You can choose foods from different categories to create a lunch that fits into your diabetes meal plan perfectly. The number of servings from each group will depend upon your daily calorie levels, but you can do this with your favorite foods for breakfast or for dinner, too.
This little exercise demonstrates perfectly how simple it can be to put healthy meals together when you think about the components separately. It’s something like ordering at a restaurant — pick a protein and choose three carbohydrate side dishes — except the options you have to choose from are healthy foods in an appropriate portion.
You can easily adapt this list to your own tastes, too — think of all the fruits that could go under the carbohydrate section, or other nonstarchy vegetables that could work to create your favorite salad. And, you can start from scratch to build your own menu options for your breakfasts and dinners.
Planning ahead allows you to take advantage of the thinking part of your brain and minimize the influence of impulse. A logical and organized chart like the one illustrated works both ways, however.
The options are selected with care for how they fit into your meal plan, but the fact that there are many options allows you to make impulsive decisions regarding what sounds good at any particular time. It’s the best of both worlds.