Kickstart Challenge!

Week 2: Building Blood Sugar-friendly Meals

In Week 1 we talked about diabetes basics. This week, we’ll look at changes we can make to our diet to help with blood sugar management.

During Week 2 log your
blood sugar in Brook at least twice

Log two blood sugar readings in the Brook app

Week 2 Goals

Choose a goal for the week and tell a Health Coach:

Make and log a meal that follows Brook Healthy Plate 3 times
Chat with a Health Coach about making your favorite meal fit the Brook Healthy Plate
Open the app

Building Balanced Meals

Diets rich in fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and whole grains have been found to lower fasting blood sugar levels and improve HgA1c. Does this mean that you have to stop eating all your favorite foods? Not at all! By focusing on improving eating patterns, you can still include foods that you enjoy eating while supporting good health.

What does that eating pattern look like in real life? Enter the Brook Healthy Plate. The Brook Healthy Plate method utilizes a “plate model” to help us think about each meal in a simple and visual way. Using it to build meals takes the guesswork out of good nutrition. If you are able to make most of your meals resemble the Brook Healthy Plate, you are on the path to better blood sugar. 

Flip over the cards to find out about the components of the Brook Healthy Plate method for building balanced meals.

Feature low-carb veggies as the main component of you meal, filling up half your plate. Get creative! Eat more than one type of veggie in one meal! Play with spices, seasonings, and cooking methods.
Fill 1/4 of your plate with high protein foods. Protein helps with satiety, blood sugar regulation, and maintaining muscle.
Certain fats are absolutely essential for good health and blood sugar regulation. Don’t fear them! For oils, add 1-2 tsp (in dressing or during cooking) and for nuts/seeds use 1-2 tbsp.
While you may want to limit certain types of carbs, carbs with fiber make up 1/4 of the Brook Healthy Plate for balanced blood sugar.

Here are some food items from each category to get your creative juices flowing:

Veggies

  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Asparagus
  • Leafy greens (salad, kale, chard, spinach),
  • Green beans
  • Zucchini
  • Cauliflower
  • Cucumber & many more!

Proteins

  • Tofu & tempeh
  • Poultry
  • Lean meats
  • Fish & seafood
  • Eggs
  • Plain Greek yogurt
  • Cottage cheese
  • Beans (also contain carbs)
  • Lentils (also contain carbs)

Carbs

  • Whole grain (ex: brown rice, quinoa, oats)
  • Bread & pasta (100% whole grain)
  • Winter squash
  • Potatoes & sweet potatoes
  • Beans (also contain protein)
  • Lentils (also contain protein)
  • Peas
  • Corn
  • Fruit

Healthy Fats

  • Nuts & seeds
  • Avocado
  • Plant oils (olive, avocado, coconut)
  • Olives
  • Nut & seed butters

Need some inspiration? Here are three examples:

So, can a meal fit into the Brook Healthy Plate model without perfectly fitting into the sections shown? Of course! The healthy plate model is a visual guide, not a rule-book! It simply helps us visualize proportions of food types in order to create balance and consistency, without requiring us to break out the measuring cups or scales!

Key Takeaways

Focus on veggies

Increasing your veggie intake is always a good idea, even if you can’t quite make it to half a plate yet. Check out tips for boosting your intake here and recipes for veggies that don’t suck here.

Choose your carbs wisely

Make sure you choose carbs that contain fiber for your Brook Healthy Plate. The fiber found in whole grains, beans, fruit, and starchy veggies will help keep your blood sugar in a safe range. 

Better beverages

Unsweetened or calorie-free drinks are best. Sugar-sweetened beverages cause a large spike in blood sugar even when you drink it with a meal. Diet sodas have potentially been linked to higher blood sugar and drinking them can even make you crave sugar more!  Stick with water, sparkling water, unsweetened tea, etc. Need helping kicking the sugary drink habit? Check out our tips.

Keep an eye on portion size

Use a 8 to 10 inch plate, and don’t heap the food! This creates automatic portion control when following the Brook Healthy Plate method.

That’s everything for Week 2!

Make sure to log your
blood sugar in Brook at least twice

Log two blood sugar readings in the Brook app

Week 2 Goals

Choose a goal for the week and tell a Health Coach:

Make and log a meal that follows Brook Healthy Plate 3 times
Chat with a Health Coach about making your favorite meal fit the Brook Healthy Plate
Open the app
Chat soon!
Reviewed by Heather King, MS, RDN​, CDE

on November 3rd, 2020. Heather is a Certified Diabetes Educator, has been a Registered Dietitian for over 12 years, and is Brook's Health Director.

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