Eating Healthy with Diabetes
As a person with diabetes, you make important decisions every day about food. What you eat has a greater impact on your blood glucose than anything else you do.
You can meet this daily challenge by meal planning. With a meal plan, you can make choices when eating at home, grocery shopping and dining out. By working with your healthcare professional and learning about nutrition and the effect of food on blood sugar, you can turn meal planning into a pleasurable experience.
Most carbohydrates turn into sugar—or blood glucose—before entering the bloodstream. Insulin then helps blood glucose move from the bloodstream into your body’s cells—primarily your muscles and fat tissues—where it is used for energy. Without insulin to unlock those cells and let glucose in, your body does not get the nourishment it needs, and excess glucose stays in the bloodstream. (Your brain, however, is unique and can absorb glucose directly from the bloodstream without needing insulin).
When you eat, you put fuel into your body. That is why your blood glucose rises after you eat and why many people with diabetes need to use insulin near mealtimes. The insulin moves the blood glucose from the bloodstream to the cells, where it can be used.
Planning what, when and how much you eat plays a key part in keeping your blood glucose levels in the range that works for you.
References:
1. American Diabetes Association. (2026). 5. Facilitating Positive Health Behaviors and Well-being to Improve Health Outcomes: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. Diabetes Care, 49(Suppl. 1). Available at: https://diabetesjournals.org/care/issue (Accessed: June 30, 2026).
2. Hall, J. E., & Hall, M. E. (2020). Insulin, Glucagon, and Diabetes Mellitus. Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology (14th ed., pp. 983-996). Elsevier. Available at: https://www.elsevier.com/books/guyton-and-hall-textbook-of-medical-phys… (Accessed: June 30, 2026).
3. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). (2023). Carbohydrates and Blood Glucose. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/diet-eat… (Accessed: June 30, 2026).
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