Living with diabetes requires a comprehensive approach that includes not only diet but also mental and emotional well-being. Books can be invaluable resources for managing the various aspects of diabetes, from understanding the science behind blood sugar control to finding emotional support and practical advice. This article explores a selection of highly recommended books that offer guidance on diabetic diets, recipes, and strategies for thriving with diabetes.
Cookbooks for Delicious and Healthy Diabetic Eating
Just because you have diabetes (or a family member does) doesn’t mean you have to eat bland foods. It’s possible to prepare healthy and delicious meals that keep blood glucose levels in a safe range. Cookbooks written specifically for people with diabetes can help you create tasty meals that won’t harm your health. From books that cater to beginners to books perfect for foodies, there’s an option out there for you.
Here’s a brief breakdown of how we made our picks for the best diabetes cookbooks:
- Number of recipes: It’s not really a cookbook if it contains just a handful of recipes. That’s why this list includes only books with at least 50 recipes.
- Diabetes specificity: While you can surely use a cookbook even if it’s not specifically for someone with diabetes, we included only diabetes-specific cookbooks on this list.
- Customer reviews: All the cookbooks below get generally positive reviews from customers.
Best for Following the Mediterranean Diet: Delicious Dishes for Diabetics: Eating Well with Type 2 Diabetes by Robin Ellis
The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest diets on the planet, and the recipes in this book are based on the cuisine of the Mediterranean region. Recipes include Red Peppers Stuffed with Tomato and Goat Cheese, Chick Peas with Tomato Sauce, and Spinach and Lamb Tagine. The author learned to cook from his mother, who lived with type 1 diabetes. Reviewers like that the book tells a story in addition to providing tasty recipes. People also say the recipes are easy to follow.
Best for Unrestrictive Recipe Ideas: The Sweet Life: Diabetes Without Boundaries by Sam Talbot
The author is a professional chef who was featured on the popular television show “Top Chef” and owns two restaurants in New York. Talbot also happens to have lived with type 1 diabetes since age 12. The 75 recipes in his book focus on healthy eating (e.g., kale chips), cooking with fresh ingredients, and seafood - Talbot is an avid surfer, and his love of all things ocean is evident in his recipes. Talbot’s philosophy: Life with diabetes isn’t about diabetes; it’s about living. Reviewers say the recipes provide plenty of kitchen inspiration. Many also note and appreciate that the book is suitable for anyone who enjoys healthy eating, not just people with diabetes. However, a few reviewers point out that some recipes require hard-to-find ingredients.
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Best for Air Frying: Diabetic Air Fryer Cookbook for Beginners by Desiree Foster
It seems like everyone has or is talking about air fryers these days. And for good reason! An air fryer is a quick and easy way to crisp up foods without adding tons of oil. And unlike a typical oven, it won’t heat up your whole kitchen, so it’s great for summertime cooking. Savory, satisfying foods prevail in this air fryer-themed cookbook. The breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes are designed to suit newbie cooks, and there’s even a 4-week meal plan to get you started. Reviewers say the recipes are quick and easy and work well for those living with diabetes.
Best for Comfort Classics: The American Diabetes Association Diabetes Comfort Food Cookbook by Robin Webb, MS
From lasagna and mac and cheese to cheesecake, this comprehensive cookbook includes many foods that people with diabetes often consider off-limits. The author promises “tweaks” to old favorites. Reviewers appreciate the varied recipe offerings. However, some note that although this is billed as a diabetes-friendly cookbook, it’s probably not one you should be cooking from every day. People also mention that recipes they’ve tried are delicious but that most serve six to eight people, which may not be convenient for those who are cooking for one or two.
Best for Lots of Recipe Ideas: 1,000 Diabetes Recipes by Jackie Mills, RD
Here’s an encyclopedia of recipes tailored for people with diabetes. In addition to recipes for classics like chicken pot pie, pot roast, and strawberry pie, Mills includes 7-day menu-planning advice, carb exchanges, and other tips for people with diabetes. Mills is the author of another popular diabetes cookbook, “The Big Book of Diabetic Desserts,” which is full of recipes for sweet treats like Charming Chocolate Bundt Cake and Blueberry Lemon Buttermilk Cake. Reviewers love that the cookbook includes tons of recipes, but some say they wish it had more pictures. People also mention that the recipes are easy, tasty, and healthy.
