The Type 2 Diabetes Food List I Built When Nobody Gave Me One

By: Ray Taylor

When I got my Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, nobody handed me a food list. I got prescriptions and a vague “eat better,” and I was terrified and guessing in the grocery aisle. So I built my own list the hard way, by reading labels and watching what each food did to my own blood sugar.

This is that list, the food I actually eat today. My A1C is 5.5 percent now, a normal number, on zero diabetes medication. It was 11.7 percent in July 2022. If you are standing in that scared, confused place I was in, this page is the starting point I wish someone had handed me.

This is not medical advice.

I am not a doctor. I am a guy who got sick and tired of being sick and tired and changed what was on his plate. Talk to your own physician before you change your diet.

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The turning point that set my food rules

I did not start eating this way on day one. At first I just cut the obvious junk, the cakes, candy, soda, white rice, pasta, and bread. That helped, but it was not enough.

The real change came after a chest-pain scare, when a catheter showed a 50 percent blockage in my main heart artery. Forty-plus years of saturated fat, fried everything, sugar, and starch had caught up with me. That was the moment I started to eliminate red meat, chicken, eggs, and dairy, anything that threatened to clog my arteries further. From there a pattern emerged that I now call “Kinda Vegan, Kinda Not.”

Kinda Vegan, Kinda Not (and how it evolved)

The base is simple and it has not changed: most of what goes in my mouth comes from plants, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. My main protein is fish, wild-caught salmon, cod, tuna, sardines, and mackerel, for the protein and the omega-3s that are good for the heart.

Here is the honest part: this approach has evolved. When I first cleaned up my diet I cut red meat, chicken, eggs, and dairy all at once. Red meat, chicken, and milk are still gone for good. But over time, eggs and a little dairy came back in. These days I eat eggs, plain nonfat Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese in moderation. That is why I call it Kinda Vegan, Kinda Not. It is a flexible framework, not a rigid rule set, and it bends as I learn what my body does well with.

What I eat

Vegetables. The base of nearly every plate. Leafy greens, peppers, onions, tomatoes, celery, carrots, cauliflower, whatever is fresh. I season them heavily, because flat, unseasoned vegetables are why most people think they hate vegetables.

Fish and some seafood. My main protein. Wild-caught salmon, cod, tuna, sardines, mackerel, flounder, plus some shellfish. High protein, high omega-3, and it agrees with me in a way red meat never did. When I am not cooking fresh, I keep canned sardines and wild salmon in the pantry.

Eggs and a little dairy, in moderation. The part that evolved. I eat eggs again, plus plain nonfat Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, sparingly. Plain nonfat Greek, not the flavored cups loaded with hidden sugar. I still skip milk entirely, and cheese is occasional, not a staple.

Whole grains that replaced rice. White rice spikes blood sugar, so I swapped it. Quinoa is my favorite, a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids. I also use bulgur wheat and wild rice. These carry the meal without the spike.

Legumes, especially chickpeas. Beans and lentils are cheap, filling, and high in fiber, but chickpeas are my superfood. Versatile, high in protein, easy to cook, and delicious. Roast them, bowl them, blend them into hummus.

Nuts and seeds. Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, and raw peanut butter that is literally just ground peanuts, nothing added. Nutrient dense and high in protein. A handful goes a long way.

Low-sugar fruit. Berries are my best bet, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries. Apples, pears, peaches, plums, and cherries in moderation. I pair fruit with a little protein or fat, like berries with nuts, to blunt the blood sugar response.

The fats I kept, and the ones I cut

Fat is not the enemy, the wrong fats are. I kept extra virgin olive oil for dressings and low heat, avocado and avocado oil (high smoke point, an almost-daily staple), and nuts and seeds.

I cut butter and coconut oil. Both are high in saturated fat, and with a heart-artery blockage I am not taking the risk. I also avoid trans fats and refined omega-6 vegetable oils like corn, soybean, canola, and sunflower oil.

