MedlinePlus: Diabetic Diet

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Photograph of healthy foods arranged in a pyramid

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National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Diabetic Diet is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Diabetic Diet

If you have diabetes, your body cannot make or properly use insulin. This leads to high blood glucose, or sugar, levels in your blood. Healthy eating helps to reduce your blood sugar. It is a critical part of managing your diabetes, because controlling your blood sugar can prevent the complications of diabetes.

Wise food choices are a foundation of diabetes treatment. Diabetes experts suggest meal plans that are flexible and take your lifestyle and other health needs into account. A registered dietitian can help you design a meal plan.

Healthy diabetic eating includes

Limiting sweets
Eating often
Being careful about when and how many carbohydrates you eat
Eating lots of whole-grain foods, fruits and vegetables
Eating less fat
Limiting your use of alcohol

Start Here

Diabetes - Meal Planning(Patient Education Institute)
Also available in Spanish
Tasty Recipes for People with Diabetes and Their Families(National Diabetes Education Program) - Large PDF file
Also available in Spanish
What I Need to Know about Eating and Diabetes(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Also available in Spanish

Basics	Learn More	Multimedia & Cool Tools
Overviews Latest News	Coping Related Issues	Tutorials
Research	Reference Shelf	For You
Clinical Trials Research Journal Articles	Dictionaries/Glossaries Directories Organizations Newsletters/Print Publications	Children Teenagers

Overviews
- Diabetes Diet: Create Your Healthy-Eating Plan(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Managing Your Diabetes: Nutrition Information(Joslin Diabetes Center)
Latest News
- Diabetics Can Choose Their Energy-Restricted Diets(02/17/2009, Reuters Health)
Coping
- Diabetes Diet: Need Some Motivation?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Related Issues
- Alcohol(American Diabetes Association)
- Artificial Sweeteners: A Safe Alternative to Sugar(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Buffet Table Tips for People with Diabetes(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - Links to PDF
- Carbohydrate Counting: As Easy As 1 - 2 - 3(Joslin Diabetes Center)
- Diabetes Food Pyramid: Protein(American Diabetes Association)
- Diabetes Nutrition: Eating Out When You Have Diabetes(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Diabetes Nutrition: Including Sweets in Your Meal Plan(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Facts about Fructose(American Dietetic Association) - Links to PDF
- Facts about Sucralose(American Dietetic Association) - Links to PDF
- Food Nutrient Data to Choose Your Foods: Exchange Lists for Diabetes(American Dietetic Association)
- Glycemic Index and Diabetes(Joslin Diabetes Center)
- Holiday Meal Planning(American Diabetes Association)
- JAMA Patient Page: Weight and Diabetes(American Medical Association)
  Also available in Spanish
- Protect Your Heart: Choose Fats Wisely(American Diabetes Association)
  Also available in Spanish
- Reading Food Labels(American Diabetes Association)
- Vegetarian Diet: Can It Help Me Control My Diabetes?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Tutorials
- Diabetes - Meal Planning(Patient Education Institute)
  Also available in Spanish
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Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Diabetic Diet(National Institutes of Health)
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Research
- Nutrition(American Diabetes Association)
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- Diabetes Dictionary(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
  Also available in Spanish
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Directories
- Find a Diabetes Educator(American Association of Diabetes Educators)
- Find a Nutrition Professional(American Dietetic Association)
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Organizations
- American Diabetes Association
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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Newsletters/Print Publications
- Good Nutrition Reading List for Diabetes(American Dietetic Association)
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Children
- About Recipes for Kids with Diabetes(Nemours Foundation)
- Carbohydrates and Diabetes(Nemours Foundation)
  Also available in Spanish
- Eating Out When Your Child Has Diabetes(Nemours Foundation)
  Also available in Spanish
- Meal Plans and Diabetes(Nemours Foundation)
  Also available in Spanish
- Meal Plans: What Kids with Diabetes Need to Know(Nemours Foundation)
- Portion Control(American Diabetes Association)
- Weight and Diabetes(Nemours Foundation)
  Also available in Spanish
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Teenagers
- Carbohydrates and Diabetes(Nemours Foundation)
- Eating Out When You Have Diabetes(Nemours Foundation)
- Meal Plans and Diabetes(Nemours Foundation)
- Tips for Teens with Diabetes: Make Healthy Food Choices(National Diabetes Education Program)
- Weight and Diabetes(Nemours Foundation)
  Also available in Spanish
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