Best for People Newly Diagnosed: Diabetic Cookbook and Meal Plan for the Newly Diagnosed by Lori Zanini, RD, CDE
If you’ve just received a diabetes diagnosis, you probably feel a bit overwhelmed. You now have to keep track of your blood sugar and pay much closer attention to how what you eat affects your levels. This cookbook is designed specifically with newly diagnosed people in mind and includes more than 100 tasty diabetes-friendly recipes. It also includes a 1-month plan to help you get started and has helpful labels so you can easily find vegetarian, gluten-free, and quick five-ingredient recipes. Reviewers say the book is an excellent reference and offers uncomplicated, straightforward meal ideas.
Best for Prediabetes: The Everything Easy Pre-Diabetes Cookbook by Lauren Harris-Pincus
A diagnosis of prediabetes may cause a lot of anxiety, but it’s possible to prevent the condition from progressing to diabetes. This prediabetes cookbook is intended to provide guidance in the form of delicious, satisfying recipes. In addition to 200 recipes such as Baked Coconut Shrimp, Whole Grain Penne with Lemony Roasted Asparagus, and Chocolate Mousse, the cookbook provides information on how to manage your condition. And most dishes take 30 minutes or less to prepare. Reviewers say the recipes are simple and accessible, with no hard-to-find ingredients or complicated techniques required.
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Considerations When Choosing a Diabetes Cookbook
What should you consider when picking a diabetes cookbook? Here’s what you might want to keep in mind:
- Diet preferences: Are you vegetarian or vegan? If so, you’ll want to choose a cookbook that caters to your specific lifestyle in addition to being diabetes-friendly.
- Difficulty level: Not all cookbooks are aimed at beginners. If you’re well versed in kitchen basics, steer clear of books labeled “beginner,” and vice versa. You might want to peruse a few recipes and check reviews to get a better idea of the difficulty level.
- Extra information: Newly diagnosed and want more information on eating for diabetes? Look for cookbooks with extra chapters that cover diabetes basics. You might also find books that include eating plans helpful for getting started.
- Visuals: Some people prefer cookbooks that have plenty of photos, while others don’t find visuals necessary. If you tend to use visuals as an inspirational jumping-off point, make sure the book you buy is filled with high quality photography. If you’re buying online, you can find out by previewing the book or reading the reviews.
Books for Emotional Support and Practical Advice
Books that speak to many diabetes experiences are important for adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes to read and feel connected.
- "Think Like a Pancreas" by Gary Scheiner: Scheiner offers a holistic outlook on life with diabetes in his book, inspiring readers to rethink how they think about it. Like many authors on this list, Scheiner lives with diabetes himself. He was diagnosed in 1968, giving him the unique ability to offer perspectives on how patient care has evolved since then. Scheiner achieves precisely what his title sets out to in this book, helping readers “think like a pancreas” throughout it and feel solidified in a new mindset to thrive as much as possible while living with diabetes.
- “Diabetes Sucks And You Can Handle It” by Dr. Heyman: This read is uplifting when you’re in your feelings about living with diabetes. This book offers an “actionable toolkit” to help people with diabetes deal with the emotional burdens of living with the disease.
- “Six Until Me” by Catherine Sparling: This is an archive collection of essays drawn from Sparling’s well-known blog, sixuntilme.com. This read is educational, realistic and compassionate, with professional advice from one person with type 1 diabetes to people with diabetes everywhere.
- “Bright Spots and Landmines” by Adam Brown: This is another staple within the diabetes community, and for a good reason-Brown shares that over 100,000 copies have been sold since he published it in May 2017! He shares a missed opportunity to focus on the positives instead of the mistakes and negatives we make as humans. The practical advice in this book is helpful for people with any form of diabetes who want to feel as positive as possible as often as possible.
