So think of what follows as five worked examples rather than five prescriptions. Each is a full week built on the plate you met in Chapter 6, with a carbohydrate quarter taken from the staples of one part of the world. Their purpose is to show what the plate looks like when it is applied to real food: what a portion of rice, roti, tortilla, yam, or millet weighs, how much carbohydrate it brings, and how that changes when you swap one starch for another. Take the pattern, and put your own dishes into it.
Section 17.1 explains how the plans were built and what the numbers do and do not mean. Section 17.2 gives the five weeks. Section 17.3 shows how to turn them into your own plan, using an equal-carbohydrate swap table, some kitchen habits, and a simple way to check how you respond.
17.1 How to Read These Plans
What is counted, and what is not
Every meal in the plans follows the plate from Chapter 6: half non-starchy vegetables, a quarter protein, and a quarter of starchy food or fruit.[@adaplate] The carbohydrate figure in each meal is the amount in the counted foods only: the cooked staples, breads, oats, beans and lentils, fruit, and yogurt, weighed in grams. The counted carbohydrate and fibre values per 100 g come from the USDA's FoodData Central,[@usda2026][@usda2026b] and every total was calculated by script, not by hand.
Several things are deliberately not counted. Non-starchy vegetables contain some carbohydrate, so do sauces, sambal, coconut milk, and nut sauces. Fish, poultry, eggs, tofu, tempeh, nuts, and oil contain little or none. That means each day's total is a floor, not an exact figure, and mixed dishes such as soto, stew, or gado-gado will vary with the recipe. Treat every number as an estimate, and use it to compare and to learn, not to audit yourself.
Where a dish uses a bean or lentil that is not in the tables (mung beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, fava beans), the nearest value in the tables is used, so treat those meals as rough. Beans, lentils, and chickpeas are counted here as carbohydrate, even though Chapter 6 noted that they can also sit in the protein quarter. This is the cautious choice: they bring carbohydrate and a lot of fibre, and your own glucose readings will tell you whether they belong in your carbohydrate quarter.[@adaplate]
What the numbers look like
By design, the main meals in the five plans contain roughly 25 to 45 grams of counted carbohydrate, snacks 7 to 25 grams, and whole days about 90 to 135 grams of counted carbohydrate with 6 to 26 grams of fibre (calculated). These ranges are a design choice made for this book so that the five weeks are comparable, not a target and not a recommendation. Your care team or dietitian may suggest a different amount for you, and some people, including those who use mealtime insulin, will count carbohydrate more precisely (Chapter 7).
Two plans stand out. Plan A, based on white rice for most lunches and dinners, has the lowest fibre, from 6 to 15 grams a day. Plans B and C, with lentils, chickpeas, and beans, reach 14 to 26 grams. If you look back at Chapter 6, the fibre floors are 25 grams a day from the WHO and 35 grams from European guidance, and you will see that several days here fall short.[@whodiet][@easd2023] That is instructive, not an error: the plans show what a week looks like when pulses and whole grains are only partly used, and Section 17.3 shows the easy swaps that raise the fibre.
What the plans do not do
They do not specify energy (calories), so they are not weight-loss plans, and portions of protein and fat are not set. They do not include the fried snacks, sweets, and festival foods of your culture, which Chapter 7 covered, or the fasting pattern of Ramadan, where meal times change and medicine changes must be agreed in advance with your care team.[@idfdar2021] They are written for adults with diabetes or prediabetes who are not pregnant, and they do not replace advice for children, pregnancy, kidney disease, or other conditions.
Science Corner: Why the same plan gives different glucose readings A plate that keeps one person's glucose steady can push another's higher. Chapter 5 described a study in which people eating the same foods had very different glucose responses,[@zeevi2015] and food preparation, cooling, and the order in which you eat also change the effect. In a trial in China, a simple plate method worked at least as well as carbohydrate counting for people with type 2 diabetes.[@zhang2022] The lesson is to use a plan as a starting point, then check your own response (Section 17.3).
