The relation that diabetes has with food has been proved to be very important. Also equally important is exercising if one is trying to prevent or control diabetes. There is no need to live in deprivation. It is important that diabetics maintain a healthy lifestyle, and it is not difficult to formulate a diabetes diet keeping this ‘healthy’ aspect in mind. Meals that require less time to be prepared and with less botheration should also meet the nutritional requirements of diabetics. A lot of research is currently being made on diabetes diets. Diets with the correct mix of sodium,cholesterol, fibers, fat and carbohydrates is what is advised and while taking a snack, one should be careful not to add calories. Apart from products like Stevia, extracted from stevia plant most other sugar free products contain some amount of carbohydrates that will raise the blood sugar levels. Stevia is a sugar free sweetener that is an ideal sugar substitute. It is a fact that being overweight increases the risk of developing diabetes more than tenfold. Thus eating out is a big no if you are a diabetic or if you are trying to avoid weight gain.

 A new system of measuring glycemic index of foods has been developed by researchers and their research shows healthy carbohydrates are those that have a low glycemic index. Now the market is flooded with diabetic friendly breads, salads, beverages, desserts, poultry and seafood and knowledge about their utility will go a long way in countering this latest malice. Certain homemade recipes are also available, recipes that have been handed over from generations. It is important to make healthy lifestyle changes and the most important thing to remember is to maintain the ideal weight. One doesn’t need to lose all the extra weight to reap the benefits, rather it has been proved that losing only about 5% to 10% of the extra body weight causes the blood sugar level, cholesterol and blood pressure levels to drop considerably. 

Highly refined carbohydrates like white bread, rice, candy and soda should be restricted and high fiber complex carbohydrates or slow release carbohydrates should be taken. Apart from the sugar free recipes , the principles of eating for the health conscious and diabetics may be summarized as below: 

• Non-starchy vegetables, beans, and fruits should be taken in plenty. 

• Least processed grains should be taken. 

• White potatoes, concentrated sweets and refined grain products should be limited.

• Healthy type of proteins and fats should be taken at most meals. 

• Each day, three meals and one or two snacks should be taken. Breakfast should not be skipped.

• One should eat slowly and stop when full.