- "Life is Short, Laundry is Eternal: Confessions of a Stay-at-Home Dad" by Scott Benner: If you’re a fan of Juicebox Podcast, you’ll love Benner’s book. While the book doesn’t focus on type 1 diabetes alone, it is a significant part of the story. At two, Benner’s daughter, Arden, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes-a heartwrenching and anxiety-inducing diagnosis for any parent. Still, Benner did not lose his positive outlook.
- "Sugar Linings: Finding the Bright Side of Diabetes" by Sierra Sandison: She is well-known for launching the #showmeyourpump campaign. After wearing her insulin pump on stage as part of the Miss Idaho pageant series, Sandison skyrocketed as a diabetes advocate. She was crowned Miss Idaho in 2014! Since then, Sandison has spoken across the country at various diabetes conferences and schools, often as a keynote. Sandison has inspired children to overcome adversity in her speeches. This same encouragement is wrapped into her book, helping readers find strength, community and connection.
- [Book Title and Author Needed]: Few books on pregnancy with type 1 diabetes integrate a patient and doctor’s perspective. In fact, few exist! Managing pregnancy with type 1 diabetes is rewarding and exhausting. It’s much more than carb-counting and getting exercise!
- [Book Title and Author Needed]: Simms shares diabetes stories and lessons she’s acquired over the years in this book. Most importantly, she reminds readers that perfection with diabetes is impossible-and that’s perfectly normal! This book focuses on “breaking through boundaries and self-limitations while feeling optimistic about living a healthy life” with type 1 diabetes.
- "Sugar Surfing" by Stephen W. Ponder, MD, FAAP, CDE, + Kevin L: With over 500 5-star ratings on Amazon, there’s a reason many people with diabetes (and their doctors) read (and love) “Sugar Surfing” from Stephen W. Ponder and Kevin L. The book debunks diabetes misconceptions to help doctors treat patients better. Meanwhile, it also allows people with diabetes to become their own advocates. “Sugar Surfing” is an excellent diabetes resource for all ages. This book isn’t just great for patients but for medical professionals who teach people with diabetes to use insulin pumps.
- “The Book of Better: Life With Diabetes Can’t Be Perfect. Make It Better.” by [Author Name Needed]: “The Book of Better” comes from the perspective of someone who’s lived with diabetes for many years. When you think you need to take your diabetes from 0 to 100, Eichten reassures readers that 3 percent better is better than no percent. No one with diabetes is perfect (or can be), but we all have the power to make it better!
- "Balancing Diabetes" by [Authors Needed]: This book, from “two successful and down-to-earth women living with diabetes,” offers a fresh take on the unique issues and frank discussions faced by women with all types of diabetes. “Balancing Diabetes” does what its title describes-it helps readers find happiness and ways to live well with diabetes.
- "Thriving With Diabetes" by [Author Needed]: This is another excellent book on this list that teaches you to look beyond the physical solutions of diabetes and dive into the mental side.
Dietary Guidelines for People with Diabetes
Dietary advice for those with diabetes has evolved and have become more flexible and patient centered over time. Nutrition goals from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2024 include the following: (1)
To promote and support healthful eating patterns, emphasizing a variety of nutrient-dense foods in appropriate portion sizes, to improve overall health and:
- achieve and maintain body weight goals.
- attain individualized glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid goals.
- delay or prevent the complications of diabetes.
To address individual nutrition needs based on personal and cultural preferences, health literacy and numeracy, access to healthful foods, willingness and ability to make behavioral changes, and existing barriers to change.
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To maintain the pleasure of eating by providing nonjudgmental messages about food choices while limiting food choices only when indicated by scientific evidence.
To provide an individual with diabetes the practical tools for developing healthy eating patterns rather than focusing on individual macronutrients, micronutrients, or single foods.
The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) guidelines have similar nutrition goals for people with type 2 diabetes (3).
Macronutrient Targets
Many studies have been completed to attempt to determine the optimal combination of macronutrients. Based on available data, the best mix of carbohydrate, protein, and fat depends on the individual metabolic goals and preferences of the person with diabetes. It’s most important to ensure that total energy intake is kept in mind for weight loss or maintenance (1).