A safety note for people on insulin or tablets that cause lows
If you take insulin or a sulfonylurea, changing your carbohydrate without changing your treatment can cause lows, and Chapter 6 flagged that cutting carbohydrate while on these medicines is a known cause.[@goldenberg2021] Do not swap a plan in for your usual routine without talking to your care team first. Chapters 11 and 13 explain what lows are and what to do about them.
17.2 Five Weeks of Meals
How to read the tables: each meal shows the dish, the counted foods with their weights (cooked weight unless stated), and the counted carbohydrate in square brackets. The last column shows the day's counted carbohydrate, with fibre in brackets. Fill the rest of the plate with non-starchy vegetables, and choose the protein you prefer. Drinks are water, unsweetened tea, or coffee (Chapter 6).
Plan A: Indonesia and Southeast Asia
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack | Day total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Egg and tomato scramble, cucumber (whole-wheat bread 64 g) [27 g] | Steamed rice, grilled fish, stir-fried water spinach, sambal (brown rice 130 g) [33 g] | Tempeh and tofu stir-fry with vegetables, clear vegetable soup (White rice 110 g) [31 g] | Plain yogurt 150 g [7 g] | 99 g (fibre 6 g) |
| Tue | Oat porridge 250 g [30 g] | Gado-gado (boiled vegetables, egg, tofu, peanut sauce) (boiled potato 100 g; White rice 60 g) [37 g] | Fish soup with vegetables and herbs (White rice 110 g) [31 g] | Apple 182 g [25 g] | 123 g (fibre 11 g) |
| Wed | Vegetable omelette, tomato (whole-wheat bread 64 g) [27 g] | Chicken soto with vegetables (broth-based) (brown rice 120 g) [31 g] | Steamed fish, sautéed greens, tempeh (sweet potato 150 g) [27 g] | Plain yogurt 150 g [7 g] | 92 g (fibre 10 g) |
| Thu | Oat porridge with sliced banana (oat porridge 250 g; banana 60 g) [44 g] | Rice, dal-style mung bean stew, cucumber salad (White rice 100 g; lentils 80 g) [44 g] | Grilled chicken, stir-fried cabbage and carrots (White rice 110 g) [31 g] | Banana 60 g [14 g] | 133 g (fibre 15 g) |
| Fri | Tofu scramble with vegetables (whole-wheat bread 64 g) [27 g] | Pepes ikan, steamed vegetables, sambal (brown rice 130 g) [33 g] | Vegetable and egg soup, tempeh (White rice 100 g) [28 g] | Apple 182 g [25 g] | 114 g (fibre 11 g) |
| Sat | Egg, cucumber, tomato (whole-wheat bread 64 g) [27 g] | Sayur asem (tamarind vegetable soup), grilled fish (brown rice 120 g; boiled potato 50 g) [41 g] | Chicken and vegetable stir-fry (White rice 110 g) [31 g] | Plain yogurt 150 g [7 g] | 106 g (fibre 7 g) |
| Sun | Oat porridge 250 g [30 g] | Grilled fish, urap-style vegetables with grated coconut (White rice 130 g) [37 g] | Tempeh curry with vegetables (sweet potato 150 g) [27 g] | Banana 60 g [14 g] | 107 g (fibre 10 g) |
Counted carbohydrate and fibre were calculated by script from USDA per-100 g values; vegetables, sauces, proteins, nuts, oils, and coconut are not counted, so real totals will be somewhat higher. Beans and lentils are counted as carbohydrate.[@usda2026][@usda2026b]
Plan B: India and South Asia
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack | Day total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Vegetable omelette, curd (chapati 64 g) [30 g] | Dal, sabzi of gourd, salad (chapati 43 g; lentils 100 g) [40 g] | Grilled fish or paneer with cauliflower (brown rice 100 g) [26 g] | Plain curd (plain yogurt 150 g) [7 g] | 102 g (fibre 20 g) |
