As the rates of diabetes increase in both children and adults, it is time to discuss a very important part of being a diabetic — your diet. You diet is a vitally important to your heath. There are many resources online and in print (books,articles etc) but there are reasons to be cautious when recommendations for dieting seems extreme. Crash diets are not an option if you  are a diabetic. Here are some key points in monitoring your nutrition:

• Consume breads that are highest in fiber.
• Protein is important and make it count — reduce red meat consumption and eat more poultry, fish and white meats.
• Pass on the carrots, corn and high starch vegetables like potatoes and consume more of the green leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce, and asparagus.
• Eat seafood or more specifically oily fish (those that are high in Omega vitamins) such as salmon, blue fish and flounder. It is recommended to eat fish or seafood twice a week.
• Finally, READ THOSE LABELS! All packaged food has labels and you need to become astute in knowing what all those words mean.

If this seems overwhelming to you, enlist the resources of a nutritionist to get started — it may be covered by your insurance if you are newly diagnosed or having difficulty controlling your diabetes. Also remember to discuss diet with your MD and nurse. They can provide you with reliable resources to learn more.