If you have diabetes, your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes from foods you eat. The cells of your body need glucose for energy. A hormone called insulin helps the glucose get into your cells.

With type 1 diabetes, your body doesn't make insulin. With type 2 diabetes, your body doesn't make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in your blood and causes high blood sugar levels.

Prediabetes means that your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. If you have prediabetes, you are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

The sugar in your blood comes from certain foods called carbohydrates, or "carbs." Foods that are high in carbs include candy and sweets, sodas, breads, tortillas, and white rice. The more carbs you eat, the higher your blood sugar level will be.

Whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, making the right food choices is an important way to keep your blood sugar at a healthy level. When you control your blood sugar, you lower your chance of having serious health problems from diabetes, such as vision loss and heart problems.

And if you have prediabetes or are at risk for diabetes, eating foods that keep your blood sugar levels healthy may help prevent type 2 diabetes later on.

There isn't a specific diet or meal plan that works for everybody. Your health care provider may have you see a registered dietician (RD) or a diabetes educator who can help design the best eating plan for you. The plan will consider:

• Any medicines that you take
• Your weight
• Any other health conditions you have
• Your lifestyle and tastes
• Your goals

All eating plans for diabetes have a few things in common, including eating the right foods in the right amounts at the right times.

Eating the right foods for diabetes means eating a variety of healthy foods from all the food groups:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains, such as whole wheat, brown rice, barley, quinoa, and oats
• Proteins, such as lean meats, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, nuts, beans, lentils, and tofu
• Nonfat or low-fat dairy, such as milk, yogurt, and cheese

To keep your blood sugar under control, you may need to cut back on foods and drinks that are high in carbs. This doesn't mean that you can never enjoy them. But you will need to have them less often or in smaller amounts.

The high-carb foods and drinks you should limit include:

• Sugary foods, such as candy, cookies, cake, ice cream, sweetened cereals, and canned fruits with added sugar
• Drinks with added sugars, such as juice, regular soda, and regular sports or energy drinks
• White rice, tortillas, breads and pasta - especially those made with white flour
• Starchy vegetables, such as white potatoes, corn, and peas

You may also need to limit how much alcohol you drink, as well as how much fat and salt you eat.

If you have diabetes, it's important to eat the right amount of food every day. Your eating plan will include how much to eat, so that you get the right amount of carbs in each meal or snack. You'll learn how to count carbs and measure your food.

Eating at the right times is also important. You will want to plan for regular, balanced meals to avoid high or low blood sugar levels. Eating about the same amount of carbs at each meal can be helpful.

Your eating plan will also teach you how to stick with your plan at home and when you eat out.

Eating healthy to control your blood sugar does take some effort. But the reward is a chance to live your healthiest life with diabetes.

You may worry that having diabetes means going without foods you enjoy. The good news is that you can still eat your favorite foods, but you might need to eat smaller portions or enjoy them less often. Your health care team will help create a diabetes meal plan for you that meets your needs and likes.

The key to eating with diabetes is to eat a variety of healthy foods from all food groups, in the amounts your meal plan outlines.

The food groups are

• vegetables
  • nonstarchy: includes broccoli, carrots, greens, peppers, and tomatoes
  • starchy: includes potatoes, corn, and green peas
• fruits—includes oranges, melon, berries, apples, bananas, and grapes
• grains—at least half of your grains for the day should be whole grains
  • includes wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, and quinoa
  • examples: bread, pasta, cereal, and tortillas
• protein
  • lean meat
  • chicken or turkey without the skin
  • fish
  • eggs
  • nuts and peanuts
  • dried beans and certain peas, such as chickpeas and split peas
  • meat substitutes, such as tofu
• dairy—nonfat or low fat
  • milk or lactose-free milk if you have lactose intolerance
  • yogurt
  • cheese

Eat foods with heart-healthy fats, which mainly come from these foods:

• oils that are liquid at room temperature, such as canola and olive oil
• nuts and seeds
• heart-healthy fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel
• avocado

Use oils when cooking food instead of butter, cream, shortening, lard, or stick margarine.

Foods and drinks to limit include

• fried foods and other foods high in saturated fat and trans fat
• foods high in salt, also called sodium
• sweets, such as baked goods, candy, and ice cream
• beverages with added sugars, such as juice, regular soda, and regular sports or energy drinks

Drink water instead of sweetened beverages. Consider using a sugar substitute in your coffee or tea.

