Consult your doctor, registered dietitian, or certified diabetes educator to help you come up with a proper meal plan. Print and post the meal plan on your refrigerator and make a copy to keep in your car for easy reference.
Make a list of foods that you like that you can eat.
Check weekly supermarket ads and websites to find out what’s on sale (and in season).
Search websites for recipes, which include seasonal foods from your list.
Make a meal plan for the week (be sure to include lunches).
Make a snack plan for the week (almonds, dried fruit, edamame, yogurt, fruits and vegetables).
Make a weekly grocery list.
Schedule food shopping and preparation into your week’s activities.
Build a pantry and stock your freezer full of staples so that there is always something on hand to cook. Great options are lentils, beans, whole grains, olive oil, frozen vegetables. Healthful cooking is based on aromatics (garlic, onions, shallots), fresh herbs, and spices. Keep your favorites on hand to add flavor, nutritional benefits, and depth to your meals without adding fat or calories.
Learn correct portion sizes. Print a handy placemat chart that displays healthy portion sizes and post it in your refrigerator.
Invest in a scale and measuring cups. In the beginning, you will need to use these items to measure out the correct amount of food. After a short time, it will become second nature.
Our modern dinner plates and utensils are the size of serving platters and utensils from the 1950s. By making a small change like using sandwich size plates or smaller, old fashioned dinner plates as well as smaller utensils, we subconsciously encourage ourselves to eat less.
When you need to eat out, frequent restaurants that feature fresh vegetables, legumes, lean meats and fish, and grains on their menu.
Make a list of restaurants and take-out places that you know make healthful foods for times when cooking is not an option.
Since portion sizes are often double, triple, or quadruple actual serving sizes—ask for a separate plate when dining out. Portion off what you are going to eat and ask for the rest to be wrapped for later.
Try ordering a healthful appetizer and a green salad with olive oil and vinegar or lemon instead of a main course.
Always travel with snacks.
Make a mental plan of the next day’s meals the night before.