| Tue | Vegetable and paneer scramble (chapati 64 g) [30 g] | Rajma (kidney bean curry), cucumber-tomato salad (brown rice 100 g; black beans 60 g) [40 g] | Chicken or egg curry, sautéed greens (chapati 86 g) [40 g] | Apple 182 g [25 g] | 134 g (fibre 26 g) |
| Wed | Oat porridge 250 g [30 g] | Chana masala, sabzi, salad (chickpeas 80 g; chapati 43 g) [42 g] | Dal, stir-fried beans and carrots (brown rice 110 g) [28 g] | Plain curd (plain yogurt 150 g) [7 g] | 107 g (fibre 16 g) |
| Thu | Vegetable upma with millet (millet 150 g) [36 g] | Fish curry, greens, salad (brown rice 110 g) [28 g] | Egg bhurji with vegetables (chapati 86 g) [40 g] | Banana 60 g [14 g] | 117 g (fibre 14 g) |
| Fri | Curd with cucumber, boiled egg (chapati 64 g) [30 g] | Dal, palak (spinach) sabzi, salad (brown rice 100 g; lentils 100 g) [46 g] | Tandoori-style chicken or paneer, salad (chapati 64 g) [30 g] | Apple 182 g [25 g] | 130 g (fibre 26 g) |
| Sat | Oat porridge 250 g [30 g] | Sambar with vegetables (millet 120 g; lentils 60 g) [41 g] | Grilled fish, cabbage stir-fry (chapati 86 g) [40 g] | Plain curd (plain yogurt 150 g) [7 g] | 117 g (fibre 19 g) |
| Sun | Egg and vegetable scramble (chapati 64 g) [30 g] | Chole (chickpea curry), salad (chickpeas 90 g; brown rice 50 g) [38 g] | Dal, okra sabzi (chapati 86 g) [40 g] | Banana 60 g [14 g] | 120 g (fibre 24 g) |
Same method as Plan A. Curd is treated as plain yogurt; dal and rajma use the lentil and black-bean values as the nearest in the table, so use your own tables for exact figures.[@usda2026][@usda2026b]
Plan C: Mexico and Latin America
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack | Day total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Egg with tomato, chilli and nopal (corn tortillas 60 g) [27 g] | Black beans, grilled chicken, cabbage and radish salad (corn tortillas 45 g; black beans 80 g) [39 g] | Grilled fish, salad with lime (corn tortillas 60 g) [27 g] | Plain yogurt 150 g [7 g] | 101 g (fibre 18 g) |
| Tue | Oat porridge 250 g [30 g] | Lentil soup, salad, avocado (lentils 120 g; corn tortillas 45 g) [45 g] | Chicken and vegetable caldo (boiled potato 150 g) [30 g] | Apple 182 g [25 g] | 130 g (fibre 24 g) |
| Wed | Vegetable omelette (corn tortillas 60 g) [27 g] | Beans, egg and vegetable bowl (black beans 100 g; brown rice 50 g) [36 g] | Grilled fish tacos with cabbage (corn tortillas 75 g) [34 g] | Plain yogurt 150 g [7 g] | 105 g (fibre 18 g) |
| Thu | Egg and beans (black beans 80 g; corn tortillas 45 g) [39 g] | Pozole-style soup with chicken and vegetables (corn tortillas 75 g) [34 g] | Fajita-style vegetables and chicken (brown rice 110 g) [28 g] | Banana 60 g [14 g] | 115 g (fibre 18 g) |
| Fri | Oat porridge 250 g [30 g] | Nopal and bean salad, grilled meat or tofu (corn tortillas 60 g; black beans 60 g) [41 g] | Vegetable soup with chickpeas (chickpeas 100 g) [28 g] | Apple 182 g [25 g] | 124 g (fibre 25 g) |
| Sat | Egg, tomato, avocado (corn tortillas 60 g) [27 g] | Fish ceviche-style salad with vegetables (sweet potato 200 g) [35 g] | Black bean and vegetable stew (brown rice 100 g; black beans 60 g) [40 g] | Plain yogurt 150 g [7 g] | 110 g (fibre 16 g) |
| Sun | Oat porridge 250 g [30 g] | Chicken and vegetable soup (corn tortillas 45 g; boiled potato 60 g) [32 g] | Bean tostada-style plate with salad (corn tortillas 60 g; black beans 60 g) [41 g] | Banana 60 g [14 g] | 118 g (fibre 19 g) |
