A doctor will usually prescribe diet as part of diabetes treatment. A dietitian or nutritionist can recommend a diet that is healthy, but also interesting and easy to follow. No one has to be limited to a preprinted, standard diet. The guidelines for diabetes diet planning include the following:

Many experts recommend that 50 percent to 60 percent of daily calories come from carbohydrates, 12 percent to 20 percent from protein, and no more than 30 percent from fat.

Spacing meals throughout the day, instead of eating heavy meals once or twice a day, can help a person avoid extremely high or low blood glucose levels.

With few exceptions, the best way to lose weight is gradually, namely one or two pounds a week. Strict diets must never be undertaken without the supervision of a doctor.

People with diabetes have twice the risk of developing heart disease as those without diabetes, and high blood cholesterol levels raise the risk of heart disease. Losing weight and reducing intake of saturated fats and cholesterol, in favor of unsaturated and monounsaturated fats, can help lower blood cholesterol.