What I Eat in a Day with Diabetes

Stocking up on the satisfying foods I love eating and keeping my blood sugar levels stable are key.

Living with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) can bring on some challenges when it comes to preparing meals.

Anyone with diabetes can tell you it’s not easy to balance good meals with proper insulin dosing, exercise, and the many other things you likely have to juggle in one day.

For that reason, I tend to keep my meals simple but tasty. People often can’t believe that my meals can be so tasty and diabetes-friendly at the same time.

My meals vary based on ingredients and seasons, so I don’t eat the same thing every day. What I eat also depends on the recipes I might be creating for my blog that week.

The best thing about food is that it can fit your mood, how much time you actually have, and what you have on hand. I love this approach, because you can enjoy the things you love.

For people with diabetes, that also means finding some joy in food while also maintaining blood sugar levels. So here’s how I do it, and what I eat in a day.

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Breakfast

I start most of my meals by reading labels. I have to dose my rapid-acting insulin with my food to make sure I avoid spiking my blood sugar levels out of range.

Insulin helps me regulate my blood sugar, so I tend to read the carbohydrate count on every food label I can find. I also look this up in an app for certain items, such as produce, which doesn’t have a food label.

On this day

I start my day with a couple of espresso shots with some oat milk. I like the creaminess of oat milk, and even though it has a higher carb content, it works great for me because I’m lactose intolerant.

I also love avocado toast, because it’s so versatile. And you don’t have to have it the same way twice. I keep mine simple with “everything but the bagel” seasoning and avocado on a piece of sourdough toast.

Lunch

A few hours later, I’ll get ready for lunch. I grow my own produce indoors, so my indoor garden is typically where I get my salad produce.

On this day

I pull some green lettuce, kale, and tomatoes from my garden, and make a fresh salad with avocado, rotisserie chicken, and a pomegranate vinaigrette.

It’s simple, quick, fresh, and allows me to get some greens in for the day.

After lunch, I enjoy a zero-sugar, guava-flavored sparkling water. It’s perfect for after lunch, and I always find sparkling water to be really refreshing.

Dinner

Dinner is my wind-down time, and I take the most care with my dinner plans.

I will usually turn the stove on for dinner and use that time as my Zen time to make something nice for myself after I’ve shut my laptop down for the day.

Cooking gives me some time for reflection and relaxation. Sometimes, I can even get my friends to cook with me.

On this day

I have one 4 ounce glass of white wine with my dinner and while cooking. I opt for the recently popular sushi bowl that’s been making its way around the web.

I use instant brown rice and add cucumbers, kimchi, rice, salmon, sriracha, mayo, and avocado to my bowl. I scoop it into sheets of nori, which is seaweed that’s been dried and sometimes salted.

It’s such a delicious meal and the perfect combination of flavors and textures. Best of all, it’s easy!

Snacks

Some snacks I like to keep around are:

• individually wrapped cheeses
• blueberries and strawberries
• boiled eggs
• hummus and pretzel sticks

Lots of these snacks are lower in fat, with a good amount of fiber, protein, or vitamins and minerals.

I find that they’re great at helping me balance my blood sugar, which is my biggest priority when finding foods that work for me.

On this day

I don’t feel a need to snack. My meals keep me pretty satisfied, so I don’t need snacks in between. But I do stay hydrated all day long.

The bottom line

Stocking up on the satisfying foods I love eating and keeping my blood sugar levels stable are so important to me. While my meals can vary from day to day, I always try my best to incorporate lots of flavor and fun into my meals.

I hope getting a glimpse into what I eat in a day gives you some inspiration for your next meals.