A healthy diet is recommended for everyone, including people with diabetes. The main aim of the diet is to help control the level of glucose in your blood.

The basic recommendations:

1. Eat three regular meals a day and try not to miss a meal.
2. Eat high fibre starchy foods at each meal. These include:
   • all types of bread – good choices include granary, rye, multigrain and pitta breads
   • potatoes – good choices include new potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams
   • rice – good choices include brown, basmati and long grain
   • pasta – all types
   • wholegrain or low sugar cereals – good choices include porridge, no added sugar muesli and bran-based cereal.

If you are overweight, you may need to limit the portion of starchy foods you eat to help lose weight. Even a small amount of weight loss can help the control of your diabetes. Please ask your dietitian about portion sizes.

3. Try to include five portions of fruit and/or vegetables or salad daily.
4. Spread your fruit portions throughout the day.
5. Try to include peas, beans and pulses regularly. These include baked beans, kidney beans, lentils and chickpeas.
6. Eat fewer fatty foods.
7. Aim to eat two portions of oily fish per week, such as mackerel, sardines, salmon and pilchards.
8. Limit sugar and sugary foods.
9. Keep alcohol within recommended limits. If you drink alcohol, ideally include with a meal.
10. Try to reduce the amount of added salt and salty foods you eat, for example salty snacks, crisps and processed foods.
11. Special diabetic products are not necessary in your diet. These are not recommended as they are often high in fat and calories and may be more expensive than similar ‘non-diabetic’ foods. The sugar substitutes used in these products, for example sorbitol and isomalt, can cause stomach cramps and diarrhoea.