Monthly Dietary Plan for Blood Sugar Control
The US-based nutrition and cooking website EatingWell.com has published a 30-day meal plan developed by registered dietitian Emily Laakso and reviewed by her colleague Jessica Ball, aimed at helping individuals with type 2 diabetes—whether they have had the condition for years or were recently diagnosed—manage their blood sugar levels without feeling overwhelmed by the flood of conflicting nutritional information. EatingWell explained that the plan relies on recipes with simple ingredients, most of which require no more than 30 minutes of actual preparation time.
The dietitian noted that the plan is fundamentally based on completely eliminating added sugars, while focusing on fiber- and protein-rich foods and moderately reducing carbohydrate intake, distributed evenly across daily meals and snacks to help avoid sharp spikes in blood sugar. The team set the plan’s baseline daily calorie target at 1,800 calories, with two alternative versions at 1,500 and 2,000 calories for those who need to adjust portion sizes according to their personal needs.
The philosophy of the plan rests on several key nutritional pillars recommended to be included every day of the month:
• Moderately reduced carbohydrates, accounting for about 40 percent of total calories, which is lower than the officially recommended range (45 to 65 percent), but not so low as to make it difficult to obtain sufficient fiber.
• At least 80 grams of protein daily, with each carbohydrate-containing meal paired with a protein source to slow digestion and reduce blood sugar fluctuations.
• A maximum of 14 grams of saturated fat per day, increasing to 20 grams on days that include fatty fish such as salmon.
Laakso pointed out that the plan is spread over five weeks, with each phase beginning with meal-prep tips, such as making a double batch of “frozen egg, cheese, and spinach breakfast burritos” to cover several days, or preparing a “superfood plant-based grain bowl” ready for lunch over four consecutive days, thereby reducing daily cooking time. On a typical day, meals included avocado toast with a soft-boiled egg, a high-protein glass-jar salad, and lemon-garlic grilled salmon with potatoes and green beans, totaling approximately 1,815 calories and 115 grams of protein.
The dietitian addressed common questions from first-time participants, emphasizing that any meal not to the user’s liking can be replaced with a similar one in terms of calories and carbohydrates, or that the same breakfast and lunch can be repeated throughout the month without affecting overall nutritional balance, since most breakfast and lunch options contain between 30 and 40 grams of carbohydrates.
