, convenient and low-waste meals.
Or warm up frozen vegetables or fruits in a skillet or microwave and add them to meals and snacks for added fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Frozen vegetables and fruits still have great flavor and nutrition.
Look for packages of frozen whole grains like oats, brown rice, and quinoa in the frozen food section of grocery stores. These can be heated up in a microwave, skillet, or crockpot for easy meal prep. Whole grains provide quality carbs, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Part of food prep is planning your meals. For long-term meal planning, you can make large amounts of different recipes and save single portions for the rest of the week. You can also freeze some foods, so they’ll last even longer.
Dorm Room
Eating well at college doesn’t have to be a chore. If you don’t have access to a stove or oven, you can prep balanced meals with:
- Salad kits
- Pre-cut vegetables and fruits
- Tinned fish
- Pre-made lean sources of protein, like chicken, turkey, hard-boiled eggs, canned beans. nuts, seeds, and nut butters that can be used to make sandwiches on whole grain bread
- Whole grain crackers
- Yogurt
- Trail mix
Canned vegetables, fruits, and legumes are not expensive and don’t need to be refrigerated. They can be easily added to salads, yogurt, egg dishes, or whole grain bowls.
If You Don’t Cook
Even if you don’t like to cook, you can still make healthy meals. Purchase pre-cut fruits and vegetables to serve with a lettuce or whole grain wraps. These may cost more money but save you time and stress. Frozen or canned vegetables or fruit (not in syrup) are another option.
Meal delivery services are another way to eat well without cooking. Choose meals that fit with your eating plan. When you subscribe to a service you can pick your meals for the week. Many of these meals can be heated up without any other food preparation.
The Bottom Line
Eating with diabetes doesn’t have to be hard. You can include vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits, and whole grains in your meal plan—even if you live alone, in a dorm, don’t cook, or have limited supplies.
Frozen, canned, pre-cut, pre-portioned, or meal delivery kits are some of the ways you can prep for and plan meals. This will help you follow your eating plan to manage diabetes and reach your health goals. Reach out to a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) if you’re looking for an eating plan that’s made for your needs and helps you reach your goals.
Be sure to check out all the recipes on Diabetes Food Hub and create an account so you can save recipes to try later. You can even create and print a grocery list to bring with you to the grocery store.
