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Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes — Diabetes Care. Nutrition overview. American Diabetes Association. Accessed Dec. Diabetes and mental health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Insulin, medicines, and other diabetes treatments.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Insulin storage and syringe safety. Diabetes diet, eating, and physical activity. Type 2 diabetes mellitus adult. Mayo Clinic; Wexler DJ. Initial management of hyperglycemia in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes and women. Planning for sick days. Diabetes: Managing sick days. Castro MR expert opinion. Mayo Clinic. Hypoglycemia low blood glucose. Blood glucose and exercise.

Riddell MC. Exercise guidance in adults with diabetes mellitus. Colberg SR, et al. Palermi S, et al. The complex relationship between physical activity and diabetes: An overview. Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology.

Take charge of your diabetes: Your medicines. Sick day management for adults with type 1 diabetes. Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists. Alcohol and diabetes. Diabetes and nerve damage. Roe AH, et al. Combined estrogen-progestin contraception: Side effects and health concerns.

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Degree Programs. Research Faculty. International Patients. Financial Services. Community Health Needs Assessment. A dietitian can give you a more complete list of foods to use for meal planning purposes.

The exchange lists also identify foods that are good sources of fiber which can help keep blood sugar levels from getting too high and foods with a lot of sodium which should be limited. A dietitian can help you determine how many servings of each group to eat at each meal and snack table 2 and the typical carbohydrate content of each meal and snack.

Meal timing — Consistently eating at the same times every day is important for some people, especially those who take long-acting insulin or oral medications that decrease blood sugar levels sulfonylureas or meglitinides.

If a meal is skipped or delayed while on these regimens, you are at risk for developing low blood glucose. If you use "intensive" insulin therapy ie, if you give yourself multiple daily injections or use an insulin pump or take certain other types of oral diabetes medications eg, metformin , you may have more flexibility around meal timing.

With these regimens, skipping or delaying a meal will not usually increase your risk of low blood sugar. While foods that are high in fat eg, pizza are OK to eat occasionally, you will need to monitor your blood sugar levels more closely. High-fat, high-protein meals are broken down more slowly than low-fat, lower-protein meals.

When using rapid-acting insulin before a meal, your blood sugar level may become low shortly after eating a high-fat meal and then rise hours later. If you eat meals that contain more protein or fat than usual, you may need to make meal-time insulin dose adjustments to manage this delayed rise in blood sugar.

Intensive insulin therapy — If you take multiple injections of insulin per day or use an insulin pump, you can adjust your pre-meal insulin based on the number of carbohydrates you plan to eat and your pre-meal blood sugar, similar to patients with type 1 diabetes.

See "Patient education: Type 1 diabetes and diet Beyond the Basics ", section on 'Intensive insulin therapy'. There is not a single optimal diet or meal plan for people with diabetes. The best diet for you depends many different things, including your health concerns, weight-loss goals, and personal preferences.

General recommendations — To help manage the ABCs A 1C, B lood pressure, and C holesterol and promote good health, experts recommend that all people with diabetes aim to maintain a healthy weight by decreasing calorie intake and increasing physical activity and monitor their carbohydrate intake.

The following guidelines for a healthy diet are similar to the recommendations for adults without diabetes see "Patient education: Diet and health Beyond the Basics " :. People with diabetes are advised to avoid sugar-sweetened beverages including fruit juice.

The ideal amount of carbohydrate intake is uncertain. However, it's important for people with diabetes to monitor carbohydrate intake in order to manage their blood sugar levels and adjust insulin dosing as needed. See 'Carbohydrate counting' above. Eating a healthy diet that contains a lot of the foods you like will make it easier to stick to your plan.

However, you should talk to your health care provider before starting any diet that involves extreme restriction such as a very low carb or "keto" diet. Depending on your situation, some diets may not be recommended.

Saturated fats eg, in meats, cheese, ice cream can be replaced with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids eg, in fish, olive oil, nuts. Trans fatty acid consumption should be kept as low as possible. Trans fats are banned from processed foods in the United States.

Although very small amounts of trans fats are naturally present in meats, poultry and dairy products, the amount is too small for concern. As diabetes increases your risk of heart disease and stroke, eating a diet low in saturated and trans fats and cholesterol can help to reduce your cholesterol levels and decrease these risks.

In general, it's a good idea to get protein from lean meats, fish eggs, beans, soy, and nuts, and to limit the amount of red meat you eat. See "Patient education: High-fiber diet Beyond the Basics ". See "Patient education: Low-sodium diet Beyond the Basics ".