Same method as Plan A. Corn tortilla values are per 100 g; tortilla weights differ by size, so weigh your own once.[@usda2026]
Plan D: The Mediterranean and the Middle East
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack | Day total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Boiled egg, tomato, cucumber, olives (whole-wheat bread 64 g) [27 g] | Lentil soup, large salad with olive oil (lentils 120 g; whole-wheat bread 32 g) [38 g] | Grilled fish, roasted vegetables (brown rice 100 g) [26 g] | Plain yogurt 150 g [7 g] | 98 g (fibre 17 g) |
| Tue | Plain yogurt with nuts (plain yogurt 200 g; whole-wheat bread 32 g) [23 g] | Chickpea and vegetable stew, salad (chickpeas 100 g; whole-wheat bread 32 g) [41 g] | Grilled chicken, tabbouleh-style salad (millet 100 g) [24 g] | Apple 182 g [25 g] | 113 g (fibre 17 g) |
| Wed | Ful medames (fava/broad beans) with salad (whole-wheat bread 64 g; black beans 60 g) [42 g] | Baked fish with vegetables (whole-wheat pasta 110 g) [33 g] | Vegetable omelette, salad (whole-wheat bread 64 g) [27 g] | Plain yogurt 150 g [7 g] | 109 g (fibre 17 g) |
| Thu | Oat porridge 250 g [30 g] | Bean salad with tuna, herbs and lemon (black beans 100 g; whole-wheat bread 32 g) [37 g] | Chicken and vegetable tagine (millet 100 g) [24 g] | Banana 60 g [14 g] | 105 g (fibre 18 g) |
| Fri | Egg and vegetable scramble (whole-wheat bread 64 g) [27 g] | Hummus, vegetables, grilled chicken (chickpeas 80 g; whole-wheat bread 32 g) [36 g] | Vegetable and lentil soup, salad (lentils 100 g; whole-wheat bread 32 g) [34 g] | Apple 182 g [25 g] | 122 g (fibre 26 g) |
| Sat | Plain yogurt, cucumber and mint (plain yogurt 200 g; whole-wheat bread 32 g) [23 g] | Grilled fish, roasted vegetables (whole-wheat pasta 120 g) [36 g] | Lentil and rice pilaf with salad (lentils 100 g; brown rice 60 g) [36 g] | Banana 60 g [14 g] | 108 g (fibre 17 g) |
| Sun | Oat porridge 250 g [30 g] | Chickpea salad, grilled vegetables (chickpeas 90 g; whole-wheat bread 32 g) [38 g] | Baked fish or tofu, greens (boiled potato 150 g) [30 g] | Plain yogurt 150 g [7 g] | 105 g (fibre 16 g) |
Same method as Plan A. Bread is commercial whole-wheat bread; flatbreads differ, so weigh yours once. Fava beans (ful medames) are counted with the black-bean value.[@usda2026b]
Plan E: West and East Africa
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snack | Day total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Vegetable omelette (whole-wheat bread 64 g) [27 g] | Efo (leafy-green stew) with fish (yam 110 g) [30 g] | Bean stew (moi-moi style), cabbage salad (green plantain 100 g; black beans 60 g) [43 g] | Plain yogurt 150 g [7 g] | 108 g (fibre 16 g) |
| Tue | Millet 150 g [36 g] | Lentil stew (misir), collard greens (gomen) (teff porridge 100 g; lentils 100 g) [40 g] | Grilled fish, salad, sautéed greens (sweet potato 150 g) [27 g] | Apple 182 g [25 g] | 127 g (fibre 21 g) |
| Wed | Egg, tomato and pepper scramble (whole-wheat bread 64 g) [27 g] | Bean and vegetable stew, okra (green plantain 80 g; black beans 60 g) [38 g] | Grilled chicken, vegetable soup (yam 100 g) [28 g] | Plain yogurt 150 g [7 g] | 99 g (fibre 15 g) |
| Thu | Oat porridge 250 g [30 g] | Fish stew with leafy greens (millet 150 g) [36 g] | Chickpea stew (shiro-style), collards (teff porridge 150 g) [30 g] | Banana 60 g [14 g] | 109 g (fibre 12 g) |