If you drink alcohol, drink moderately—no more than one drink a day if you’re a woman or two drinks a day if you’re a man. If you use insulin or diabetes medicines that increase the amount of insulin your body makes, alcohol can make your blood glucose level drop too low. This is especially true if you haven’t eaten in a while. It’s best to eat some food when you drink alcohol.

Some people with diabetes need to eat at about the same time each day. Others can be more flexible with the timing of their meals. Depending on your diabetes medicines or type of insulin, you may need to eat the same amount of carbohydrates at the same time each day. If you take “mealtime” insulin, your eating schedule can be more flexible.

If you use certain diabetes medicines or insulin and you skip or delay a meal, your blood glucose level can drop too low. Ask your health care team when you should eat and whether you should eat before and after physical activity.

Eating the right amount of food will also help you manage your blood glucose level and your weight. Your health care team can help you figure out how much food and how many calories you should eat each day.

Weight-loss planning

If you are overweight or have obesity, work with your health care team to create a weight-loss plan.nutrition, diet, blood glucose level, food groups, insulin,

To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories and replace less healthy foods with foods lower in calories, fat, and sugar.

If you have diabetes, are overweight or obese, and are planning to have a baby, you should try to lose any excess weight before you become pregnant.

Meal plan methods

Two common ways to help you plan how much to eat if you have diabetes are the plate method and carbohydrate counting, also called carb counting. Check with your health care team about the method that’s best for you.

Plate method

The plate method helps you control your portion sizes. You don’t need to count calories. The plate method shows the amount of each food group you should eat. This method works best for lunch and dinner.

Use a 9-inch plate. Put nonstarchy vegetables on half of the plate; a meat or other protein on one-fourth of the plate; and a grain or other starch on the last one-fourth. Starches include starchy vegetables such as corn and peas. You also may eat a small bowl of fruit or a piece of fruit, and drink a small glass of milk as included in your meal plan.

You can find many different combinations of food and more details about using the plate method from the American Diabetes Association’s Create Your Plate.

Your daily eating plan also may include small snacks between meals.

Portion sizes

• You can use everyday objects or your hand to judge the size of a portion.
• 1 serving of meat or poultry is the palm of your hand or a deck of cards
• 1 3-ounce serving of fish is a checkbook
• 1 serving of cheese is six dice
• 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta is a rounded handful or a tennis ball
• 1 serving of a pancake or waffle is a DVD
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is a ping-pong ball

Carbohydrate counting

Carbohydrate counting involves keeping track of the amount of carbohydrates you eat and drink each day. Because carbohydrates turn into glucose in your body, they affect your blood glucose level more than other foods do. Carb counting can help you manage your blood glucose level. If you take insulin, counting carbohydrates can help you know how much insulin to take.

The right amount of carbohydrates varies by how you manage your diabetes, including how physically active you are and what medicines you take, if any. Your health care team can help you create a personal eating plan based on carbohydrate counting.

The amount of carbohydrates in foods is measured in grams. To count carbohydrate grams in what you eat, you’ll need to

• learn which foods have carbohydrates
• read the Nutrition Facts food label, or learn to estimate the number of grams of carbohydrate in the foods you eat
• add the grams of carbohydrate from each food you eat to get your total for each meal and for the day

Most carbohydrates come from starches, fruits, milk, and sweets. Try to limit carbohydrates with added sugars or those with refined grains, such as white bread and white rice. Instead, eat carbohydrates from fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and low-fat or nonfat milk.

A meal plan is your guide for when, what, and how much to eat to get the nutrition you need while keeping your blood sugar levels in your target range. A good meal plan will take into account your goals, tastes, and lifestyle, as well as any medicines you’re taking.

You’ll want to plan for regular, balanced meals to avoid high or low blood sugar levels. Eating about the same amount of carbs at each meal can help.

Carbs, protein, fat, and fiber in food all affect your blood sugar in different ways. Carbs can raise your blood sugar faster and higher than protein or fat. Fiber can help you manage your blood sugar, so carbs that have fiber in them, like sweet potatoes, won’t raise your blood sugar as fast as carbs with little or no fiber, such as soda.

Counting Carbs

Keeping track of how many carbs you eat and setting a limit for each meal can help keep your blood sugar levels in your target range. Work with your doctor or dietitian to find out how many carbs you can eat each day and at each meal, and then refer to this list of common foods that contain carbs and serving sizes. For more information about counting carbs, see Diabetes and Carbs.

