Most diabetic diet meal plans online are written for people who have oats, quinoa and salmon in the fridge. That's not a diabetic diet Malaysia can actually follow. We eat at the kopitiam, we buy from the pasar, and half our dinners come from the mamak downstairs.
So here's a 7-day diabetic diet meal plan built only from food you can find in any Malaysian town. Nothing imported, nothing you need a recipe for.
The three rules this plan follows
- Protein and vegetables first, carbs last. At every meal, start with the egg, fish, chicken, tofu or greens. Rice, noodles or roti come after.
- Carbs stay at a quarter of the plate. About the size of your closed fist. Not zero. Zero doesn't last.
- Drinks are kosong or water. Teh o kosong, kopi o kosong, barley kosong, plain water. This is the single biggest change in any diabetic diet in Malaysia, because our sweet drinks do more damage than our food.
The 7-day plan
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 2 half-boiled eggs, 1 slice kaya toast (thin kaya, no butter), kopi o kosong | Economy rice: half plate greens, steamed fish, a quarter plate rice | Chicken soup with tofu and vegetables, small bowl of rice |
| Tue | Thosai with dhal (no sugar), teh o kosong | Chicken rice: extra cucumber, skinless chicken, half the usual rice, skip the sweet dark sauce | Steamed fish with ginger, stir-fried kangkung, a quarter plate rice |
| Wed | Nasi lemak: full egg, ikan bilis, sambal, cucumber, leave a third of the rice | Fish ball noodle soup, ask for less noodles, extra vegetables | Mamak: tandoori chicken, 1 roti canai (no sugar, dhal only), salad |
| Thu | Oats with egg or a boiled egg and a guava, kopi o kosong | Yong tau foo: 6 to 8 pieces, mostly tofu and vegetables, soup not curry, no noodles or half | Home-cooked: steamed egg, stir-fried long beans with minced chicken, a quarter plate rice |
| Fri | Chee cheong fun (2 rolls, less sauce) with an extra egg from home, teh o kosong | Nasi campur: 2 vegetables, 1 fish or chicken, a quarter plate rice, skip the gravy | Grilled fish (ikan bakar) with ulam and sambal, small rice |
| Sat | Roti telur (1 piece) with dhal, teh o kosong | Pan mee soup, less noodles, extra vegetables and egg | Steamboat at home: lots of greens, fish, tofu, egg, clear soup, small portion of noodles at the end |
| Sun | Dim sum: steamed items only (siew mai, har gow, chee cheong fun), skip the buns and fried items, Chinese tea | Chicken curry with less gravy, stir-fried cabbage, a quarter plate rice | Clear vegetable and tofu soup, 2 pieces of chicken, a few slices of papaya after |
Snacks and fruit
If you're hungry between meals: a boiled egg, a handful of unsalted peanuts, a slice of guava or papaya, a few pieces of cucumber. Avoid biscuits, kuih, and anything in a packet. For fruit, guava and green apple are the gentler choices, and keep any fruit to a small handful. Durian, mango and banana are not off-limits, but they are carbohydrate-dense and easy to over-eat, so treat them as a once-in-a-while treat: two or three pieces, after a meal rather than on an empty stomach.
How to make this diabetic diet stick in Malaysia
Notice that nothing on this plan is unusual. It's the same food, with three small changes: order of eating, portion of carbs, and sugar in the drinks. You can order every meal above at a normal stall without explaining yourself. If after-meal readings are your main problem, see How to Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes: 10 Tips for Malaysians.
The plan flattens the spike after each meal.
For the thinking behind each food choice, read Diabetic Diet in Malaysia: Can You Still Eat Roti Canai, Nasi Lemak and Teh Tarik?
References
- Shukla AP, et al. The impact of food order on postprandial glycaemic excursions in prediabetes. Diabetes Obes Metab, 2019.
- Ma J, et al. Effects of a protein preload on gastric emptying, glycemia, and gut hormones after a carbohydrate meal in diet-controlled type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2009.
- Ministry of Health Malaysia. Pinggan Sihat Malaysia / Suku Suku Separuh (quarter carbohydrate, quarter protein, half vegetables and fruit). Bahagian Pemakanan, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia, 2020.
- Imamura F, et al. Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages, and fruit juice and incidence of type 2 diabetes: systematic review, meta-analysis, and estimation of population attributable fraction. BMJ, 2015.
- NIDDK (NIH). Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH), 2018.
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Please consult your doctor before changing your diet or medication.