PHILA TODAY · LIVE WELL · EAT WELL · MOVE WELL
DIABETES SERIES · ARTICLE 3 OF 17
10 affordable foods
A South African diabetic-friendly shopping list, supermarket-priced.
Most diabetes diet advice online comes from somewhere else — Europe, the United States, Australia. The foods they suggest (quinoa, kale, almond flour, açai berries) are either unavailable or too expensive for most South African households. The result: people with diabetes feel they can't eat well unless they spend a lot of money.
They're wrong. South Africa has some of the cheapest, most diabetic-friendly foods in the world — many of them are foods that families have been eating for generations. This article picks ten of them. Every one is available at PnP, Shoprite, Spar, Boxer, your local spaza, or all of the above. None of them are fancy. All of them work.
Before you read on
This is general nutrition information, not a personalised meal plan. If you have diabetes, especially if you're on insulin or other glucose-lowering medication, work with a clinic nurse or registered dietitian to fine-tune what's right for your body.
How we picked these ten
Every food on the list meets four tests:
-
Affordable — under R50 per kilo or per pack at major SA supermarkets.
-
Available — sold at any large supermarket and most smaller shops.
-
Diabetic-friendly — supported by research as helpful for blood sugar control.
-
Familiar — already part of South African cooking, so it's easy to add in.
They are not in order of importance — all ten earn their place.
Prices below are rough estimates as of 2026 at major South African retailers. Bulk-buying and the smaller chain stores often have these even cheaper.
1. Sugar beans (and other dried beans)
The cheapest, most filling diabetic-friendly food in South Africa.
Why it helps
Sugar beans are packed with fibre and plant protein. The fibre slows digestion, so glucose enters your blood gradually instead of spiking it. A half-cup serving has roughly the same protein as an egg and three times the fibre.
How to use it
Cook a big batch on the weekend — boiled with onion, garlic, tomato and a pinch of salt. Use through the week with pap, rice, vegetables, or on toast. They freeze beautifully.
Rough cost: R20–R35 per kg dry
2. Eggs
Zero carbs, full of protein, ready in three minutes.
Why it helps
Eggs barely move blood sugar at all because they have almost no carbs. The protein and fat keep you full, which reduces the urge to snack on starches and sweets later.
How to use it
Boil six at once and keep in the fridge — easy snack, easy breakfast. Scramble two with chopped tomato and onion for a complete meal. The cholesterol concern of older guidelines has largely been dropped; 1–2 eggs a day is fine for most diabetics.
Rough cost: R45–R65 per 18-pack (around R2.50–R3.60 per egg)
3. Maas (amasi)
Local, fermented, full of protein, easier on the gut than fresh milk.
Why it helps
Maas has more protein than ordinary milk and far less lactose because fermentation has already broken some of it down. The probiotic bacteria support gut health, which research increasingly links to blood sugar control. Look for plain unsweetened maas — flavoured versions add sugar.
How to use it
A cup with breakfast oats, in smoothies, mixed with chopped fruit, or as a snack. Half a cup of maas with a tablespoon of peanut butter is a perfect mid-afternoon stabiliser.
Rough cost: R25–R35 per 1 litre
4. Tinned pilchards (or sardines)
One of the cheapest sources of omega-3 in the world.
Why it helps
Oily fish provides omega-3 fats, which reduce inflammation and lower the risk of heart disease — a major complication of diabetes. Tinned pilchards are nutritionally identical to fresh, at a fraction of the price. They're also a complete protein.
How to use it
Mash half a tin with chopped tomato and onion onto a slice of brown bread or rye crispbread. Toss into pasta with garlic. Mix into a salad. Skip the “in oil” versions — choose “in tomato sauce” or “in water”.
Rough cost: R20–R28 per 215 g tin
5. Morogo (and other dark leafy greens)
Almost no carbs, packed with magnesium — a key blood-sugar nutrient.
Why it helps
Morogo, spinach, kale and cabbage are extremely low in carbs but very high in fibre, vitamins and magnesium. Magnesium plays a direct role in how your body responds to insulin — low magnesium is associated with worse blood sugar control.
How to use it
Sauté with onion and a little oil as a side dish. Add a handful to soups and stews. Mix into your bean pot. The traditional pairing of morogo and pap remains nutritionally excellent — just use less pap and more morogo than the old default.
Rough cost: R8–R20 per bunch
6. Cabbage
The forgotten vegetable that's almost free.
Why it helps
Cabbage is extremely low in carbs, very high in fibre, and ridiculously cheap. A whole head can feed a family for several meals. Fermented cabbage (sauerkraut) adds a probiotic benefit but takes a bit of effort.
How to use it
Shred and stir-fry with a little oil, garlic and curry powder. Add to soup. Use as the “starch” base on your plate instead of rice or pap. Pair with beans for a complete meal.
Rough cost: R10–R25 per head (often feeds 6+ meals)
7. Lentils
Faster to cook than beans, just as good for blood sugar.
Why it helps
Lentils are similar to beans in protein and fibre, but cook in 20 minutes (no overnight soak needed). They have a very low glycaemic index, which means they barely raise blood sugar even though they contain carbs.
