How To Eat To Prevent Or Treat Diabetes - ADA

Good article from the ADA about Diabetes prevention and treatment.

Whether you're trying to prevent diabetes, better manage your disease or slow complications from developing, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has developed specific guidelines to help you choose the right meal plan to get you to your goals.

For people who are at risk for diabetes, the guidelines call for a diet high in fiber and nutrient-rich foods (14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories), with whole grains making up half of all grain intake. In emphasizing the importance of weight loss, they note that medications may be useful for some individuals if combined with lifestyle changes, and that for the very obese, weight loss surgery has shown considerable health benefits. They also caution people who use meal replacements to lose weight that research finds the weight loss is only maintained as long as people stay on the meal replacement plan. Exercise is recommended independent of weight loss because studies show it helps lower blood glucose levels, increases insulin sensitivity, and improves cardiovascular risk factors regardless of whether the person loses any weight.