Cultural collection
International Foods
Common foods eaten around the world.
Educational guidance only — not a personal diet prescription. Content is medically reviewed and based on recognised clinical guidelines — see references. If you have feedback or a suggestion to improve this website, .
Green — Choose more often
Generally a good everyday choice in sensible portions.
Amber — Watch your portion
Fine to eat — keep the portion small and pair with protein or vegetables.
Red — Limit / avoid routinely
Best kept for occasional small amounts, not every day.
These colours are educational guidance, not strict rules. Your own plan depends on your medicines, weight, kidney health and goals — discuss it with your doctor.
Air-popped popcorn
popcorn
Whole-grain snack when plain — avoid butter and caramel.
Portion: 3 cups (about 24 g)
Almonds
badam, lawz
Healthy fats and protein; very low glycaemic impact.
Portion: 10–12 almonds (about 15 g)
Apple
mansanas, seb, tuffah
Whole apple with skin gives fibre and a modest glucose rise.
Portion: 1 small (about 150 g)
Avocado
abukado, butter fruit
Healthy fats and very little sugar.
Portion: ¼ fruit (about 50 g)
Banana
kela, mauz, saging
Choose a small, less ripe banana and eat it with a meal.
Portion: 1 small (about 100 g)
Beef burger
hamburger
Refined bun plus fatty meat — choose grilled chicken or skip the bun.
Portion: 1 burger (about 220 g)
Black coffee
kahwa (black), kape
Unsweetened coffee is fine for most people.
Portion: 1 cup (about 240 g)
Boiled potato
aloo, batata, patatas
A starchy vegetable — count it like rice.
Portion: 1 medium (about 150 g)
Boiled sweet potato (kamote)
camote, shakarkandi
Starchy vegetable — treat it like rice, not like salad.
Portion: 1 medium (about 130 g)
Broccoli
brokoli
Excellent non-starchy vegetable.
Portion: 1 cup cooked (about 156 g)
Brown rice
red rice, unpolished rice
Keeps its bran layer — more fibre than white rice.
Portion: ½ cup cooked (about 100 g)
Carrot
gajar, jazar, karot
Healthy vegetable — fine raw or cooked.
Portion: 1 medium (about 61 g)
Cauliflower
gobi, qarnabeet
Can replace some rice ('cauliflower rice').
Portion: 1 cup cooked (about 124 g)
Cheddar cheese
cheese, keso
Almost no carbohydrate but high in fat and salt.
Portion: 1 slice / 30 g (about 30 g)
Chickpeas (boiled)
garbanzos, hummus beans, kabuli chana
Low-GI legumes are a cornerstone of diabetes diets.
Portion: ½ cup (about 82 g)
Coconut water
buko juice, nariyal pani
Natural sugars — better than soft drinks, but not unlimited.
Portion: 1 glass (250 ml) (about 240 g)
Cola / soft drink
coke, pepsi, soda
Sugar-sweetened drinks raise glucose fastest of all.
Portion: 1 can (330 ml) (about 330 g)
Cornflakes
breakfast cereal
Very high GI — swap for oats.
Portion: 1 cup (about 30 g)
Cucumber salad
kheera, khiyar, pipino
Eat freely before your meal.
Portion: 1 cup (about 120 g)
Dark chocolate (70%+)
dark chocolate
If you want chocolate, small dark is the better choice.
Portion: 2 squares (about 20 g)
Digestive biscuits
biskut, cookies
'Digestive' does not mean low sugar.
Portion: 2 biscuits (about 30 g)
Egg (boiled)
anda, bayd, itlog
Almost no carbohydrate; high-quality protein.
Portion: 1 large egg (about 50 g)
French fries
chips, fries
Fried potato — high in fat and carbohydrate.
Portion: 1 medium portion (about 117 g)
Full-cream milk
whole milk
More saturated fat than low-fat milk.
Portion: 1 cup (250 ml) (about 250 g)
Grapes
angoor, inab, ubas
Easy to over-eat — count them.
Portion: 15 grapes (about 75 g)
Green tea
sabz chai, shai akhdar
Unsweetened tea is a good everyday drink.
Portion: 1 cup (about 240 g)
Grilled chicken breast
chicken breast
Very lean protein.
Portion: palm-size piece (about 100 g)
Grilled white fish
hammour, machli, samak
Lean protein — grill, bake or steam.