How to use it
Brown lentils for stews, red lentils for soups and dhal. Add a cup of dry lentils to any mince-based dish — they bulk it out, drop the cost, and improve the nutrition.
Rough cost: R25–R45 per kg dry
8. Oats
The breakfast that holds blood sugar steady all morning.
Why it helps
Oats are a starch — but a slow one. The soluble fibre (beta-glucan) forms a gel in the stomach that releases glucose gradually, smoothing out the blood sugar curve. Stick to old-fashioned rolled oats or whole oats. Avoid instant flavoured oats — they are usually loaded with sugar.
How to use it
Cook half a cup with water or milk, top with a sliced banana or a few berries, a tablespoon of peanut butter, and a sprinkle of cinnamon (cinnamon may modestly help blood sugar). Don't add sugar or honey.
Rough cost: R20–R35 per 500 g
9. Peanut butter (no added sugar)
Affordable healthy fat that blunts blood sugar spikes.
Why it helps
Healthy fat and protein in peanut butter slow how quickly carbs raise your blood sugar. Adding a tablespoon to oats, bread or fruit reduces the glucose spike from those foods. The key word is unsweetened — many SA peanut butters add sugar. Read the label.
How to use it
On brown bread or rye crispbread. Stirred into oats. Eaten by the spoon as a snack. Blended with a banana and milk for a quick protein shake.
Rough cost: R30–R55 per 400 g jar
10. Butternut
Sweet enough to satisfy a craving without the spike.
Why it helps
Butternut is a starchy vegetable, but a much slower one than potato, rice or pap. It scores low to medium on the glycaemic index, and its natural sweetness can satisfy the “I want something sweet” feeling without dessert. It's also full of vitamin A and fibre.
How to use it
Roasted with olive oil, salt and cinnamon. Boiled and mashed as a side. Cubed into stews. Half a cup of butternut on the plate is roughly the same blood-sugar impact as a slice of brown bread but far more satisfying.
Rough cost: R25–R50 per whole butternut (feeds several meals)
Putting it on the plate
A simple way to use these foods is the “diabetic plate” principle — a portion guide that fits any cuisine.
Portion What to put there Half the plate Vegetables — cabbage, morogo, spinach, tomato, onion, peppers, carrots. Cooked or raw, as much as you like. A quarter of the plate Protein — eggs, beans, lentils, pilchards, chicken, fish. About the size of your palm. A quarter of the plate Slow starch — oats, brown bread, brown rice, butternut, samp. About the size of your fist (smaller than you used to eat). On the side Water, rooibos, plain tea or coffee. No sugar. No sugary cold drinks.
Foods to limit (not necessarily avoid forever)
These foods spike blood sugar hard, fast, and high. You don't need to swear off them completely, but for blood sugar control they should be occasional rather than daily.
-
Sugary cold drinks, energy drinks, fruit juice. A single 500 ml soft drink can spike blood sugar dangerously. Switch to water, rooibos, or sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon.
-
White bread, white pap, white rice in big portions. Same calories as the brown versions but they raise blood sugar much faster. Either switch to brown, or eat smaller portions of white.
-
Sweets, chocolates, cake, biscuits. For an occasional treat, fine. For daily eating, no.
-
Vetkoek, slap chips, samosas, fried chicken. Fried foods made with refined flour are a double hit — high in carbs AND in unhealthy fats.
-
Processed meats — polony, viennas, russians. High in salt, low in real protein, linked to heart disease — which diabetes already raises the risk of.
A sample diabetic day — using these foods
Just to show how it comes together. This day costs around R45–R55 in groceries (excluding pantry basics) and works on a tight budget.
Meal What's on the plate Breakfast Half a cup of oats cooked with maas, topped with a sliced banana and 1 tbsp peanut butter, sprinkle of cinnamon. Rooibos with no sugar. Mid-morning snack A boiled egg. Glass of water. Lunch Half a tin of pilchards mashed with chopped tomato and onion, served on 1 slice brown bread, with shredded cabbage salad on the side. Mid-afternoon snack Small handful of raw peanuts (about 20). Dinner Half a cup of cooked sugar beans, a fist of brown rice, generous helping of morogo cooked with onion and tomato. Evening Cup of rooibos. If hungry, a small cup of plain maas.
Roughly 7 500 kJ over the day, around 90 g of protein, around 30 g of fibre, and a steady blood sugar curve. No fancy ingredients, no expensive supplements.
The bigger picture
Eating well with diabetes is not about expensive imports, exotic superfoods, or a special diabetic shopping aisle. It is about choosing the right South African staples, in the right portions, day after day. The foods in this article are the foundation. The Phila Today recipes use these ingredients in different combinations — see the Eat tab for cabbage and lentil stew, bean stew with butternut, the maas smoothie, and several others built directly around this list.
The next article in this series tackles starch — pap, samp and rice — and how to keep enjoying them when you have diabetes. Because the answer is not to give them up. It's to use them wisely.
Where to get more help
Diabetes South Africa — diabetessa.org.za · 011 792 9888
A registered dietitian — your clinic can refer you, often free of charge
Phila Today Eat tab — recipes built around the foods in this article
Phila Today Diabetes Series — next: Pap, samp and rice — what to do about starch when you have diabetes
Phila Today · Article 3 of 17 in the Diabetes Series