You do not have to give up your own food to manage diabetes. What matters most is the size of the starchy portion and what goes next to it. A helpful rule is the plate method: fill about half the plate with vegetables such as ugwu, efo, okra, garden egg or cabbage, a quarter with protein such as fish, eggs, chicken or beans, and a quarter with a starchy food such as rice, yam, eba or fufu.
Swallow is easy to over-serve. A portion about the size of your closed fist is a reasonable starting point, and eating it with a generous vegetable soup slows how quickly sugar enters the blood. Brown rice, unripe plantain, beans and whole-grain options contain more fibre than white rice, white bread or garri, though portion size still matters for all of them. Ripe plantain, sweet drinks, fruit juice, malt drinks and sugary snacks tend to raise blood sugar quickly. Eat whole fruit in small portions instead of juice. Try not to skip meals and then eat a very large one, since this causes bigger swings. If you check your sugar before and two hours after a meal, you can learn which foods and portions affect you most. Share these readings with your doctor or dietitian, who can tailor advice to your medication.