| Fri | Millet 150 g [36 g] | Kale and vegetable stew, grilled tilapia (yam 110 g) [30 g] | Egg, tomato salad, lentils (lentils 100 g; whole-wheat bread 32 g) [34 g] | Apple 182 g [25 g] | 125 g (fibre 20 g) |
| Sat | Egg with vegetables (whole-wheat bread 64 g) [27 g] | Groundnut stew with vegetables and chicken (green plantain 100 g) [29 g] | Lentil soup, cabbage and carrot salad (lentils 150 g) [30 g] | Plain yogurt 150 g [7 g] | 94 g (fibre 18 g) |
| Sun | Oat porridge 250 g [30 g] | Beans, greens, grilled fish (sweet potato 150 g; black beans 60 g) [41 g] | Vegetable stew with eggs (millet 120 g) [28 g] | Banana 60 g [14 g] | 113 g (fibre 16 g) |
Same method as Plan A. Bean stews use the black-bean value. Teff is counted as cooked teff porridge; injera, a flatbread made from teff, has a different composition and was not counted directly.[@usda2026]
Science Corner: Reading fibre in these weeks Fibre is the part of carbohydrate you do not digest, and the tables show how strongly it depends on the staple. Lentils and beans bring around 8 to 9 grams per 100 g cooked, against about 0.4 grams for white rice and 1.6 grams for brown rice (USDA values used in the calculations).[@usda2026][@usda2026b] That is why Plans B and C reach higher fibre on the same amount of carbohydrate. Fibre is not a target to chase at all costs. Raise it gradually, with water, because a sudden jump can cause gas and discomfort.
17.3 Making a Plan of Your Own
Equal-carbohydrate swaps
The table below shows how much of each staple gives the same 30 grams of carbohydrate, with the fibre in that amount. It lets you swap without changing the carbohydrate, in the way Chapter 7 described. For example, 106 grams of white rice or 149 grams of lentils each bring about 30 grams of carbohydrate, but the lentils bring roughly 12 grams of fibre and the rice about 0.4 grams.
| Food (cooked or as eaten) | Amount giving 30 g carbohydrate | Fibre in that amount |
|---|---|---|
| White rice | 106 g | 0.4 g |
| Brown rice | 117 g | 1.9 g |
| Whole-wheat pasta | 100 g | 3.9 g |
| Millet | 127 g | 1.6 g |
| Teff, cooked | 152 g | 4.2 g |
| Potato, boiled | 150 g | 2.7 g |
| Sweet potato, boiled | 169 g | 4.2 g |
| Yam, boiled | 109 g | 4.3 g |
| Green plantain, boiled | 103 g | 2.7 g |
| Lentils, boiled | 149 g | 11.7 g |
| Chickpeas, boiled | 109 g | 8.3 g |
| Black beans, boiled | 127 g | 11.0 g |
| Oat porridge (water) | 250 g | 4.2 g |
| Whole-wheat bread | 70 g (about 2 slices of 32 g) | 4.2 g |
| Whole-wheat chapati or roti | 65 g (about 1.5 pieces of 43 g) | 6.3 g |
| Corn tortilla | 66 g | 4.2 g |
| Banana | 132 g (a little over one medium banana) | 3.4 g |
| Apple | 217 g (a bit more than one medium apple) | 5.2 g |
Grams of the food that supply 30 g of carbohydrate, calculated by script from USDA per-100 g values (bread and chapati amounts also converted to slices or pieces at the weights listed by USDA); rounded. Cooked weights unless stated.[@usda2026][@usda2026b]
A word on how to use it. If your plan says 106 grams of rice and you would rather eat chapati, the table says 65 grams. If you would like more fibre without eating more carbohydrate, replace half the rice with lentils: about 50 grams of white rice and 75 grams of lentils give roughly the same 30 grams of carbohydrate as the rice alone (calculated). Use the same measuring bowl every time, and weigh once to learn what a portion looks like. Chapter 7 covers the three levels of precision, from plate to grams.
