A type 2 diabetes meal plan to bring your HbA1c down

Reviewed by the JForH team · 2026-10-30

To lower your HbA1c, the NHS advises eating more vegetables, fruit, wholegrains such as oats and wholemeal bread, and pulses such as lentils and chickpeas, and cutting back on processed foods high in salt and sugar. Keep carb portions steady, walk after meals and aim for at least 2.5 hours of activity a week. If you take insulin or gliclazide, talk to your GP or diabetes nurse before big changes.

What should I eat to lower my HbA1c?

Build meals around vegetables, pulses and wholegrains, with a smaller portion of starchy food. That's the NHS advice for type 2 diabetes: plenty of fruit and vegetables, wholegrain foods such as wholemeal bread and oats, and pulses such as chickpeas and lentils.

The NHS also says to cut down on processed food high in salt and sugar, giving bacon, chips, cheese, sweets and biscuits as examples. You don't have to give them up for good. Make them occasional rather than daily.

A simple way to put that on a plate:

• Half: vegetables or salad. Broccoli, cabbage, green beans, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, spinach, cauliflower.
• A quarter: protein. Chicken, fish, eggs, lean meat, lentils, beans, tofu or paneer.
• A quarter: starchy carbs. Wholemeal bread, new potatoes in their skins, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, chapati.

The NHS suggests changing one small thing a week. That's easier to keep up than a full overhaul on a Monday morning.

Is porridge good for type 2 diabetes?

Yes, for most people. Oats are one of the wholegrains the NHS names. The catch is what goes on top and how big the bowl is.

• Make it with water or semi-skimmed milk, not with cream.
• Skip the golden syrup and honey. Add a handful of berries, some chopped nuts or a spoon of plain yoghurt.
• Choose plain rolled or jumbo oats over sweetened instant pots.
• Keep to a normal bowl rather than a heaped one.

If you wear a sensor or test at home, try porridge on a few mornings and see what it does for you. People vary.

What can I have for breakfast with type 2 diabetes?

Pick something with protein or fibre, not just white bread and jam. A few ideas:

• Porridge with berries and a few walnuts.
• Two eggs, scrambled or poached, on one slice of wholemeal or granary toast with grilled tomatoes.
• Plain Greek yoghurt with a sliced apple and seeds.
• Shredded wholegrain cereal or bran flakes with milk, rather than frosted or chocolate cereal.
• A lighter full English: grilled bacon with the fat cut off, an egg, mushrooms, tomatoes and a small portion of beans. Skip the fried bread and hash browns.

Can I still have sandwiches and jacket potatoes?

Yes. Change what's in them and what comes with them.

For a sandwich, use wholemeal or seeded bread and a protein filling: chicken, tuna, egg, ham or hummus, with plenty of salad. A meal deal with a sugary drink and crisps is the bit to swap. Have water and fruit instead.

A jacket potato is a big portion of starch. Have a smaller one, eat the skin, and fill it with beans, tuna or chilli rather than butter and cheese. Add a side salad so half your plate is still vegetables.

Can I have fish and chips or a curry night?

Yes, as an occasional meal. There's no food you can never eat.

• Fish and chips: share the chips or get a small portion, and add mushy peas. Grilled fish, if the chippy does it, is lighter.
• Takeaway curry: choose a tomato-based or tandoori dish over a creamy one, share one portion of rice, skip the naan or share it, and add a vegetable side such as saag or a salad.
• Sunday roast: lean meat, plenty of veg, two or three roast potatoes rather than a pile, and go easy on the gravy and Yorkshire puddings.

A walk after these meals helps too (see below).

What about chapati, rice and dal?

You can keep eating the food you grew up with. Portions and balance matter more than cutting dishes out.

The NHS Healthier You programme has a food guide for African, Caribbean and South Asian food, with portion sizes for chapati, rice and other staples. Diabetes UK has also worked on guides in Urdu, Bengali and Gujarati. Some practical swaps:

• Have one or two chapatis made with wholemeal atta, not three or four, and skip the ghee on top.
• Keep rice to a quarter of the plate. Fill the rest with dal, sabzi and salad.
• Dal, chana and rajma give you protein and fibre together. Make them the centre of the meal.
• Keep samosas, pakoras and mithai for special occasions, and have one rather than a plateful.
• Use less oil when cooking, and measure it with a spoon rather than pouring.