Another way to manage the carbs you eat is using the glycemic index (GI). The GI ranks carbs in food from 0 to 100 according to how much they affect blood sugar. Low GI foods are more slowly digested and absorbed by your body, so you stay full longer. They don’t have a big impact on your blood sugar. High GI foods are digested and absorbed more quickly. They have a bigger impact on your blood sugar, and you’ll get hungry sooner. Some examples:

• High GI: Bread (white and wheat), mashed potatoes, watermelon, fruit juice
• Low GI: Beans, brown rice, tomatoes, yogurt, apples, milk

The Plate Method

It’s easy to eat more food than you need without realizing it. The plate method is a simple, visual way to make sure you get enough non-starchy vegetables and lean protein, and limit the amount of higher-carb food that has the greatest potential to spike your blood sugar.

Start with a 9-inch dinner plate:

• Fill half with non-starchy vegetables, such as salad, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and carrots.
• Fill one quarter with a lean protein, such as chicken, turkey, beans, tofu, or eggs.
• Fill a quarter with a grain or starchy food, such as potatoes, rice, or pasta (or skip the starch altogether and double up on non-starchy veggies).

Portion Size

Portion size and serving size aren’t always the same. A portion is the amount of food you choose to eat at one time, while a serving is a specific amount of food, such as one slice of bread or 8 ounces (1 cup) of milk.

These days, portions at restaurants are quite a bit larger than they were several years ago. One entrée can equal 3 or 4 servings! Studies show that people tend to eat more when they’re served more food, so getting portions under control is really important for managing weight and blood sugar.

If you’re eating out, have half of your meal wrapped up to go so you can enjoy it at a later time. At home, measure out snacks; don’t eat straight from the bag or box. At dinnertime, dish out one serving of each dish per plate. Reduce the temptation to go back for seconds by keeping the serving bowls out of reach. And with this “handy” guide, you’ll always have a way to estimate portion size at your fingertips:

1. 3 ounces of meat, fish, or poultry
   Palm of hand (no fingers)
2. 1 ounce of meat or cheese
   Thumb (tip to base)
3. 1 cup or 1 medium fruit
   Fist
4. 1–2 ounces of nuts or pretzels
   Cupped hand
5. 1 tablespoon
   Thumb tip (tip to 1 joint)
6. 1 teaspoon
   Fingertip (tip to 1 joint)

Get Help

Planning meals that fit your health needs, tastes, budget, and schedule can be complicated. Work with your doctor, diabetes educator, or dietitian to create a healthy meal plan just for you.

Healthy eating starts at the grocery store. But successful shopping isn’t always as simple as it seems. Your goal? To get the best deals on the healthiest, tastiest food. Use a shopping list to help you stay focused on buying foods that fit your meal plan and budget.

Tips to set you up for success:

• Plan a week’s worth of meals before you go grocery shopping.
• Check what you already have on hand so you don’t buy what you don’t need.
• Make a shopping list based on your weekly meal plan. Organize your list by store section for quick and easy shopping.
• You know this one: don’t shop hungry so you’re not tempted to buy foods that aren’t on your shopping list.
• Shop the outside aisles for fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy or dairy alternatives, meat, fish, poultry, and eggs.
• Shop the inside aisles for healthy options such as beans, lentils, flavored vinegars, spices, tuna fish, olive oil, and frozen fruit and vegetables (without sauce).
• Be wary of food claims like “lower in fat” or “reduced sugar”; it may still not be a healthy choice. Read the Nutrition Facts label to understand what the food contains.

Understanding the Nutrition Facts label on food items can help you make healthier choices. The label breaks down the amount of calories, carbs, fat, fiber, protein, and vitamins per serving of the food, making it easier to compare the nutrition of similar products. Be sure to look at different brands of the same foods—nutrition information can differ a lot. For example, one brand of tomato sauce may have more calories and sugar than another brand for the same serving size.

In general, eat more foods that are higher in vitamins, minerals (such as calcium and iron), and fiber. Eat fewer foods that are higher in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium (salt), and avoid trans fat. Keep in mind that the % Daily Value of each nutrient, such as total fat of 10% in the example below, is based on eating 2,000 calories a day. You may eat fewer or more calories a day depending on your age, gender, activity level, current weight, and whether you’re trying to lose or maintain your weight.