Portion: palm-size piece (about 120 g)
Honey
asal, pulot, shahad
Honey is still sugar — not a diabetes-friendly sweetener.
Portion: 1 tablespoon (about 21 g)
Ice cream
kulfi (similar), sorbetes
Sweet dessert — small scoop, occasionally.
Portion: ½ cup (about 66 g)
Kidney beans (boiled)
frijoles, rajma (plain)
Very low GI and high fibre.
Portion: ½ cup (about 90 g)
Kiwi fruit
kiwi
Fibre and vitamin C.
Portion: 1 medium (about 75 g)
Low-fat milk
gatas, skimmed milk, toned milk
Good protein and calcium — counts as some carbohydrate.
Portion: 1 cup (250 ml) (about 250 g)
Milk chocolate
chocolate bar
Mostly sugar and fat.
Portion: 1 small bar (about 40 g)
Naan (white flour)
nan, tandoori naan
Made from refined flour (maida) and absorbed quickly.
Portion: 1 piece (about 90 g)
Orange / kinnow
burtuqal, dalandan, kinnow, malta
Whole citrus gives fibre and vitamin C — much better than juice.
Portion: 1 medium (about 130 g)
Orange juice
aseer, fruit juice
Juice removes fibre — sugar reaches the blood quickly.
Portion: 1 glass (250 ml) (about 250 g)
Peanuts
ful sudani, mani, moongphali
Unsalted peanuts are a good snack in small amounts.
Portion: small handful (about 30 g)
Pear
kummathra, nashpati, peras
High-fibre fruit with a low GI.
Portion: 1 small (about 150 g)
Pistachios
fustuq, pista
Healthy fats and protein — measure your handful.
Portion: about 30 nuts (about 30 g)
Pizza
pizza
Refined dough and cheese — two slices with salad at most.
Portion: 2 slices (about 200 g)
Plain Greek yogurt
strained yogurt
High protein and low sugar when unsweetened.
Portion: ¾ cup (about 150 g)
Quinoa
kinwa
Higher-protein grain alternative.
Portion: ½ cup cooked (about 90 g)
Rolled oats
jai, oatmeal
High in soluble fibre (beta-glucan), which slows glucose absorption.
Portion: ½ cup dry (about 40 g)
Salmon
salmon
Oily fish rich in omega-3 fats.
Portion: palm-size piece (about 100 g)
Spinach (plain cooked)
kangkong (similar), palak, sabanekh
Very low in carbohydrate and rich in folate and magnesium.
Portion: 1 cup cooked (about 180 g)
Strawberries
berries, farawla
Berries are among the best fruit choices.
Portion: 1 cup (about 150 g)
Sweet corn
bhutta, mais
Starchy vegetable — keep it to half a cup.
Portion: ½ cup (about 80 g)
Table sugar
asukal, cheeni, sukkar
Added sugar — keep to a minimum.
Portion: 1 teaspoon (about 4 g)
Tofu
soybean curd, tokwa
Plant protein with little carbohydrate.
Portion: 100 g (about 100 g)
Tomato
kamatis, tamatar, tamatim
Very low in carbohydrate.
Portion: 1 medium (about 123 g)
Walnuts
akhrot, jawz
Omega-3 rich nut.
Portion: 6–7 halves (about 15 g)
Water
maa, pani, tubig
The best drink — zero sugar, zero calories.
Portion: 6–8 glasses a day (about 250 g)
Watermelon
batikh, pakwan, tarbooz
High GI but watery — one cup with a meal is fine.
Portion: 1 cup cubes (about 150 g)
White bread
sandwich bread, tasty bread
Refined flour with little fibre.
Portion: 1 slice (about 28 g)
White rice (boiled)
basmati, bhaat, chawal, kanin, ruz
A staple carbohydrate — keep it to one quarter of the plate.
Portion: ½ cup cooked (1 fist) (about 100 g)
Whole-wheat bread
brown bread
Better than white, but still count your slices.
Portion: 1 slice (about 32 g)
Whole-wheat pasta
pasta
Lower GI than many breads when cooked al dente.
Portion: 1 cup cooked (about 140 g)
Whole-wheat pita
brown khubz
More fibre than white pita — fill with salad and protein.
Portion: 1 small (about 40 g)
Zero-sugar soft drink
diet cola, zero
Better than regular soda, but water is still the best choice.
Portion: 1 can (330 ml) (about 330 g)