What I cut, plainly

• Red meat, chicken, and milk (eggs, plain nonfat Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese are back in moderation)
• Bread, pasta, and white rice
• Sugar, sugary cereals, candy, cookies, cakes
• Soda, fruit juice, sweetened drinks, energy drinks
• The snack aisle: chips, crackers, most granola bars
• Butter, coconut oil, fried foods, and refined vegetable oils

The hidden sugar trap (the short version)

Here is the part that shocked me when I started reading labels: sugar hides under names that do not look like sugar, evaporated cane juice, dextrose, agave, maltose, and anything ending in “-ose.” My one rule at the store is to read the ingredient list first, before I even look at the calories. If a sugar alias sits near the top, I put it back.

That one habit changed how I shop more than any single food on this list. I put my full label-reading checklist, the complete hidden-sugar name list, and the swaps I use into the book, because it is too much to fit on one page and it is the skill that protects everything else.

One real meal you can copy tonight

Here is one of my favorites: grilled salmon on a bed of quinoa with sautéed onions and green peppers, olive oil, and a heavy hand of cayenne pepper. Fish for protein and omega-3s, quinoa for the grain base, vegetables for fiber, olive oil for the good fat, cayenne because flavor is what makes this sustainable.

Make that once and you understand the whole approach. The rest of my weekly rotation and the actual recipes live in the book. This page is the what. The book is the how.

Kinda Vegan, Kinda Not (the honest part)

I am not 100 percent perfect, and I am not asking you to be. My kid baked a cake the other day and I had a small piece (okay, four). My sugar did not skyrocket, I did not gain the weight back, and I went right back to my regular eating. This is about health, not deprivation.

This list is not frozen, either. It is where I am right now, and it has already changed since I started. Going into remission did not mean I was done, it meant I got to keep learning. So take this as my list, not the law. Watch your own numbers and how you feel, and you will find your way to the version that works for you.

Want the shortcut? Here is where to start

I am not loyal to one store. I shop wherever is convenient, Walmart, ShopRite, Trader Joe’s, ALDI, Target, and I buy organic or the highest quality I can find. Grab these wherever is cheapest near you, and know that what is on the shelf will vary by where you live. But the question I get most is “what do I actually buy?” so here are solid picks if you would rather hit the easy button than hunt. I am not a doctor, and none of this is medical advice.

• Bob’s Red Mill quinoa, my complete-protein rice replacement.
• Chickpeas, my superfood, in everything.
• Raw peanut butter, just peanuts, nothing added.
• Walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and hazelnuts, my nut and seed rotation.
• Terra Delyssa organic olive oil and avocado oil, the two fats I cook with.
• Canned sardines and wild salmon, pantry protein and omega-3s.
• Bob’s Red Mill bulgur and cayenne pepper, the grain and the heat for that salmon plate.

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Frequently asked questions

What foods should you eat with Type 2 diabetes?

For me the plate is mostly plants (vegetables, fruits, whole grains like quinoa, legumes, nuts, and seeds) with fish (salmon, cod, tuna, sardines, mackerel) as my main protein for the omega-3s. I also eat eggs and a little dairy like plain nonfat Greek yogurt and cottage cheese in moderation, and I keep healthy fats like olive oil and avocado. This is what worked for me. Individual results vary, and this is not medical advice.

What foods should you avoid with Type 2 diabetes?

I cut red meat, chicken, and milk for good, plus bread, pasta, white rice, sugar, soda, fruit juice, and most of the snack aisle. I also cut butter and coconut oil, fried foods, and refined vegetable oils. The sneakiest thing to watch is hidden sugar on labels, names like evaporated cane juice, agave, dextrose, and anything ending in “-ose.”

What is a simple Type 2 diabetes meal to start with?

Grilled salmon on a bed of quinoa with sautéed onions and green peppers, olive oil, and cayenne pepper. Protein, a complete-protein grain, vegetables, and a healthy fat in one plate, with no hidden sugar.

Do you have to give up all sugar and carbs?

No. I cut the obvious refined sugar and starches and read labels for hidden sugar, but I still eat whole grains like quinoa, fruit like berries, and the occasional treat. It is Kinda Vegan, Kinda Not, not a rigid rule set. The goal is consistency, not perfection.

This is not medical advice.

The information here is based on my personal experience with Type 2 diabetes. Individual results vary. Always consult your physician before changing your diet, fasting schedule, or medications.

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