Diet plays a key role in controlling your blood sugar, so if you have diabetes, a healthy eating plan is the best way to prevent it or keep it under control.

Diabetic Diet

Having diabetes doesn't mean that you have to follow an impossibly restrictive eating plan. By learning how the body uses carbohydrates, proteins and fats, how the glycemic index categorizes foods according to carbohydrate content, and how the diabetic food exchange works, you can take charge of the condition.

For most people, this simply means following a healthy eating plan of consuming a variety of foods in moderate amounts and sticking to regular mealtimes. Choose healthy foods that are naturally rich in nutrients and low in fat, salt and calories. Your dietician can help you plan a program that meets these guidelines:

Food group	Guideline
Carbohydrates	50-60% of daily calories
Protein	15-20% of daily calories
Fats	25-30% of daily calories

Adopting good eating habits can help stabilize blood glucose, lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, control obesity as well as lower the risk of diabetic complications such as cardiovascular disease, eye disease and nephropathy.