How do you know what foods to eat? Maybe you like rice or pasta or grits or other starchy foods that need insulin to process these foods.

How much of the starchy or carbohydrate (CHO) foods can I eat? Well that depends on if you need to lose weight, gain weight or maintain your weight.

I think the most prudent way of eating the foods you love and at the same time not putting too much strain on the pancreas to spit out insulin, is to eat in moderation.

What I mean by moderation is using the Visual Plate Method. Believe it or not, this is one way of controlling your food intake, as well as how much carbohydrate or starchy foods you include with your meal.

So what does the Visual Plate Method mean. All it means is look at your plate with your food in it. If all you see is rice, or grits or sweet food as the majority of your plate, then you are way off base. You should include a green leafy vegetable or salad, Protein food (eggs , meat, fish, cheese) and a small portion of starchy vegetables or rice, pasta or whatever other carbohydrate.

Since I work as a visiting nurse, I try to explain to the patients that you don't have to go to extremes. It doesn't matter what culture and foods that you like. It matters that you need to portion control your starchy vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, peas, potatoes) and your CHO foods (rice, pasta, and other starchy foods) with each meal.

If you decide you want peas and carrots, then eat very little rice or pasta. If you eat green leafy vegetables, then you can eat more rice or pasta.

Protein foods do not raise your blood sugar, so you can add more fish, eggs, meat, etc with your meals. As long as your cholesterol isn't too high (eggs and meats) and you are not a Kidney patient, there should be no reason why you can't eat more protein foods. Protein foods that contain their own natural fat actually help curb your appetite. It is the CHO that stimulate your appetite.

If you are a teenager, then following a diet is much harder. If you eat potato chips, then no starch with your meal. I'm not saying to eat potato chips but realistically teenagers eat a little more junk foods than normal. Let's not make our teenagers neurotic about eating exactly the foods that parents may insist on. If they don't eat it in front of you, they will do it behind your back.

Whenever you eat a meal or snack, it should always include a small amount of protein that has its own natural fat. The protein food with its own natural fat tends to hold onto the food longer so that your blood sugar doesn't spike and then drop immediately. That can happen if you have a piece of fruit and no protein food with it. Also, eating just a piece of fruit can make you hungrier. That's where the protein food helps to curb the appetite.

I also tell my patients not to drink any juice unless your blood sugar is low. It is better to eat the fruit than drink the juice.

Also recommended is if you like soda, then drink diet soda sweetened with Splenda. There is too much controversy with Nutrasweet or Aspartame. If you ever read the instruction for Nutrasweet, you cannot cook with it as it changes into a substance when heated that is not good for the body. Check online about the hazards of Aspartame or Nutrasweel and you make your own judgment. You will notice that Pepsi, Coke, 7Up are now going with Splenda. Thank You So Much!!!!!

As always, you need to consult with your doctor. A diabetes educator and dietician can do wonders for your diet.