Eat Right!

Eat smaller portions. Learn what a serving size is for different foods and how many servings you need in a meal.

Eat less fat. Choose fewer high-fat foods and use less fat for cooking. You especially want to limit foods that are high in saturated fats or trans fat, such as:

• Fatty cuts of meat.
• Fried Foods
• Whole milk and dairy products made from whole milk.
• Cakes, candy, cookies, crackers, and pies.
• Salad dressings.
• Lard, shortening, stick margarine, and nondairy creamers.

Talk to your health care provider and take this tip sheet [PDF-253KB] with you to find out more.

Eat more fiber by eating more whole-grain foods. Whole grains can be found in:

• Breakfast cereals made with 100% whole grains.
• Oatmeal.
• Whole grain rice.
• Whole-wheat bread, bagels, pita bread, and tortillas.

Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. Choose fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruit and 100% fruit juices most of the time. Eat plenty of veggies like these:

• Dark green veggies (e.g., broccoli, spinach, brussels sprouts).
• Orange veggies (e.g., carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash).
• Beans and peas (e.g., black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils).

Eat fewer foods that are high in sugar, such as:

• Fruit-flavored drinks.
• Sodas.
• Tea or coffee sweetened with sugar.

Use less salt in cooking and at the table. Eat fewer foods that are high in salt, such as:

• Canned and package soups.
• Canned vegetables.
• Pickles.
• Processed meats.

• Contact a registered dietitian to make a meal plan just for you.
• Visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly the American Dietetic Association Web site to find a nutrition professional that can help you develop a healthy meal plan (www.eatright.org).
• Visit the American Association of Diabetes Educators to find a diabetes educator (www.diabeteseducator.org).
• Visit the American Diabetes Association Web site for more information on carbohydrate counting and the exchange method (www.diabetes.org).

From the National Diabetes Education Program

• Tasty Recipes for People with Diabetes and Their Families [PDF-1.01MB]
  Also available in Spanish [PDF-1.36MB]

From the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse

• “What I need to know about eating and diabetes”
  Also available in Spanish

From MedlinePlus

• Diabetes and diet
  Also available in Spanish
• Interactive meal planning tutorial for people with diabetes

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• Nutrition for Everyone
• Healthy youth!
• Healthy eating tips
• Fruits and Veggies Matter

From the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• Dietary Guidelines for Americans

From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• Choose My Plate
• How to read a food label

From the Food and Nutrition Information Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• Heart health nutrition
• Nutrition for infants, children, and older kids

From MedlinePlus

• Nutrition
  Also available in Spanish
• Nutrition for children
  Also available in Spanish
• Nutrition for seniors
  Also available in Spanish

From Healthfinder^®—Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• Nutrition
  Also available in Spanish

From the Produce for Better Health Foundation

• Healthy Plate Recipes, Menus and Fruit and Veggie Research

From the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly the American Dietetic Association

• Eat Right