Knowing that you have diabetes is a first step. The next step, as you’ve probably already been told by your doctor and nutritionist, is to modify your diet to control your diabetes. There are great diabetic recipes out there and you can create your own diabetic diet plan with your favorite foods if you know the basics.

First, start with the basics of giving your body what it needs. Diabetes research shows that keeping the carbohydrate content of your meals between 45 and 60 grams at each meal is effective in controlling blood sugar. Divide your meals into 5-6 smaller meals each day and divide your daily caloric intake between them. Breakfast is my biggest meal of the day, so I spend the most calories there. Each meal should be 3-4 hours apart. Whole foods that aren’t processed are best, so I recommend emphasizing them in your plan.

So what are some creative ways to plan what you want in your diet? If it’s a food you love that costs too much in terms of carbs, try substituting a food that fits better into your diabetic diet plan. Example: If you like orange juice, try one of the new lower sugar brands on the market and plan it into a meal. Another way to get creative is to prepare food in ways that are just as tasty but still fit into your plan. It may also include some specialty foods, such as shake bars and frozen foods that are commercially prepared for diabetics only.

Desserts and sweets are a food category that can be difficult to deal with at times. When possible, try to get the low-sugar or no-sugar equivalent of these so you don’t send your blood sugar skyrocketing. Russell Stover Sugar Free Candies are my lifesaver when I have a chocolate craving that just won’t go away. You can also find diabetes dessert recipes online. Splenda and Stevia are the two most commonly used artificial sweeteners right now and you can find a wide range of products using these two that will help ease your sweet tooth.

The next thing you’ll want to do is keep track of what you eat along with the readings you get from your blood glucose meter. The goal of keeping these records is to identify which foods raise your blood sugar and by how much. Foods like fruit juices and milk generally tend to spike blood sugar levels and I have learned to measure how much of these I have at a meal. If you continue to measure carbohydrates at each meal, the process of limiting problem foods will become easier and you can fine-tune the entire process. Diabetic recipes often have the carbohydrate information included with the recipe itself.

Putting together your own diabetic diet plan is easy when you know the basics. Diabetes research shows that keeping the carbohydrate content of each meal between 45 and 60 grams is effective in controlling blood sugar. When planning your own diet, you can include your favorite foods by substituting low-sugar foods, preparing foods to be more diabetic-friendly, or using commercially prepared foods just for diabetics. Stay on top of foods that affect blood sugar levels so you can limit them in your diet. Planning a diet when you are diabetic can be easy if you know the rules.