One of the key components of diabetes management is diet. There is a great deal of opinions as to the best approach when it comes to diabetes nutrition and diets in general. Diets are seldom a one-size-fits-all program so it's a good idea to find one that works for you.

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The important thing is to follow a meal plan that suits your personal tastes and lifestyle and at the same time helps you reach your blood sugar and weight loss goals.

Good Carbs vs. Bad Carbs

It's also a good idea to stay away from or seriously reduce the "bad" carbs such as white bread, white rice, and processed foods such as cakes, cookies, potato chips, crackers, candy, and sugary soft drinks.

The G.I. Index

Because "bad" carbs are processed and refined they are used by the digestive system at a much faster pace than "good" carbs. This causes your blood sugar to spike. The faster this action occurs the higher the glycemic index or G.I. value for that food. The slower this action occurs, the lower the G.I. value.

If you were to eat an apple it would take your body a while to transfer those carbs into fuel as there are vitamins and fiber the body has to process as well. It is this type of lower G.I. value food that your body is designed to handle. If you were to eat straight table sugar or "bad" carbs this process would happen at an accelerated pace because the sugar converts immediately. These are the higher G.I. value foods and are our bodies simply were not designed to eat these types of food.

How Overeating "Bad" Carbs Can Make Us Fat

When glucose isn't needed right away it is stored in the liver and muscle cells as glycogen.

If the body has too much glucose and all its glycogen storage sites are full, it will convert thisglucose to fat. This explains why it's necessary to watch your consumption of high glycemic foods.

When you consume "bad" carbs you simply aren't giving your body the proper fuel. You wouldn't use the wrong fuel in your car so why put it in your body?

"Good" Fats vs. "Bad" Fats

Another thing that most nutrition experts agree on is avoiding most of the "bad" fats in your diet. The "bad" fats are the saturated and trans fats which increase the risk for certain diseases. The saturated fats are fats that are usually solid at room temperature.

The trans fats are the hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils found in many processed foods such as crackers, cookies, potato chips, and other processed snack foods.

The "good" fats are the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which help lower disease risk. These are often a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, found mostly in cold-water fish, nuts, seeds, and also in dark leafy greens, flax seed oils and olive oil.

What To Eat

While there is some disagreement as to the best diet for diabetics, most experts the following foods:

· Foods with a glycemic index or G.I. rating of 55 or less

· "Good" carbs such as whole grains, steel-cut or rolled oats, sweet potatoes, beans, and legumes

· Fresh fruit that has a lower G.I. rating

· Fresh vegetables

· Fish and seafood

· Low fat chicken, turkey, and pork

· Tofu and egg whites

· Low fat or non-fat milk

The Plate Trick

These foods can be the foundation of a diabetic diet for excellent diabetes nutrition. The important thing is to make sure that your meals are balanced. An easy way to do this is to draw an imaginary line down the center of your plate. One half of your plate should contain non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, zucchini, peppers, green beans, etc. Now imagine the remaining section of the plate is also divided by an imaginary line. This leaves you with two equal sections. In one section place your "good" carbs such as whole grain breads, potatoes, rice, and pasta. In the remaining section place your protein such as fish, chicken, or turkey. Add some non-fat milk and a small piece of fruit if you so desire.

There you have it; an easy way to keep your diet on track and keep yourself healthy. Use food as your ally to win the war against diabetes.

Learn more at 123 Diabetes Health, a comprehensive site full of all sorts of diabetes information.

Diabetes Nutrition and It's Importance