Planning your meals

It's especially important for diabetics (die-uh-BET-icks) to limit their total calories, eat a variety of foods, and maintain a certain balance of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. After evaluating your health, lifestyle, and other factors, a doctor or dietician can make recommendations tailored to your particular needs. Sometimes, you may be provided with a specific menu. In other cases, you may be given a general list of food groups, and left to plan your own meals. While this offers more choices and flexibility, it also requires more work. You may want to consider using a cookbook or other resource designed for diabetics. Ask a doctor for suggestions on such books. When grocery shopping, it's wise to make your list in advance; once at the store, the choices can be overwhelming. Using your dietary guidelines, select items from various food groups, and start building menus. Meal planning not only involves deciding what to eat, but when, and how much. Try to keep your meals evenly spaced, and avoid going long periods without food, then overeating. For more tips on planning your meals, consult a dietician.