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Diet and exercise are cornerstones of successful diabetes management. A nutritious, "diabetes-friendly" diet is based on eating a variety of foods, which adds interest to your meals and helps ensure that you get the vitamins and minerals you need. "Diabetes-friendly" doesn't mean a limited choice of tasteless "health food. "We'll provide recipes and suggestions on how to make healthy and tasty meals that you'll enjoy eating. To help reach or maintain a healthy weight, try to avoid high-fat, high-sugar foods (including sweets and high-carbohydrate starches). Also, try to reduce salt in your diet — especially if you have a history of high blood pressure. Once you get used to these changes, you'll never miss the excessive salt, sugar or fat.

A poor diet and obesity are two of the main reasons that people fail to control their blood sugar. So, obviously, healthy eating is really important to your management plan. So don't give up! And try to stay positive. If you find yourself thinking, "It's too hard to figure out a meal plan that meets my diet needs," take a positive action. Ask your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist and collect some diabetes-friendly recipes and cookbooks.

You may think, "I won't enjoy eating anymore!" or "I have to give up everything I like!" — rest assured, you don't necessarily have to eliminate all the "comfort foods" from your diet. Moderation is important, and substitutions — like olive oil instead of butter, frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, are easy to get used to!

To help ensure success, don't try to overhaul your diet all at once — after all, mealtime should be an enjoyable part of your day. Also, talk to a diabetes educator or nutritionist to build a personalized meal plan that meets your weight control and diet needs, and incorporates your taste preferences. The more you know, the more flexibility you'll have in creating delicious, interesting meals every day. Stay committed. You can do it!