1. Check the Serving size first. All the numbers on this label are for a 2/3-cup serving.
2. This package has 8 servings. If you eat the whole thing, you are eating 8 times the amount of calories, carbs, fat, etc., shown on the label.
3. Total Carbohydrate shows you types of carbs in the food, including sugar and fiber.
4. Choose foods with more fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
5. Choose foods with lower calories, saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. Avoid trans fat.

Planning what to eat and when to eat is very important—especially if you have diabetes. Counting carbohydrates, or carbs—adding up all the carbs in everything you eat and drink—can help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels.

What are carbs?

Along with proteins and fats, carbs are one of three main nutrients found in foods and drinks. The carbs you eat have a direct effect on your blood sugar.

How many carbs should I eat?

There’s no “one size fits all” answer—everyone is different because everyone’s body is different. On average, people with diabetes should get about 45% of their calories from carbs. A carb serving is measured as 15 grams per serving. That means most women need 3 to 4 carb servings (45–60 grams) per meal, while most men need about 4 to 5 carb servings (60–75 grams). However, these amounts depend on your age, weight, activity level, and diabetes medications. Make sure to work with a dietitian to set your own carb goal. If you use insulin, ask about options to match your insulin dose to the amount of food you eat at meals and snacks.

Why should I count carbs?

Carb counting can help keep your blood sugar levels close to your target range, which can help you:

• Stay healthy longer.
• Feel better and improve your quality of life.
• Prevent or delay diabetes complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, nerve damage, and lower-limb amputation (surgery to remove a body part).

It may be helpful to count carbs in the foods you eat most often to help you understand how it works.

What foods have carbs?

Common foods with carbs:

• Grains, such as bread, noodles, pasta, crackers, cereals, and rice.
• Fruits, such as apples, bananas, berries, mangoes, melons, and oranges.
• Dairy products, such as milk and yogurt.
• Legumes, including dried beans, lentils, and peas.
• Snack foods and sweets, such as cakes, cookies, candy, and other desserts.
• Juices, soft drinks, fruit drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks that contain sugar.
• Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, corn, and peas.

Non-starchy vegetables, such as asparagus, broccoli, carrots, celery, green beans, lettuce, and other salad greens, mushrooms, radishes, spinach, tomatoes, and zucchini, have fewer carbs than starchy vegetables.

Try to limit foods that have added sugars, like sweets and fruit drinks, or are made with refined carbs, such as white bread, white rice, and most pasta. Instead, choose carbs such as fruit, vegetables, whole grain bread, brown rice, and beans.

Foods with about 15 grams of carbs:

• A small piece of fruit.
• 1 slice of bread.
• 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal.
• 1/3 cup cooked pasta or rice.
• 4 to 6 crackers.
• 1/2 cup black beans or other starchy vegetable.
• 1/4 large baked potato.
• 2/3 cup nonfat yogurt.

Foods with few or no carbs:

• Meat, fish, and poultry.
• Some types of cheese (check nutrition labels on packaged cheese).
• Nuts.
• Oils and other fats.

For a more inclusive carb list, see the American Diabetes Association’s Carbohydrate Choice List.

For foods that have a nutrition label, add up the grams of carbs per serving.

This nutrition label tells you:

• Serving size—1½ cups.
• Servings in the container—2.
• Total carb grams per serving—46.
• Other nutrition information, including calories, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals per serving.

If you eat the entire container, you’ve had two servings instead of one. Multiply carb grams in one serving by two to get the correct amount of carbs you have eaten: 46g x 2 = 92g.

For foods that don’t have a nutrition label like fruits and vegetables, use an app, website, or book to estimate the amount of carbs.

Remember to count carbs in beverages. Fruit juices and alcoholic beverages, such as beer and sweet mixed drinks, add lots of carbs.

Sugars can be added during processing or preparation. Drinks with added sugars include:

• Sugar-sweetened soft drinks, fruit drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks.
• Any drink sweetened with:
  • Sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar, or invert sugar.
  • Corn syrup or malt syrup.
  • High-fructose corn syrup, often used in soft drinks and juices.
  • Honey, molasses, or agave nectar.
  • Anything ending in “ose”: dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, or sucrose.

You can eat foods with added sugars, but be sure to ask a dietitian or diabetes educator what they recommend for you. Foods and drinks with added sugars are often high in calories and low in the vitamins, minerals, and fiber your body needs.

