Follow Healthy Eating Guidelines

Healthy eating can lead to healthy results- stable blood sugar, a strong heart, weight control and more. If you already have healthy eating habits, great! Keep it up! If you'll be making changes, don't worry. Developing a meal plan that's healthy and enjoyable takes time.

Follow these general guidelines.

• Eat a variety of foods
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Limit fat in your diet, especially saturated fat
• Limit cholesterol
• Eat enough starch and fiber
• Limit sugar
• Limit sodium

Talk to your health-care provider about what is a healthy weight for you. He or she may refer you to a dietitian for more advice.

Get a steady supply of food throughout the day.

Eat 3 regular meals a day (or 5 smaller ones). You may also need a healthy snack between meals and/or at bedtime. Try to eat at about the same time every day.

Be careful with alcohol.

Never drink alcohol on an empty stomach- it can lower your blood sugar level dangerously. Talk to your health-care provider about alcohol. If you take insulin or diabetes pills, you will need to be extra careful with alcohol.

Use a meal plan as a guide.

It is not a strict menu. A good meal plan will teach you how to make good decisions about:

• what food you eat
• when you eat
• how much you eat