Important: work with your healthcare team
Diabetes is managed differently for every person, depending on the type of diabetes, medicines, activity and other health conditions. Please talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before making big changes to your diet, and never stop or change medication without medical advice.
Changes in what you eat can affect your blood sugar, especially if you take insulin or certain tablets. Your healthcare team can help you adjust safely and tell you what targets to aim for.
Carbohydrates: portion and type matter
Carbohydrate-rich foods like rice, yam, plantain, gari, kenkey, banku and fufu have the biggest effect on blood sugar. You do not have to avoid them, but the amount on your plate makes a real difference.
Foods with more fibre, such as beans, whole grains and vegetables, tend to raise blood sugar more gradually. Fermented foods like kenkey and banku, and unripe plantain, are often considered gentler than very refined starches, though everyone responds differently.
- Keep starch to about a quarter of your plate
- Choose beans, vegetables and whole grains often
- Pick unripe or semi-ripe plantain over very ripe plantain
- Spread carbohydrates across the day rather than one large meal
Build a balanced Ghanaian plate
The plate method is a simple tool often recommended for diabetes: half the plate non-starchy vegetables, a quarter protein and a quarter starch. A smaller ball of banku with okro soup and grilled fish, or a modest portion of rice with garden egg stew and chicken, fits this pattern well.
Pairing starch with protein, fibre and a little healthy fat helps slow how quickly sugar enters the blood. Red-red with beans, or ampesi with kontomire stew and egg, are good examples of balanced local meals.
Mind drinks, porridges and sweet snacks
Sugary drinks and sweetened porridges can raise blood sugar quickly because the sugar is easy to absorb. Hausa koko, tom brown and sobolo can be enjoyed with little or no added sugar, and water should be your main drink.
Fried, sweet snacks like bofrot are best kept occasional. Fresh fruit in sensible portions, a small handful of groundnuts or boiled eggs make steadier snacks.
Track patterns and get support
Keeping a record of meals alongside blood sugar readings can help you and your healthcare team spot patterns. Dunu lets you log blood sugar and snap meal photos for estimated carbohydrates and other nutrients, which can be useful to share at appointments.
If you would like ongoing support, a registered dietitian is available on Dunu's Personal and Family plans. They can help you tailor Ghanaian meals to your needs alongside the advice of your doctor.
A sample day of balanced Ghanaian meals
This is an example only, not a prescription. Your doctor or dietitian can adjust portions and timing to suit your medication, activity and blood sugar targets.
Notice how each meal includes vegetables and protein alongside a moderate amount of starch, and how sweet drinks are replaced with water or unsweetened options.
- Breakfast: boiled egg with a small portion of boiled yam and garden egg stew
- Mid-morning: an orange or a small handful of groundnuts
- Lunch: a modest ball of kenkey with grilled fish, pepper and sliced vegetables
- Supper: okro soup with fish and a small ball of banku
- Drinks: water, or homemade sobolo without added sugar
This is general nutrition information, not medical advice. Numbers are estimates that vary by recipe and portion. If you are managing a health condition, talk to your doctor or a dietitian before changing your diet.