One of the great cornerstones of diabetes management, especially for type 2--diet.

Let's start with the basics--your body has difficulties with managing blood sugar. We eat food , which for the most part gets converted to glucose (i.e sugar). We need glucose for energy. So the issue is how do we balance the glucose that comes in so that i9t is enough to function but not so much that your body cannot handle it?

The answer is eat healthy! Simple saying--but what does it really mean? Well the subject can be quite complicated, but lets just stick to the basics.

1. Eat 3 meals a day at regular times and healthy snacks.
2. Limit your intake of sugar, regular pop, candies, deserts, honey etc. Artificial sweetners can help but they have there own issues.
3. Limit the amount of fat foods you eat (fired foods, chips and pastries).
4. Eat high fibre foods--whole grain breads, cereals, lentils, brown rice, vegetables etc.
5. If you are thirsty--stick to water.

For meal planning a simple method is the plate concept [1]. Visually divide the plate into 4 parts. Two parts should be vegetables, one part grains and starches and one part meat and alternatives (beans, lentils etc.). Accompany this by one fruit and a glass of milk and your done. Simple!!

Sure it's not rocket science or exciting--but it'll get you on the right track until you learn more. You'll hear a lot about carbohydrate counting [2], glycemic index, glycemic load and other concepts. Yes, they are all important, but don't get overwhelmed. Take it slowly. Looking for more help? See a registered dietitian near you [3].