Nutrition and diabetes: meals, carbohydrates and support

Understand general meal-planning concepts and prepare useful questions for your diabetes care team without treating a tracker as a treatment plan.

Adapted from a guide first written for Quebec readers: passages specific to Quebec were removed. Rules in your province may differ.

Nutrition is one part of diabetes care, alongside medication when prescribed, monitoring, activity, sleep and support. There is no single meal plan that fits everyone. Type of diabetes, treatment, schedule, culture, budget and other health conditions all matter.

Use reliable education

Diabetes Canada's nutrition resources cover meal planning, carbohydrate counting, recipes and eating away from home. Carbohydrate counting can be useful for some treatment plans, but the appropriate method and targets should come from your diabetes care team.

Do not change treatment based on an app total

Food labels and a journal can help you prepare questions or record information requested by your clinician. They cannot predict your blood glucose response, adjust insulin or medication, or tell you what is safe for your individual condition. Do not change medication or insulin doses based on this site's tools.

Get individual nutrition support

For an urgent health concern, contact your care team or emergency services as appropriate. This page is educational and is not a substitute for your diabetes plan.

The nutrition journal is optional, local to your browser unless you choose device storage, and has no calorie or glucose targets.

Sources and limits

This page does not provide diabetes treatment advice. Sources: Diabetes Canada, Nutrition and Recipes; ODNQ. Follow your clinician's individualized diabetes plan.

General information based on federal and national rules; provincial rules may differ. Confirm with the official body before acting.