Here are 3 simple steps to help you get started getting well. First things first, stop blaming yourself; it’s unlikely to get you to a better spot. And don’t panic, you don’t need to abandon your old ways all at once. But you do need to start moving in a new direction and I CAN HELP you do that.

Let’s start with food. What you eat, and how much of that food you eat, determines how high your blood sugar (glucose) goes up after the meal is digested. Usually within 2 hours your blood glucose will be at its peak and then with the help of insulin your blood glucose starts to come back down.

The starches and sugars (carbohydrates) raise your blood glucose the most so you need to eat less of these. You don’t have to avoid all carbohydrates (carbs), just eat less of them and be consistent with how much and when you eat them. The following three steps are a good starting point for making changes in your eating habits and improving your blood glucose and health.

Step 1: Take a look at what you are currently eating and drinking and find the carbs! You may be consuming more than you realize. Some carbohydrate rich foods are more desirable than others because they come packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein and healthy fats that can help you manage your diabetes and get well again.

Which carbs can stay and which ones need to go?

CHOOSE LESS – (these raise blood glucose levels quickly)
• Sugars & Sweets
• Regular sodas, sweet tea, and other sugar sweetened beverages, fruit juice (whole fruit is better than juice because it has fiber).
• Desserts, candy, cakes and cookies (caution: sugar free cakes and cookies still have a lot of refined starch which you also want to eat less of)
• Refined Starches
• White flour foods such as bread, pasta, cereals, crackers
• white rice, white potatoes

BETTER CHOICES
• Non-starchy vegetables
• Salad greens, cabbage, kale, spinach, bell peppers, broccoli, cucumbers, cauliflower, celery fennel, mushrooms, radishes, sugar snap peas, and more!
• Fiber-rich Starches
• Beans
• Barley
• Quinoa
• Farro
• Brown & Wild Rice
• Whole wheat bread, pasta or cereals
• Sweet potatoes (they’re not as sweet to your body!)

Step 2: Swap out some of the “choose less” carbs and replace with “better choices”. The more of the non-starchy vegetables you have at a meal the better. They help you feel full and don’t raise blood sugar much since they are low in carbohydrate. Go beyond salads. Add veggies to soup, grill them, or finely chop them to make a salsa. Check out my cooking tips here for more ideas for how to cook veggies you’ll absolutely love.

Step 3: Commit yourself to continued carb awareness. Even small swaps or decreases in portion sizes will help improve your blood glucose levels. If you go overboard at one meal you can do better at the next. You don’t need to be perfect to see results. Every little improvement counts!

So these 3 steps repeated day after day will help move you closer to good health and diabetes management. Of course, the best way to manage diabetes varies from person to person. Only your Doctor knows what is best for you. Registered Dietitians and Certified Diabetes Educators can work with your doctor to help you determine exactly how much carbohydrate your body can tolerate at each meal and snack.