Sample Meal Plan for Prediabetes

A low carb diet isn’t just beneficial for people living with type 2 diabetes, but it can also be an amazing meal plan for people with prediabetes, as it can help you reverse your condition.

Here at Diabetes Meal Plans we encourage a low carb diet because our clinical research shows it outperforms any other diet for:

• Decreasing blood glucose
• Lowering A1C
• Decreasing cholesterol
• Increasing HDL
• Increasing weight loss
• And most importantly, reducing medications!

If you could halt the progression of your prediabetes and avoid full-blown type 2 diabetes just by altering your diet and lifestyle, would you do it?

Even if your answer is a resounding “YES!” it can still be difficult to put a low carb diet into practice.

It’s pretty hard for anyone to make the jump from eating 300 g carbs per day (average Western diet) to just 50-100 g per day.

The good news is, you don’t have to make the big jump all at once. You can transition your diet from a high carb, standard diet to a healthy low carb diet in stages.

Below we’ve put together a couple of sample menus for prediabetes:

1. Sample low carb menu (50-80 g)
2. Sample moderate carb menu (120-130 g)

If you’ve been eating lots of carbs (which is common), it’s a good idea to start with a moderate carb level, then work towards a low carb level for best results.

SAMPLE Two-Day MEAL PLAN: 50-80 g

This example is for 50 to 80 grams total carbs per day, for those who want to jump straight into the deep and and go low-carb right away.

With a menu like this, you’ll enjoy some familiar favorites like pizza, tacos, and lunch wraps…all made delightfully low carb!

DAY 1

This sample meal plan is 51g, excluding snacks, so once you add those you’ll clock up around 80g carbs.

DAY 2

This sample meal plan is 30g, excluding snacks, so once you add those you’ll clock up around 50-60g carbs.

Snacks

• Peanut butter protein balls (5 g)
• Cheesy Pumpkin Puffs (15g)
• Guacamole or peanut butter with carrot or celery sticks (10 g)
• Cheesecake finger bites – (11 g)
• Carrot and cinnamon loaf (5 g)
• Cucumber crackers (9 g)

You’ll want to aim for 5-15 g per snack, with 2-3 snacks per day as you need them.

And that would make up your low carb menu of around 50-80 grams total carbs per day.

If you factor in the fiber, you’d be consuming approximately 30-50 grams net carbs per day (total carbs minus fiber = net carbs).

As you can see from this sample menu, you will not be starving! But it is a different way to eat than you are probably used to.

That’s why we create delicious weekly Meal Plans and Menus – so you can enjoy life more while lowering blood sugar and A1c at the same time!

SAMPLE Two-Day MEAL PLAN: 120-130 g

This example is for 120 to 130 grams total carbs per day, which is perfect for anyone who wants to ease into a low carb diet.

NOTE: We don’t generally encourage people to eat bread, rice or pasta. For better blood sugar results, these are the foods we recommend you work on reducing and eliminating.

For this modified plan with moderate carbs, let’s take the exact same menu above and turn it into a 120-130 g carb meal plan instead. This gives you wiggle room to add more variety to your meal plan.

Day 1

Breakfast: Cheesy Egg & Tomato Scramble with one slice of whole grain bread – approx. 30 g

Lunch: Zucchini Pizza Boats with one slice of whole grain garlic bread bread – approx. 30 g

Dinner: Pan Fried Chicken w/ Olive-Bean Paste and Greens alongside one serve brown rice (max. 1/2 cup) – approx. 30 g

Snacks: Cheesy Pumpkin Puffs (15 g), peanut butter with half small apple (15 g).

Day 2

Breakfast: Roasted Nut Muesli – add 1/4 cup whole oats – approx. 30 g

Lunch: Chicken Sandwich Wrap – served on whole grain wrap bread – approx. 30 g

Dinner: Taco Tomatoes – made with two corn taco shells – approx. 30 g

Snacks: Greek yogurt with berries (15 g), cottage cheese with half a pear (15 g).

Based off the meals and snacks in these moderate low carb menus, the total daily carbs is around: 120-130 g per day.

What you will notice is that as soon as you add the breads, pastas, rice, and noodles, the carb count goes up quite dramatically, with just a small portion added.

Bread, pasta, rice, noodles, crackers, flour-based items and potatoes are generally the foods that will increase blood sugar the most – high carb foods – and as suggested earlier, these are the foods we recommend you try decreasing or eliminating altogether.

Of course, if you prefer to transition a little slower, or your diet is currently filled with lots of sugar and processed foods. Step down to 120 g per day first, then once you adjust, aim lower – you will notice your blood sugar levels come down as you lower the amount of carbs you eat.

Focus on eating more of the right veggies. These are the type of carbs you want to eat because veggies are low in carbs, high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and many other beneficial compounds that support great health and lower blood sugar and A1C.

It’s much easier than you think to put a low carb diet into practice – just start with one meal and work your way from there.

Or, you could consider joining us as a Member.

Of course, membership is optional. But as a member, you’ll have exclusive members-only access to:

• Weekly meal plans
• Our “smart” meal planner to swap, change and alter meal plans to your preferences
• 1500+ recipes
• Video cooking classes
• Library of diabetes-specific information
• Ongoing support and encouragement
• And more!

If you’re not ready to join us as a member, grab a copy of our food list to help you get started. It also includes a 2-day sample menu and recipes – enjoy!