Your doctor has likely told you to maintain a healthy diet to ensure better diabetes management. But you’re probably thinking, what does a “healthy” diet mean for me? Well after living with diabetes 19 years, I’m here to explain my best practices. Keep in mind, I am not a doctor, but these are my recommendations for maintaining a healthy diet with diabetes:

Start by making a list of the healthy foods you already love, and then plan meals around those. I suggest that you plan meals and monitor how your blood sugar responds after consuming them. After some trial and error, I’ve found that my body performs best with a mostly vegan diet that is not necessarily low-carb. Some people say that doesn’t make sense for someone with diabetes (my doctor has told me to aim for a lower carb diet), but I have found my body doesn’t thrive off a low-carb diet. I’ve tried it in the past but ended up feeling a lack of energy. Now this isn’t the same for everyone, so plan your own meals and monitor how your body responds!

Routine? Boring, huh!? Getting into a routine helps in regulating blood glucose levels. I tend to eat 5-6 small meals per day. The number of meals you eat per day is up to you, I simply suggest each of those meals contain a protein, grain and veggie/fruit. This is what I do, and it helps me keep my blood sugar in range.

I used to have a bad habit of not properly counting my carbs. Which completely bit me in the ass, and I ended up with a higher than normal A1C! So, moving forward I made sure to properly count my carbs. I get the inconvenience of it, but it’s worth it. I’ve found some apps such as, Nutritionix to be useful.

Exercise helps to regulate blood sugar levels. I have found when I go for a walk after I eat a meal, I tend to avoid any blood sugar spikes. Keep in mind the benefits of even a quick walk. For more information on exercising with diabetes click here.

You can eat that slice of pizza or have a glass of wine, just be mindful of nutrition facts and what feels right for your body.