Meals & Inspiration for Type 2 Diabetes

Work with your healthcare team to develop a personalized meal plan, then check out our meal inspiration pages. You’ll find great ideas, delicious products, easy recipes, and helpful tools to make your meal planning and shopping easier!

Building a Meal for Type 2 Diabetes

Determining what, how much, and when you eat foods, especially foods that contain carbohydrates, is important for managing Type 2 diabetes. Yet, there’s no single “diabetic diet” that’s right for everyone.

The graphic below can help! Use this as a visual guide to get started with what to put on your plate. Work with your healthcare team to learn how much and when to eat foods that will support your specific needs.

Large plate graphic showing recommended portions
Small plate graphic showing recommended portions

Fill half of your plate with non-starchy vegetables, one quarter of your plate with protein foods, and one quarter of your plate with grains or starchy vegetables. One serving of fruit, milk or yogurt may also be added to a meal.

Top-down view of a variety of vegetables

A few examples for each food category

  • Non-Starchy Veggies: asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, jicama, leafy greens, onions, mushrooms, radishes, and tomatoes
  • Protein Foods: seafood, poultry, meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils*
  • Grains** or Starchy Veggies: bread, cereal, corn, pasta, peas, potatoes, oats, rice, quinoa, corn, and winter squash
  • Fruit: apples, berries, cherries, grapes, peaches,
    and oranges
  • Milk: reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free milk
  • Yogurt: Greek or plain low-fat or fat-free yogurt

*Beans and lentils are sometimes counted as starchy vegetables. Refer to the FAQ “Are beans and lentils starchy veggies or protein foods?” for more information.
**Choose whole grains more often than refined grains.

Picture of Avocado Toast

Avocado Toast paired with Flavor Bomb Tomatoes

Breakfast

Meal Inspiration

Avocado Toast paired with Flavor Bomb Tomatoes

non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains

Avocado Toast paired with Flavor Bomb Tomatoes

non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains, fruit

Eggs with Spinach & Carrots paired with Fresh Cantaloupe

protein, whole grains, fruit

Organic Multigrain Waffles with Almond Butter & Strawberries

protein, whole grains, fruit

Organic Instant Oatmeal with Blueberries & Shelled Walnuts

whole grains, fruit, yogurt

Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt with Peaches & Granola

non-starchy veggies, protein, fruit

Organic Eggs, Sausage, Peppers & Onions with a side of Grapes

protein, whole grains, fruit

Simple Scrambled Eggs with Whole Wheat English Muffins & Bananas

fruit, whole grains, protein

Red Rooster Smoothie with Organic Sprouted Multigrain Sandwich Bread & Just Almonds Smooth Almond Butter

Picture of Greek Turkey Burger with Zucchini

Greek Turkey Burger with Fresh Cut Zucchini Sticks

Lunch

Meal Inspiration

Greek Turkey Burger with Zucchini

non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains

Greek Turkey Burger with Zucchini

plus Zucchini

non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains

Shrimp Salad with Multigrain Roll

non-starchy veggies, protein, grains

Cauliflower Crust Veggie Pizza with Arugula Salad

non-starchy veggies, protein, grains

Margherita Panini with Kale & Mushroom Soup

non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains

Mushroom Soup with Whole Wheat Baked Crackers and Baby Spinach Salad with Beets, Feta, & Walnuts

non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains

Turkey on 1/2 Organic Whole Wheat Pita Bread with Carrots, Mini Peppers & Hummus

Picture of EZ Meal Chicken Parmesan with Zucchini Noodles

EZ Meal Chicken Parmesan with Broccoli & Zucchini Noodles

Dinner

Meal Inspiration

EZ Meal Chicken Parmesan with Broccoli & Zucchini Noodles

non-starchy veggies, protein, grains

Chicken Parmesan with Broccoli & Zucchini Noodles

non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains

Pan-Seared Chili Garlic Fish with Szechuan Sauce

plus Red Quinoa

non-starchy & starchy veggies, protein, whole grains, fruit

Kung Pao Beef Stir Fry served with Brown Rice & Clementines

non-starchy & starchy veggies, protein

Horseradish Crusted Salmon with Asparagus & Diced Sweet Potatoes

non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains

Black Pepper Cod with Yu Choy & Mushrooms with Organic Brown Rice

non-starchy veggies, protein, whole grains

Roasted Rosemary Chicken with Steamable Rice, Green Beans & Carrots

protein, non-starchy veggies, starchy veggies

Grilled Jerk Chicken with Grilled Asparagus and Grilled Corn on the Cob

protein, non-starchy veggies, starchy veggies

Sheet Pan Chicken with Broccoli & Potatoes

protein, starchy veggies, non-starchy veggies

Roasted Turkey Thighs with Roasted Butternut Squash & Simple Sauteed Greens

protein, starchy veggies, non-starchy veggies

Easy Turkey Tacos with Tomato, Avocado & Mexican Black Beans

protein, starchy veggies, non-starchy veggies

Grilled Cedar-Plank Salmon with Corn & Bean Salad and Grilled Veggie Kabobs

protein, grains, non-starchy veggies

Shrimp Al Forno with Thin Spaghetti Pasta & Roasted Cauliflower

protein, starchy veggies, non-starchy veggies

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie with Shaved Brussels Sprouts

protein, non-starchy veggies, whole grains

Sesame Garlic Beef & Vegetable Stir Fry with Organic Frozen Steamables Brown Rice