· Lose some weight if you are overweight. Even modest weight loss (5 to 7 percent of your starting weight) can make it easier to control your diabetes.
· Eat at least 130 grams of carbohydrates a day. Our brains need that many carbohydrates to function each day.
· Choose “good” carbohydrates: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, low fat milk and yogurt.
· Limit saturated fat to not more than 7 percent of your day’s total calories. That’s 7 grams of saturated fat (the amount in 1 tablespoon of butter) for every 1000 calories that you eat.
· Avoid trans fats like the plague. In other words, look for foods with zero trans fats as much as possible.
· Eat no more than 200 milligrams of cholesterol per day.  (That’s the amount you’ll find in one egg yolk or two large shrimp.)
· Eat two or more servings of fish per week to add important omega- three polyunsaturated fatty acids to your diet. Grilled, baked, or canned fish are fine. Commercially fried fish filets are not so fine.
· If you choose to use alcohol, drink moderately (one drink or less per day for women and two drinks or less for men).  And do not drink on an empty stomach. Insulin and some oral medications in combination with alcohol can trigger a low blood sugar reaction.

(Barbara Quinn is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator in Carmel Valley, California.)