The Role of Healthy Eating in Diabetes Management

Featured Product: The Diabetic Living Cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens can be found in the AIHF Nutrition Center and contains over 160 great tasting recipes for you and your family to try!

By Mary Gray Hutchison, MPH, RD, LDN

Has someone in your family been diagnosed with diabetes?  Many people are devastated after receiving this news.  Following a new diet sounds overwhelming, but not when you consider that diabetics should consume a healthy, well balanced diet, just like the rest of us. 

 Healthy diets consist of a wide variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy products, and beans.  Lean meats, poultry, and fish can also be incorporated into a healthy diet.  By choosing a wide variety of unprocessed foods, you can ensure that your family is getting the necessary vitamins and minerals that they need.  People with diabetes can actually eat the same foods that the rest of your family eats and everyone can enjoy the benefits of eating a healthy diet. 

Eating a healthy diet can help a person manage their diabetes in several ways:

·         Following a healthy diet can help improve blood sugars, blood pressure,

     and cholesterol. 

·         It can also help individuals achieve or maintain a healthy weight.

·         Diabetics who follow healthy diets are often able to take less medication

     or avoid taking medication altogether! 

·         Eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of complications related to diabetes, such as nerve, kidney, vision and circulatory problems, as well as reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. 

For non-diabetic family members, following a healthy diet can help prevent the development of a number of diseases and conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and some forms of cancer.

Every person diagnosed with diabetes should receive medical nutrition therapy based on his or her own medical needs.  Diabetics have to take extra precaution to ensure that their food is balanced with any insulin or medications that they take, and with exercise, to manage their blood sugars.  This might sound complicated, but a dietitian can help to create a meal plan that works for you and for the rest of your family!

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