Build your own week in five steps
- Start with your usual dishes. Write down what you already eat on a normal week. Most people find that they already have half of a good plan.
- Draw the plate. For each main meal, fill half with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter with protein, and a quarter with your staple (Chapter 6).
- Choose the quarter. Pick the staple and the amount, using the swap table or a local food table. INFOODS lists national and regional food composition tables for most parts of the world.[@infoods2026]
- Keep the same shape at each meal. Consistency from day to day makes it easier to see what your body is doing.
- Check one thing at a time. Change one meal, then look at your readings (see below) before changing the next.
Kitchen habits that help
These are practical suggestions from the author, not findings from trials. Cook a large pot of beans, lentils, or a vegetable stew once or twice a week and portion it. Keep frozen vegetables in the freezer for the days when there is no time. Cook staples in batches, and store portions of the size you have measured. Keep a few quick meals that fit the plate: eggs and vegetables, a tin of fish with salad, a lentil soup. When you eat out, use the plate as a guide: ask for extra vegetables or salad, and leave part of the starch if the portion is large. Celebration foods have their place, and Chapter 7 shows how to include them without guilt.
Checking how you respond
Your own numbers are the best judge of any meal. If you have a meter or a sensor, you can test a meal twice, on different days, with only one difference (a smaller portion, or a walk afterwards), following the method in Chapter 12. Look at your readings before the meal and one to two hours afterwards, and write what you ate. If you notice a pattern, such as a high reading after white rice that is smaller with lentils, bring it to your care team. If you do not have a meter or sensor, ask your team whether a home test or an occasional check would help.
Not every reading after a meal will be in range, and that does not mean you have failed. A plan is a starting point, not a test.
Key Takeaways
- No single meal plan suits everyone. The five weeks in this chapter are examples of the plate applied to Southeast Asian, South Asian, Latin American, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern, and African foods, and are meant to be adapted.
- Each main meal in these plans has about 25 to 45 grams of counted carbohydrate, and each day about 90 to 135 grams, a design choice for comparison and not a target.
- Totals include only the counted foods (staples, bread, oats, beans, lentils, fruit, yogurt), so real carbohydrate is somewhat higher once vegetables, sauces, and coconut are added.
- The same amount of carbohydrate can come with very different fibre: about 106 grams of white rice or 149 grams of lentils each give roughly 30 grams of carbohydrate, with about 0.4 grams and 12 grams of fibre.
- Plan A (mostly white rice) has the lowest fibre. Swapping part of the rice for pulses or brown rice raises fibre without raising carbohydrate.
- If you use insulin or a sulfonylurea, talk to your care team before adopting a new plan, because changes in carbohydrate can cause lows.
- Your own readings are the best test. Change one meal at a time, and look at what happens.
Action Points
- Choose your kitchen. Read the plan closest to how you eat and mark three meals you could try this week.
- Weigh your staple once. Weigh your usual portion of rice, roti, or tortilla, and compare it with the swap table.
- Add a pulse. Replace part of one starchy meal a day with lentils, beans, or chickpeas, keeping the carbohydrate similar.
- Test one meal twice. If you have a meter or sensor, compare your reading after one meal on two different days, changing one thing only.
- Ask before you change. If you take insulin or a tablet that can cause lows, share the plan with your care team before you start.
This book is intended for education and does not replace personal medical advice. If you have diabetes or take glucose-lowering medication, please consult your healthcare team before changing your diet, exercise, or treatment.