Managing Your Diabetes:Healthy EatingPage 1 of 3NarratorYou’ve got diabetes, so your favorite meals just went down the drain, right? Wrong! With diabetes, you DOhave to be more careful about what you eat, but nothing’s off the table, including dining at your favoriterestaurant.What you need to know is that the foods you eat affect your blood sugar (or blood glucose), so you need tokeep track of what you eat and how much.Cecilia Sauter, Diabetes Educator, University of MichiganIt’s really a matter of being more aware of the portion sizes you eat to help you manage your diabetes betterand prevent other health problems.Dan Diliberti, Diabetes PatientEventually you accept it. You just change your life and change your life style.NarratorDan Diliberti has been learning to live with diabetes for 20 years now. Reading food labels and measuringportions have become second nature to both him and his wife, Ann.Dan Diliberti, Diabetes PatientMy wife is very supportive, she’s very much into diet and nutrition. So, we’re just more aware of what we’reeating and how we’re eating.NarratorDan admits it’s not always easy, especially when it comes to traveling or going to parties.Dan Diliberti, Diabetes PatientI tend to slip sometimes on those occasions and I come back and pay the price in terms of I need to run acouple of miles on my treadmill to get the sugar levels down. And sometimes I just have to grin and bear it.I, you know, I made a mistake, I’ll do better next time. I just have to forgive myself and move on.NarratorDan is extra careful when he gets sick or if he’s under a lot of stress, because stress increases blood sugarlevels.Dan Diliberti, Diabetes PatientWhen I’m undergoing a stressful situation, I just have to watch what I’m eating more carefully because itseems like it gets converted to sugar, no matter what I eat.NarratorFor anyone with diabetes, a healthy meal plan should be balanced, with carbohydrates, fiber, protein, lots ofnon-starchy vegetables and limited amounts of heart-healthy fats. Recommended carbohydrates includewhole grain bread, oatmeal, potatoes and brown or wild rice. Fiber could come from beans, whole grains,fruits and vegetables. For protein, skinless chicken or turkey, fish, lean beef choices and eggs are goodoptions. Green, leafy vegetables and heart-healthy fats such as olive, peanut or canola oil, walnuts,almonds and flax seed should be part of your daily meal plan.Here are some other tips for balancing your diet to stay healthy: Count carbohydrates: “Carbs” are found in whole grains like breads and pasta, fruits, somevegetables, dairy products and desserts. Remember, the amount of carbohydrates that you eat willaffect your blood sugar, not the type of carbohydrate. A limited amount of sweets can be part of ahealthy meal plan, but they do have more calories and fat than other carbs.Page 2 of 3Read food labels: Look for foods with three or more grams of fiber per serving and avoid saturatedand trans fats.Measure each serving: It’s very easy to eat more food than you need without realizing it. A diabeteseducator can show you easy ways to measure your food.Develop a meal plan: Learn portion sizes and develop meal plans that work for you.Dan Diliberti, Diabetes PatientThe more I plan the meals, the better off I am. I start going off the wagon, so to speak, when I don’t havethe food that’s ready when I’m hungry and I tend to allow myself more than I should.Cecilia Sauter, Diabetes Educator, University of MichiganThe goal of eating healthy is to regulate your blood sugar level to keep you from feeling sick. Changing youreating habits can seem overwhelming. But by working with a diabetes educator you can start with simplegoals and develop a realistic plan to tackle them.NarratorHealthy Eating. One of 7 steps to a healthier you.© American Association of Diabetes Educators and The Wellness NetworkPage 3 of 3