You can use the American Dietetic Association food exchange lists to check out serving sizes for each group of foods and to see what other food choices are available for each group of foods.

Vegetables

Vegetables contain 25 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrate. One serving equals:

If you’re hungry, eat more fresh or steamed vegetables.

Fat-Free and Very Low-Fat Milk

Fat-Free and Very Low-Fat Milk contain 90 calories per serving. One serving equals:

Very Lean Protein

Very Lean Protein choices have 35 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving. One serving equals:

Fruits

Fruits contain 15 grams of carbohydrate and 60 calories. One serving equals:

Lean Protein

Lean Protein choices have 55 calories and 2–3 grams of fat per serving. One serving equals:

* Limit to 1–2 times per week

Medium-Fat Proteins

Medium-Fat Proteins have 75 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving. One serving equals:

** Choose these very infrequently

Starches

Starches contain 15 grams of carbohydrate and 80 calories per serving. One serving equals:

Fats

Fats contain 45 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving. One serving equals:

Source: Based on American Dietetic Association Exchange Lists

Meal prepping, or preparing your meals ahead of time, can help you better manage your diabetes. Read more for tips on how to get started.

A healthy and balanced diet is a key part of diabetes management, and meal prep can help—especially during times of uncertainty when your schedule may be disrupted. Feeling overwhelmed or anxious can lead to shortcuts in the kitchen, and you may end up eating unhealthy foods. Frozen pizza or fast food may be easy choices, but not the best choices for your health.

When you plan your meals and make them in advance, you’ll be less tempted to eat foods that aren’t diabetes-friendly. This can give you some control over your diabetes management even at times when other things can feel out of control.

How to Get Started

Meal planning can be broken down into 5 simple steps.

Step 1: Talk with your family about foods they like. Think about how they can be a part of well-balanced meals that help you avoid high and low blood sugar levels.

Step 2: Shop at home. Before you head to the store or order your groceries for delivery, look at what you have at home. Do you need to use up produce before it spoils? Make a list of the foods you have on hand to help you choose recipes. Low on staples such as beans, oil, or pasta? Add them to your grocery list.

Step 3: Find recipes that match your family’s tastes and your health goals. Start by looking at recipes you know your family loves. Are there ways to make them healthier? If you want to add new meals, save recipes from newspapers, magazines, or food blogs.

Step 4: Using what you learned in steps 1–3, fill out a diabetes meal planner [PDF – 30KB] to track what you plan to make and when. Consider:

• Making meals during a time of day or day of the week when you are less rushed.
• Choosing one day to make meals in advance.
• Using a theme for each day of the week. Your family may enjoy the routine, and it can be fun! Meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, or Whole-Grain Wednesdays are just a few ideas.

Interactive tools can help you with healthy meal planning.

Step 5: Make your grocery list. Whether you use a pen and paper or an app, know what you need—and what you don’t—before you shop.

Tips for the Kitchen

When you’re ready to start cooking, here are some tips to make meal prep as easy and efficient as possible:

• Start with foods that will take the longest to cook, such as proteins like chicken, whole grains like brown rice, dried beans, and roasted vegetables.
• While foods are baking or simmering on the stovetop, wash and chop vegetables or prepare other foods that don’t need to be cooked.
• Make extra portions of your recipe for leftovers. You can eat leftovers later in the week or use them to make a new meal. For example, try shredding leftover baked chicken and adding it to a stew, salad, or sandwich.
• Make quick snacks for the week, such as hard-boiled eggs, fresh cut fruit, or small salads. If you make a green salad that uses dressing, don’t add the dressing until right before you eat it.
• Put servings of the prepared meal in individual containers. This helps with portions, and they’re ready to grab if you pack your lunch.

Storing Your Meals

Put your finished meals in the fridge or freezer and pull them out during the week. Here are some tips on how to keep foods fresh:

• Cooked foods should be eaten with 7 days. Some foods should be eaten sooner. See the Food Storage Chart.
• Keep fresh foods, such as produce, toward the front of your fridge and at eye level so you don’t forget about them.
• Label containers with the date you prepared the food. You’ll know what to eat first and when they need to be eaten by.
• If you freeze meals, store them in airtight containers.

Additional Tips

Once you’ve done meal planning for a few months, you’ll discover which meals your family likes and which ones are easiest to make ahead of time. Look for sales and coupons to stock up on your “go-to” ingredients that have a long shelf life – beans, pasta, rice, whole grains, and healthy oils, such as canola and olive oil.