If you consume sugar-sweetened beverages regularly, a beverage containing artificial sweeteners such as diet soda can be a good short-term replacement strategy. However, the best approach is to avoid both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages, and try to drink more water.

This is no longer recommended, although it's important to limit sugar intake. If you take insulin, you should calculate each pre-meal dose based upon the total number of carbohydrates in the food, which includes the sugar content.

Read all nutrition labels carefully and compare with other similar products to determine which has the best balance of serving size and number of calories, carbohydrates, fat, and fiber. Some sugar-free foods, such as sugar-free gelatin and sugar-free gum, do not have a significant number of calories or carbohydrates and are considered "free foods.

The American Diabetes Association ADA has a website called Diabetes Food Hub www. org that many people find useful. The site has tools to help you manage your diabetes, including nutrition information and customizable recipes you can use in meal planning.

It can be challenging and sometimes overwhelming to figure out how to manage your diet in order to control your diabetes. But with time, practice, and support, most people are able to get used to it and make it a part of their daily life.

Is it safe to drink alcohol? People who take oral diabetes medications do not usually need to adjust their medication doses, as long as the alcohol is consumed in moderation and with food.

Alcohol may cause a slight rise in blood sugar, followed hours later by a decrease in the blood sugar level. As a result, it is important to monitor your blood sugar response to alcohol, especially if you use insulin.

Your provider can help you to determine if any changes in insulin doses are needed. Mixers, such as fruit juice or regular cola, can increase blood glucose levels and increase the number of calories consumed in a day.

Also, calories from alcohol have little nutritional value and may contribute to weight gain or make it harder to lose weight. Your health care provider is the best source of information for questions and concerns related to your medical problem.

This article will be updated as needed on our website www. Related topics for patients, as well as selected articles written for health care professionals, are also available. Some of the most relevant are listed below. Patient level information — UpToDate offers two types of patient education materials.

The Basics — The Basics patient education pieces answer the four or five key questions a patient might have about a given condition.

These articles are best for patients who want a general overview and who prefer short, easy-to-read materials. Patient education: Type 2 diabetes The Basics Patient education: Diabetes and diet The Basics Patient education: Diet and health The Basics Patient education: High-fiber diet The Basics Patient education: Carb counting for adults with diabetes The Basics Patient education: Treatment for type 2 diabetes The Basics Patient education: The ABCs of diabetes The Basics Patient education: Preparing for pregnancy when you have diabetes The Basics Patient education: Lowering your risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes The Basics.

Beyond the Basics — Beyond the Basics patient education pieces are longer, more sophisticated, and more detailed. These articles are best for patients who want in-depth information and are comfortable with some medical jargon. Patient education: High blood pressure, diet, and weight Beyond the Basics Patient education: High cholesterol and lipids Beyond the Basics Patient education: Type 2 diabetes: Overview Beyond the Basics Patient education: Type 2 diabetes: Insulin treatment Beyond the Basics Patient education: Glucose monitoring in diabetes Beyond the Basics Patient education: Hypoglycemia low blood glucose in people with diabetes Beyond the Basics Patient education: Exercise and medical care for people with type 2 diabetes Beyond the Basics Patient education: Preventing complications from diabetes Beyond the Basics Patient education: Losing weight Beyond the Basics Patient education: Exercise Beyond the Basics Patient education: Chronic kidney disease Beyond the Basics Patient education: High-fiber diet Beyond the Basics Patient education: Low-sodium diet Beyond the Basics.

Professional level information — Professional level articles are designed to keep doctors and other health professionals up-to-date on the latest medical findings.

These articles are thorough, long, and complex, and they contain multiple references to the research on which they are based.

Professional level articles are best for people who are comfortable with a lot of medical terminology and who want to read the same materials their doctors are reading.

Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors for treatment of diabetes mellitus Exercise guidance in adults with diabetes mellitus Measurements of chronic glycemia in diabetes mellitus Glycemic control and vascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus Initial management of hyperglycemia in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus Insulin therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus Management of persistent hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes mellitus Metformin in the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus Nutritional considerations in type 2 diabetes mellitus Overview of general medical care in nonpregnant adults with diabetes mellitus Sulfonylureas and meglitinides in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus Thiazolidinediones in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

org , available in English and Spanish. The following reference books are a good source of information regarding diabetes and diet and carbohydrate counting. Know Your Carbs. Get Smart Now.

Discover Tips. Additional Resources. Diabetes Food Hub® Explore over 1, recipes. Get Started. ADA's Consumer Guide Explore products for managing your diabetes. Find out More.