Topic Overview

People often think that following a diet for diabetes means giving up foods they like and having to eat foods they don’t like. If you think a diet for diabetes means you can’t eat any of the foods you like, try this: Write down what foods are good for you, which are bad for you, which foods you like, and which foods you dislike. Make this list as complete as you can.

Now, examine your lists. Is your “bad for me” list very similar to your “foods I like” list? Is your “good for me” list similar to your “foods I dislike” list? If you think a diet for diabetes has only foods you don’t like, consider this:

• There are no “good” or “bad” foods. All foods can fit into a diet for diabetes.
• You don’t have to give up the foods you like. You can learn how to fit them into your balanced diet.

Cross out the foods in the “foods I dislike” list. You don’t have to eat them. If some of the foods in your “foods I like” list are high in sugar or carbohydrate, you may need to eat them in smaller amounts and less frequently to prevent high blood sugar. But you can eat any of the foods in the four lists as part of your balanced diet for diabetes.