Be sure to rotate recipes so you’re not always making the same thing. And continue to look for new healthy recipes to add to your collection.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Meal planning and prepping when you have diabetes can be tricky, but the payoff can be great. Talk with your doctor, diabetes educator, or a dietician for help.

If you’re interested in preventing type 2 diabetes, this guide can help you get started. Congratulations on taking the first step! By reading this, you’re already on your way.

Prediabetes puts you on the road to possibly getting type 2 diabetes. If your results shows you’re at high risk for type 2 diabetes, talk to your doctor about getting a simple blood sugar test to confirm it. Then, if you’re diagnosed with prediabetes, consider joining a lifestyle change program offered by the National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP). This program is proven to cut the risk for type 2 diabetes in half.

Not quite ready to join a lifestyle change program? Or want a jumpstart before your program begins? Use this guide to help you take the first steps toward preventing type 2 diabetes.

Why is prevention so important? Because type 2 diabetes is a serious, chronic health condition that can lead to other serious health issues such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, and kidney failure. If you can prevent or even delay getting type 2 diabetes, you can lower your risk for all those other conditions.

This guide will help you take small, practical steps that add up to a healthy lifestyle you can stick with and enjoy, including:

• Starting point: Assess where you stand with eating and your activity level right now.
• First stop: Make a nutrition plan for healthier eating.
• Keep moving: Set a fitness goal for healthier movement.
• Track your progress: Watch yourself succeed with a few easy steps.
• Prepare for the long run: Understand the support you have to keep you going.

By making some healthy changes, including eating healthier and getting active, you can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and improve your physical and mental health overall.

And you don’t have to wait to feel the benefits—when you start making healthy changes, you get rewards right away. After taking just one walk, your blood sugar goes down. Make physical activity a habit and see how your sleep improves. Enjoy the taste of fresh, healthy food. Figure out what to do with all of your extra energy. Maybe even get closer to friends and family if you invite them along for the ride!

Starting Point: Assess Where You Are and Where You Need to Go

Let’s assess where you stand right now when it comes to nutrition and physical activity. Write down your answers to these questions to make it easier for you to figure out which of your habits are helpful and which habits you might want to work on.

Think About How You …

Eat in a Typical Week

• Do other people, such as friends, family, or coworkers, influence what you eat?
• Do you prepare your meals ahead of time, or decide in the moment what to eat?
• How comfortable are you with reading a nutrition label?
• How often do you eat out and where?
• What makes it easier for you to eat healthier? What makes it harder?

Move in a Typical Week

• How much of your commute is spent walking or biking?
• How much time do you make for physical activity around the house, such as walking the dog, cleaning the house, or gardening?
• How often do you dedicate 30 minutes per day for physical activity, such as walking, biking, or swimming?
• What are your favorite ways to be active?
• What makes it easier or more enjoyable for you to move more? What makes it harder?

Set a Weight Loss Goal

With your starting point in mind, set a weight loss goal. If you are overweight and have prediabetes, shedding just 5% of your weight can help reverse prediabetes.

Here’s an example to help calculate a weight loss goal of 5%.

Now that you’ve assessed your habits and preferences around eating and being active and have set a healthy weight loss goal, you’re better prepared to hit the road on your way to wellness.

First Stop: Make a Nutrition Plan for Healthier Eating

Winning Habits: Make over your meals with a plan, the right ingredients, and life hacks.

Make a plan.

You’ve probably noticed that someone who follows a popular diet plan might quickly lose weight, but has a hard time keeping it off long term. This is common and discouraging, so let’s design a plan that you can follow for life. It doesn’t need to be popular or have a name.

Your plan only needs two key ingredients to work:

1. It should be based on healthy eating.
2. It should be something you can keep doing.

People often need to try different things to create a plan that works for them. Some may cut back on sugar and eat more protein to stay fuller longer. Others may focus on crowding out unhealthy food with extra fruits and vegetables. Still others take the guesswork and temptation out of life by sticking to just a few breakfast and lunch choices that they know are nutritious. The details will depend on what you like and what fits in best with your life.

Eat well. Good food in the right amounts does so much more for you than just helping you lose the pounds; it helps you feel better and even think better. All good things! Read more in our Eat Well section.