Carbohydrates
The primary goal in the management of diabetes is to achieve as near normal regulation of blood glucose as possible. Both the type and total amount of carbohydrate (CHO) consumed influences glycemia. Carbohydrate intake should emphasize nutrient-dense carbohydrate sources that are high in fiber (at least 14 g fiber per 1,000 kcal) and minimally processed (1).
Dietary carbohydrate includes sugars, starch, and dietary fiber. Higher intakes of sugars are associated with weight gain and greater incidence of dental caries (5). Conversely, higher intakes of dietary fiber are associated with reduced non-communicable disease and premature mortality occurrence as well as improvements in body weight, cholesterol concentrations, and blood pressure (6, 7). These benefits with higher fiber intakes have been observed in the general population, for those with type 1, type 2, and pre diabetes, (8) and those with hypertension or heart disease (9).
With this guidance in mind, eating plans should emphasize non-starchy vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains, as well as dairy products with minimal added sugars (1, 10). There is less consistency of evidence for recommending an amount of overall CHO in the diet (1). This is in line with current World Health Organization for carbohydrate intakes for adults and children which stress the type of carbohydrate is important, with recommendations for fiber and vegetable and fruit intake, but no recommendations on CHO amount (7).
Dietary Fiber
Current recommendations from the American Diabetes Association are that adults with diabetes should consume high fiber foods (at least 14g fiber per 1,000 kcal) (1). Current recommendations from the European Association for the Study of Diabetes are that adults with diabetes should consume at least 35g dietary fiber per day (or 16.7g per 1,000 kcal) (10). These two values are aligned, and higher than current World Health Organization recommendations for the general population of at least 25g dietary fiber per day, (7) although all three recommendations recognize a minimum intake level, with greater benefits observed with higher intakes. These values are appreciably higher than current dietary fiber intakes in the United States, which is approximately 16g per day.
Our understanding of the importance of dietary fiber has changed in recent years. Dietary fiber is carbohydrate that is not digested by the stomach or absorbed in the GI tract. Instead, it is either degraded in the colon by the gut microbiota, or passes through the human body intact. Higher intakes of dietary fiber are associated with lower all-cause mortality, heart disease, T2 diabetes incidence, and certain cancers such colorectal cancer when compared with lower fiber intakes (6).
Starch
Starch comprises most of the carbohydrates consumed globally, and is the storage carbohydrate found in refined cereals, potatoes, legumes, and bananas (16). Starch comprises two polymers: amylose (DP ~ 103) and amylopectin (DP ~ 104-105). Most cereal starches comprise 15-30% amylose and 70-85% amylopectin. In their raw form, most starches are resistant to digestion by pancreatic amylase, but gelatinize in heat and water, permitting rapid digestion (16). Dietary starch intake is rarely directly reported, so the health effects of dietary starch intake are often assessed through key sources, such as refined grains and potatoes.
Sugars (Nutritive Sweeteners)
Sucrose, also known as “table sugar,” is a disaccharide composed of one glucose and one fructose molecule and provides 4 kcals per gram (16). Available evidence from clinical studies does not indicate that the overall amount of dietary sucrose is related to type 2 diabetes incidence, however it is related to body weight gain and increased dental caries (5).
Practical Advice for Managing Diabetes
- What is a good menu for people with diabetes? A good menu for people with diabetes is one that they find satisfying but that contains healthy ingredients that won’t make their symptoms worse. Some examples of foods that should feature prominently on a menu are beans, non-starchy vegetables and leafy greens, berries, lean proteins, healthy fats, and high fiber whole grains.
- What should people with diabetes tell the waiter when going out to dinner? Many chain restaurants have their nutritional information available online, but some restaurants won’t be able to give you exact numbers. It’s still possible to eat out when you have diabetes by picking smaller portions, sharing meals, or asking for half your meal to be packed up right away. You can also request to have sauces or gravies served on the side and to have foods grilled, baked, sauteed, or steamed instead of fried.
- What can’t people with diabetes eat? There’s nothing you can’t eat, but it may be a good idea to limit your consumption of high sugar items, such as sweetened drinks; processed foods that contain trans fat; and high carb foods like white rice, pasta, and bread.