A review of research on British South Asians with type 2 diabetes found that family meals, hospitality and festivals all shape what people eat. If someone else cooks at home, bring them into the plan.

Should I cut carbs to lower my HbA1c?

It helps some people. Carbs raise blood sugar more than any other food, so less starch and sugar usually means lower readings.

A 2021 review in The BMJ pooled trials of low-carb diets in type 2 diabetes. After 6 months, more people on low-carb diets had their HbA1c below 48 mmol/mol (6.5%) than on other diets. By 12 months, the difference was smaller. The best plan is one you can keep up.

If you take insulin or a sulfonylurea such as gliclazide, cutting carbs quickly can cause hypos. Speak to your GP or diabetes nurse first, as your dose may need to come down.

Does the order you eat your food matter?

It seems to. In a small 2015 study in Diabetes Care, 11 adults with type 2 diabetes ate the same meal twice. When they ate the vegetables and protein before the bread, their blood sugar was about 29% lower at 30 minutes and 37% lower at 60 minutes than when they ate the carbs first.

It's a free habit to try. Eat your salad and chicken before you start on the rice or bread.

Does walking after meals lower blood sugar?

Yes, for many people. In a 2016 study of 41 adults with type 2 diabetes, a 10-minute walk after each main meal lowered the rise in blood sugar after meals by about 12%, compared with one 30-minute walk at another time. After the evening meal, the drop was about 22%.

The NHS advises at least 2.5 hours a week of walking or other activity that leaves you a bit out of breath. Three 10-minute walks after meals each day add up to that and more.

What does a 7-day UK meal plan look like?

Here's a sample week. It's an example, not a prescription. Your portions depend on your size, how active you are and your medicines.

For snacks, try a small handful of unsalted nuts, an apple, carrot sticks with hummus or a plain yoghurt. For a South Asian week, MyDiabetes has free 7-day vegetarian and non-vegetarian lower-carb plans.

What should I drink?

Water is best. Tea and coffee without sugar are fine, and so is sparkling water. Sugary fizzy drinks, squash with added sugar and fruit juice raise blood sugar quickly. If you take insulin or gliclazide, keep juice for treating a hypo.

If you drink alcohol, ask your GP or diabetes nurse what's safe with your medicines. It can cause hypos in people on insulin or gliclazide.

Is the soups and shakes diet right for me?

It might be, if you were diagnosed in the last 6 years and are carrying extra weight. In England, the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission programme offers 800 to 900 calories a day of soups and shakes for 12 weeks, then help going back to food. NICE says low-calorie diets for type 2 should follow this programme.

It's free on referral from your GP. Our type 2 diabetes remission guide explains who can join and what results look like.

What about Ramadan, Diwali and Christmas?

Plan ahead rather than giving up on the day. If you plan to fast in Ramadan, see your GP or diabetes nurse a few weeks before. Medicines such as insulin and gliclazide may need changing to avoid hypos during the fast.

At Diwali, Eid or Christmas, have the sweets you love most in a small portion after a meal rather than grazing all day. Walk after the big meal if you can.

How fast can I get my HbA1c down with diet?

You'll usually see it on your next HbA1c, about 3 months later. HbA1c reflects your blood sugar over roughly the last 2 to 3 months, so a change you make today takes that long to show fully. NICE suggests rechecking every 3 to 6 months until it's stable.

How much it falls varies from person to person. It depends on where you start, how much you change and whether you lose weight.

Is it safe to change my diet if I take insulin or gliclazide?

Yes, with your GP's help. The NHS warns against starting a very strict, low-calorie diet without talking to a health professional first if you take insulin or other diabetes medicines.

Eating fewer carbs while your dose stays the same can push you below 4 mmol/L. Tell your GP or diabetes nurse before you make a big change, and ask how to watch for hypos while you adjust. Never stop a medicine on your own.

Get a meal plan built around the food you eat (free check)

Last updated: 2026-10-30. Educational information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your treatment.