Some basics to get started:

Choose these foods and drinks more often:

• Non-starchy vegetables such as peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, and spinach
• Fruits
• Lean protein such as fish, chicken, turkey, tofu, eggs, and yogurt
• Whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, and steel-cut oatmeal
• Water and unsweetened beverages

Choose these foods and drinks less often:

• Processed foods such as packaged snacks, packaged meat, chips, granola bars, sweets, and fast foods
• Trans fat, found in things such as margarine, snack food, packaged baked goods, and many fried foods
• Sugary drinks such as fruit juice, sports drinks, and soda
• Alcohol

Master Portion Sizes

Size it up: get a handle on portion size. Most of us don’t know just how much we’re eating. One way to help manage portion size is by using the plate method. If you’re not using a plate, this “handy” guide will help you estimate portion size

Choose the Best Foods: Decoding Food Labels, Eating a Healthy Variety, and Quality Calories

Use the Nutrition Facts label to make healthier choices.

Put foods that don’t have labels first on your grocery list. Visit the produce section to stock up on fresh veggies and fruit. (Just watch out for packaged food tucked away between the apples and asparagus, such as salad toppings and snack foods.) Then, shop the outside aisles of the store for dairy, eggs, and lean meat. Some packaged food will be on your list. Use the Nutrition Facts label to see how many calories and grams of carbs, sugars, and fat are in the food you choose.

Eat a variety of healthy foods. Eat all kinds of different foods from the major food groups: veggies, fruits, grains, dairy or dairy alternatives such as low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, and other products made from soy, almonds, and cashews, and lean protein. Eating a variety of foods helps to make sure you get the vitamins and minerals you need. You don’t need to eat all food groups at each meal.

Count what counts.

Don’t get too hung up on calories, but definitely count them in. Cutting calories from your meals and adding physical activity to your routine can help you lose weight. But don’t cut back too far. If you get too hungry, you won’t stay on your plan. And remember, if you’re more active, you’re burning more calories.

The National Institutes of Health offers an interactive Body Weight Planner that can help you determine the number of calories you should eat each day to get you to your goal weight and to maintain it.

Make Work, Home, Grocery Stores, and Restaurants Work for You

• Take the work out of eating at work.
  Bring a healthy lunch from home instead of eating out. Keep fruit and vegetables in the fridge at work for snacks. Package high-power snacks like nuts in small containers so you don’t eat too much.
• Make home your healthy place.
  Cook while you’re doing another enjoyable activity, such as listening to music or catching up on your favorite show. Keep a few healthy snacks on hand in case food cravings hit.
• Create a grocery store game plan.
  Shop on a full stomach so you’re not tempted to buy unhealthy food.
• Restaurants: Order with ease.
  Decide what you’re going to order before you go to a restaurant so you’re not tempted by the look and smell of less healthy choices.

Keep Moving: Set a Fitness Goal for Healthier Movement

Get active. Our bodies are made to move, and we feel better when we do. That said, getting started can be a challenge. One thing is for sure—you won’t stick with something that you don’t like doing, and you shouldn’t have to.

There are lots of ways to get moving; for example, walking is a great physical activity, and just about anyone can do it. Just be sure to check with your doctor about which activities are best for you and if there are any you should avoid.

So, set a goal that works for you! And gradually work up to being active at a moderate intensity at least 150 minutes per week. One way to do this is to aim for 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Moderate-intensity activities are those that make you breathe harder and make your heart beat faster, such as a brisk walk. Below is an example goal chart.

Make a Plan! Put it on the calendar and choose the same time or location for your daily activity. The more regular you are being physically active, the quicker it becomes a habit.

Find some healthy tips for being active.

Track Your Progress: Watch Yourself Succeed With a Few Easy Steps

The best way to stick with your goals and keep building on them is to measure them! Research shows that people who keep track of their food, activity, and weight reach their goals more often than people who don’t.

There are lots of free tracking apps for your phone or tablet. Good old-fashioned pen and paper work too. Some people swear by taking photos of everything they eat and drink to keep them accountable.

Prepare for the Long Run: Get Support and Look Ahead

Get support.

Share your healthy goals and why they’re important with your friends and family. Having their support and encouragement can help you stay on track.

Consider these few examples of support:

• Ask if a friend would like to walk with you after dinner.
• Invite your kids to cook a healthy meal with you, or make a date night out of cooking with a partner.
• Talk to friends about struggles you’re having and ask if they have advice.
• Share your successes with people you can trust to encourage you.

