Managing Type 2 Diabetes For People Who Are Eating At A Hostel or Mission

We understand it can be difficult to prioritise Type 2 diabetes when you do not have access to a kitchen or the means to buy food.

This guide is designed to provide some basic dietary tips to help you manage your Type 2 diabetes if you are eating at a hostel or mission.

The key is not having too much sugar or carbohydrates in your meal at any one time

  • If you only have access to one meal per day then try to eat half straight away and then save half of the meal to eat throughout the day. This is will help you to not have too high blood sugar levels at any one time. 

Ideas to help with this:
  • Keep a plastic container or sandwich bags in your bag to store food in
  • Keep fruit or cereal bars in your pockets
  • Have tinned food if available
  • Try not to eat more than 2 slices of bread at any given time
  • Try using sweeteners or ‘half and half’ instead of sugar in your tea and coffee
  • Below are some food options that can help you manage your diabetes and what can make it worse
Better food options if you have Type 2 Diabetes

Breakfast:
  • Porridge 1 medium sized bowl (2 full ladles) with milk and sweetener
  • Weetabix 2 with milk and sweetener
  • Shredded wheat 2 with milk and sweetener
  • Cooked breakfast with unlimited egg, mushrooms, sausages, bacon with 1 ladle of beans. 1-2 slices of toast maximum or 2 hash browns maximum. If there is an option ask for items to be grilled or oven baked
  • If you have an additional take away box of breakfast foods, use the same portions as above
  • Toast with toppings, maximum 2 slices at a time with thin spreading of jams/honey/marmalades
​
Sandwiches:
  • When possible choose Whole meal or seeded breads, maximum 2 medium slices at one time. Aim for a high protein filling such as meat, fish or egg with salad vegetables if available.
  • Avoid having additional carbohydrate snacks at the same time as a sandwich to help avoid high blood glucose (blood sugar)
​
Snacks Between Meals:
  • Eat fruit one portion (a palm size portion) at a time between meals
  • 2 plain biscuits
  • One multipack size packet of crisps at a time between meals
  • Chocolate, a single bar at a time or one strip (4 squares) at a time from a larger bar, as a between meal snack
​
Drinks:
  • Aim for tea or coffee with milk and sweetener. Low sugar hot chocolate if possible. Diet or zero sugar fizzy drinks and squash
To be avoided if possible if you have Type 2 Diabetes

Breakfast:
  • Sugar coated cereals
  • Large portions of jams or marmalades
  • Adding sugar onto cereals
  • More than 2 slices of toast/bread
  • Sugary pastries
 
Sandwiches:
  • Thick cut white bread or more than 2 slices of bread sandwiches
  • Large baguettes/ciabatta or chapattis/naans, eat ½ at a time
 
Snacks Between Meals:
  • High sugar sweets such as candies, jelly sweets, chewy sweets and chocolates
  • Cakes, biscuits
 
Drinks:
  • Adding sugar to hot drinks such as tea or coffee
  • Full sugar energy drinks
  • Large portions of fruit juice
  • Full sugar fizzy drinks 
Download:
Diabetes diet guide for people that are eating at a hostel or mission
File Size: 268 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File