What if you added more to your diet before taking foods away?

What if you added more to your diet before taking foods away?

Many clients come to see me expecting that I’m going to tell them what not to eat. The foods they need to subtract from their shopping list, remove from their plate or stop eating altogether.

But I’m often more interested in what they’re not eating enough of. Are they eating enough protein? Enough fibre? Enough vegetables? Are their meals satisfying, or are they hungry and looking for something else an hour later?

These are often the questions I start with. When we focus on what foods to add, we have an opportunity to improve the nutritional quality of meals, manage hunger and widen the range of foods we choose. And quite often, improving what’s already on the plate influences how much of the other foods we eat.

So, where do we start?

Start with addition

Add protein
Protein helps with meal satisfaction, maintaining muscle mass and providing important nutrients. Think about whether you’re including a useful source at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eggs, yoghurt, fish, lean meats, tofu and legumes are all good options.

Add fibre
Fibre supports bowel health, cholesterol management and blood glucose levels, and helps you feel satisfied after meals. Vegetables, fruit, legumes, rolled oats, barley and wholegrains are all useful sources.

Add vegetables
A common theme with the clients I see is that vegetables are eaten too infrequently, or in amounts that are too small. Adding more to the plate, particularly in comparison to the carbohydrate-rich foods, is a useful starting point. Frozen and canned vegetables are convenient options.

Add satisfying carbohydrate choices
Rather than automatically removing bread, rice, pasta or potatoes, consider the type and amount of carbohydrate you’re eating. Higher-fibre and lower-glycaemic-index (GI) carbohydrate foods, such as rolled oats, barley, legumes and some wholegrain breads, can support glucose management and help with satisfaction. You might replace some white rice with brown rice and lentils, or choose a higher-fibre bread for your usual sandwich.

Add options
Having more choices for your plate or shopping basket is often more useful than feeling restricted or bored with your meals. Develop a few simple meals you enjoy, experiment with different ingredients and find ways to make your usual meals more nutritious. The more options you have, the easier it is to make food choices that work for you.

What does adding more look like in everyday meals?
You don’t necessarily need to change everything about a meal to improve it.

• Breakfast: instead of toast on its own, add eggs or cottage cheese, along with some tomato or spinach

• Lunch: add chicken, tuna, tofu or chickpeas and extra vegetables to your usual sandwich, wrap or salad

• Dinner: add lentils and grated vegetables to bolognese, or extra vegetables and beans to a Mexican-style meal

• Snacks: add yoghurt and fruit to a small handful of nuts, or choose wholegrain crackers with cheese or hummus (see Snacking with Type 2 diabetes)

If you take a GLP-1 medication

If your appetite is reduced on a GLP-1 medication, adding nutritious foods matters even more, because smaller meals have to do more work. Protein is a good place to start. See my GLP-1 nutrition support page for more.

What about subtraction?

Of course, there are times when reducing certain foods, drinks or eating habits is beneficial. Australian dietary surveys have consistently shown that discretionary foods, such as sugary drinks, confectionery, cakes and alcohol, contribute a substantial amount of our energy. For people managing diabetes, the amount and frequency of these foods can influence blood glucose levels, overall nutrition and weight.

Before automatically removing foods, look at what’s happening with your current eating pattern:

• Sugary drinks: could water, mineral water or a no-added-sugar alternative replace some of your usual sweetened drinks?

• Snacking: are you hungry between meals, or eating because food is available, you’re bored or it’s become a habit? If you’re regularly hungry, are your meals satisfying enough?

• Alcohol: would reducing how much or how often you drink support your health goals? (See Alcohol and diabetes.)

• Portions: are there meals where you regularly eat beyond comfortable fullness? Would more vegetables or protein help you feel satisfied with a different balance of foods?

If you use insulin or medications that can cause hypoglycaemia, meal and snack timing may also be important. Any significant changes should take your individual diabetes management plan into account.

The idea is to recognise which changes would be useful for you, rather than creating another list of foods you can’t eat.

Addition + subtraction = better food choices

My preference is often to start with addition. Add enough nutritious food: protein, fibre, vegetables and satisfying carbohydrate choices. Build meals that manage hunger and provide the nutrients your body needs. Then consider whether there are foods, drinks or habits you’d benefit from having less often. You may find that once your meals are more satisfying, some of those changes become easier.

This thinking is also behind The Upgrade Method, which I use in my work at Deconstructing Diabetes. We look at the foods and meals you already enjoy, identify what could be improved and make practical changes that fit your lifestyle. Sometimes that’s adding protein to breakfast or more vegetables to dinner, or choosing a different type of carbohydrate. Other times it’s a portion, an ingredient or an eating habit.

So, next time you’re thinking about improving your diet, consider this question: What could I add to my next meal?

Want help making food choices that work for your diabetes and your lifestyle? Learn more about my online diabetes dietitian consultations, or start with my free Type 2 Diabetes Guide.

Updated October 2026.