Who knows, you could even be helping someone you care about prevent type 2 diabetes along with you.

Go online.

There are lots of free online resources that can boost your motivation and confidence too. A quick Internet search will show you no-cost communities with people who share your goals and challenges, and who could learn from your experience (and you from theirs). If you share your health goals with others, you’ll be more likely to stick to them.

Remember, your doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner can help you meet your goals.

If you retake the risk test and find that you’re at a higher risk, or just feel like you’re struggling and not seeing the results you want, consider asking for your health care provider’s advice and direction. They could also refer you to specialists, such as a registered dietitian or mental health counselor, who can help you deal with a specific challenge. If you have prediabetes, ask your doctor if joining the National DPP might be a helpful step for you.

Look ahead.

We hope this guide has helped you get started down the road to not only preventing type 2 diabetes, but also having more energy, better checkups, and better mental health.

Making lifestyle changes can take time, but if you add in small steps towards your goals every week, you can start to make living healthy a habit.

If you have diabetes, you probably know more than most about the foods you eat and how they affect your diabetes management. While there’s no such thing as a “diabetes diet,” some people have found certain eating plans to be helpful in managing diabetes.

Healthy eating is key to managing your blood sugar. But what does it mean to eat healthy? The truth is, healthy eating looks no different for you than it does for anyone else. It includes eating foods that are lower in added sugars and saturated fat. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to eating healthy, several eating plans can help manage your diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association released a report reviewing several eating plans that have been shown to help people with diabetes. One of the most researched has been Mediterranean-style eating. Studies report benefits such as improved A1C levels, cholesterol, and heart health.

What Is Mediterranean-Style Eating?

Mediterranean-style eating is the traditional eating habits and lifestyle in countries along the Mediterranean Sea. More than 20 countries border the Mediterranean. Because each country differs in culture, religion, economy, and agricultural production, there’s not one specific Mediterranean way to eat. But Mediterranean eating has many common factors. These include:

• Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts.
• Using extra virgin olive oil instead of butter or other oils.
• Limiting dairy products and red meat.
• Limiting sweets, added sugars, sodium (salt), and highly processed foods.

How Can This Way of Eating Help You Manage Diabetes?

When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make or use insulin well and can’t keep your blood sugar at normal levels (known as insulin resistance). This causes spikes in your blood sugar and over time can lead to serious complications. Because Mediterranean-style eating is rich in plant-based foods and limits processed ones, it can help reduce insulin resistance. This leads to better blood sugar management and lower A1C levels. Mediterranean-style eating can also help:

• Improve heart health. Saturated fats and sodium are bad for your heart. They can increase cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Since heart disease is one of the most common complications of diabetes, you’ll want to limit these food with high amounts of saturated fat or sodium in your diet. Following Mediterranean-style eating can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
• With weight loss, if you’re overweight. Mediterranean-style eating emphasizes foods that are full of fiber. Fiber helps with blood sugar and weight management. The Mediterranean lifestyle also encourages being physically active. Being active helps control blood sugar levels and lowers your risk of heart disease and nerve damage.
• Reduce inflammation. High blood sugar from diabetes can cause inflammation. Foods such as leafy green vegetables, fruits, olive oil, and fatty fish can help reduce inflammation and strengthen your immune system.

Choosing What’s Right for You

When choosing or creating a diabetes meal plan, it’s important to consider how different foods will affect your blood sugar and weight loss goals (if needed). Because Mediterranean-style eating limits processed foods and those high in sugar, it can help. But whether you follow this style or not, people with diabetes are advised to limit or avoid processed food.

There are things you should look out for when choosing a diabetes meal plan. For example, some eating plans can be high in carbohydrates (carbs). Mediterranean-style eating includes foods like pasta, rice, and bread, all of which can cause weight gain and spikes in your blood sugar. Fortunately, there are healthier alternatives. Instead of regular pasta you can choose whole-grain or vegetable noodles. You can also eat brown rice instead of white rice. Making these simple substitutions and paying attention to portion size can help you limit the amount of carbs you eat.

There’s no one way of eating to manage diabetes, so experiment and find what works for you. Whether it’s Mediterranean-style foods or any other, the right food plan for you will depend on your health needs, lifestyle, beliefs, taste, and culture. Work with a diabetes care and education specialist to help create yours. Working together, you can find a diabetes food plan that suits you best.