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When a person has diabetes their body cannot make or properly use insulin. This is a cause of high levels of glucose, or sugar, in the blood. Having healthy eating habits helps to reduce and control blood sugar, which is a major part of preventing complications of diabetes.

There is no one diet for diabetes. Therefore, when creating a good diabetic diet for yourself it is important to consult your doctor, dietician, and/or nutritionist. They can help you determine how many daily calories you need. They can also help you with the principles of carbohydrate counting.

Principles of a Good Diabetic Diet

Since there is no one diet for diabetes, experts in this field suggest to create a diet plan that is flexible and takes your lifestyle, as well as all your health needs, into consideration. A good place to start is the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Pyramid. A free and helpful resource to assist you in getting started is: mypyramid.gov

The next step, of a good diabetic diet, is to understand the following principles:

* Limit Sweets - You don't have to say good-bye to sweets forever, you just have to make sure you understand when you can and cannot eat them. This refers to carbohydrate counting. Carbohydrates make glucose levels go up. Therefore, a good diabetic dieter keeps track of the amount of carbohydrates they have each day. Generally on a diabetic diet, carbohydrates should make up about 50% of allotted calories for the day. If you know you are going to a birthday party, don't eat the mashed potatoes. This will allow you to have a piece of cake instead. Again, the key is to keep track of the amount of carbohydrates you have during the day, so that your glucose levels do not go up.

* Eat Often - Instead of three big meals during the day. Spread your diet to around five smaller meals throughout the day. Also, focus on eating the same amount of food at the same time every day to help keep blood sugar levels stable. This will also help keep your energy level up.

* Be Aware of When and How Many Carbohydrates You Can Eat - As stated in the "Limit Sweets" section, carbohydrates should make up about 50% of your total calories for the day. This is because carbohydrates make glucose levels go up. It is very important to keep track of the amount of carbohydrates you eat each and every day. Look for carbohydrate information on the "Nutrition Facts" label on most foods. The local library should also have books on the amount of carbohydrates found in foods with no Nutrition Facts label.

* Eat plenty of starchy foods- You should aim for six servings or more a day. You should also make sure that the majority of those servings are of whole grain foods.

* Eat plenty of Fruits and Vegetables - You should eat at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables have soluble fibers, which are good in slowing down and reducing the absorption of glucose from the intestines.

* Eat less fat- Because people with diabetes are at a high risk for heart problems, fat intake should be limited to below 30% of total daily calories. This can be achieved by eating less fat, especially saturated fat.

* Limit your use of alcohol - Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach can cause low blood sugar. It can also contribute to complications of diabetes. Small amounts of alcohol can be fit into you diet plan as long as your blood sugar level is under good control. Consult your doctor to find out how much alcohol can be included in your diet.

Recommendation

We highly recommend "A Comprehensive Guide To Beating Diabetes - Dramatically Improve Your Blood Sugar Control, Reduce And Eliminate Your Need For Insulin Shots." It was written by a woman who actually had a tragic experience because of diabetes and wrote this guide to help others. She even offers a free report. Click here to visit her Website and learn more about Diet for Diabetics.