Dietary Advice for people with Type 2 Diabetes
When you have Type 2 diabetes your nutritional needs are the same as everyone else—no special foods or complicated diets are needed. The key to eating well with diabetes is eating regularly, watching your serving size, and following a healthy eating plan that is low in refined sugars and fat.
This means choosing lower fat options when eating meat, poultry, dairy products, and spreads, enjoying a good variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, getting the majority of your energy from unrefined and whole-grain starches (e.g. potatoes and wholegrain bread and cereals), and keeping high sugar, high-fat foods as treats only. You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health and no single food supplies them all.
Eating a wide variety of foods is the key to ensuring that you get all the nutrients you need. Our “Healthy eating for people with type diabetes booklet” is an easy-to-read guide which has been prepared specifically for people with type 2 diabetes and for those waiting to see a dietitian, however the booklet provides useful guidance for everyone interested in developing healthy eating habits.
Useful resources:
Healthy eating for people with type 2 diabetes booklet
Getting active for better health
Updated Feb 2023
