Developing an appropriate diet plan is important. It not only helps for controlling your blood sugar level, but also for controlling your weight, cholesterol and blood pressure. With the advice of a dietician like those at the Wellness Center, you should develop a plan that lays out what you eat at meals and snack times, so that you can maintain a healthy blood sugar level throughout the day. You should also prepare to balance meals with insulin or other medications that you might require. The good news is that there are still countless options for what you can eat, and a person with diabetes can share the same healthy foods they enjoy with their family or spouse. There are few hard and fast rules for what you should eat, so it is important to become educated and seek out literature and advice on what to look for in your diet.

Tips from the American Diabetes Association
“ Here are a few tips on making healthful food choices for you and your entire family.

• Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Try picking from the rainbow of colors available to maximize variety. Eat non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or green beans with meals.
• Choose whole grain foods over processed grain products. Try brown rice with your stir fry or whole wheat spaghetti with your favorite pasta sauce.
• Include dried beans (like kidney or pinto beans) and lentils into your meals.
• Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week.
• Choose lean meats like cuts of beef and pork that end in "loin" such as pork loin and sirloin. Remove the skin from chicken and turkey. Choose non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese.
• Choose water and calorie-free "diet" drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
• Choose liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats. Remember that fats are high in calories. If you're trying to lose weight, watch your portion sizes of added fats.
• Cut back on high calorie snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes, and full-fat ice cream.
• Eating too much of even healthful foods can lead to weight gain. Watch your portion sizes."