Foods on Friday!

I’m impressed with myself for keeping up with Diabetes Blog Week this year. Today’s topic is around foods that we eat, which is apparently also what people are keen to hear from a dietitian. People often ask if there is a specific ‘diabetic diet’ that people with diabetes have to follow. Diet is a cringe word in my books and something I don’t agree with or advocate for. Instead, I choose to have a little of everything, because life is too short to live without Nutella. So what does a dietitian with diabetes eat?

Breakfast
Typically, breakfast is small and quick unless I have a day off. I can’t start my day without food and a cup of tea. At the moment, I’m loving canned tuna or salmon on a slice of toast or yoghurt with barley clusters. Tuna and salmon are a great source omega 3’s and yoghurt helps get my dairy serves up – both are a good sources of protein too.

Lunch & Dinner
I am so lucky to be living at home where my mum indulges our family with delicious foods and creative plate-ups. Usually she cooks extra so we can bring leftovers for lunch. When I do have time, I love to play around with meals, new foods and pretty plate ups too. (but I don’t think it’ll be ever as good as hers!) Mum and I aim to create balanced meals with some carb, protein, plenty of vegetables and lots of colours.

Snacks
Because I tend to eat smaller meals, I snack in between to stop myself going hangry before the next meal. My go-to snacks are usually yoghurt, nuts or muesli bars. But occasionally, I treat myself to some chocolate, ice cream or chips. (I don’t eat ice cream very often, and you can see why) Recently due to the colder weather, I’ve found some packet soups that are fairly low in salt without sacrificing taste, which is awesome.

Eating Out
Brunch is probably my all-time favourite meal to eat out. There are so many options out there that come in sensible portion sizes. But I also can’t resist a good parma! Being on a student budget, I try and keep my dining out extravagances to a minimum. So I do get slightly excited and fussy when it comes to choosing a place to eat at.

As you can clearly see, there are no foods barred from me because of my diabetes. I enjoy a little bit of everything in moderate amounts. Life is so much more than restricting the foods you eat to achieve that perfect number, be it weight or HbA1c. That’s the key message I hope I am spreading through my work as a dietitian as well and to you now!