Putting it all together!

 Eat meals and snacks at about 

the same time each day. Try not 

to skip meals.

 Be as active as you can.

 Drink more water instead of juice 

or soda.

 Learn more about foods and how 

much you need to eat.

 Ask your doctor or dietitian for help.

 Take the right amount of insulin or

pills at the right times if you need

them to help manage your diabetes.

It’s not always easy to eat healthy 

foods when others seem to eat 

whatever they want. Do the best 

you can and know that it 

will make a difference 

in your life.

A joint program

of the National

Institutes of

Health and the

Centers for

Disease Control

and Prevention

WThink Balance— 

in food, 

in being active, 

in all you do!

To learn more

A registered dietitian or a diabetes 

educator can help you and your family 

make the best food choices.

To find a dietitian near you, contact the

American Dietetic Association.

1-800-366-1655 • www.eatright.org

To find a diabetes educator near you, 

contact the American Association 

of Diabetes Educators. 

1-800-832-6874 • www.diabeteseducator.org

Also check out:

American Diabetes Association

1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383)

www.diabetes.org/wizdom

CDC’s Nutrition and Physical 

Activity website for more information 

on healthy eating tips as well as the 

Kids Walk to School Program at 

www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/publicat.htm.

yk *

c

*

n

NIH Publication No. 03-5295

August 2003
These are good carb choices:

 Whole grain foods

 Low-fat or nonfat milk and cheese

 Fresh fruits and vegetables from every

color of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow,

white, green, blue, and purple. 

Choose these carbs less often:

 White bread and potato chips

 Whole milk and fruit juice

 Sweets and desserts

Protein foods help to build strong muscles

and bones. Protein foods do not make 

the blood glucose go up like some carbs do.

Protein helps you feel less hungry. 

Foods that contain protein include: 

 Meat and poultry without the extra fat or skin

 Fish, low-fat cheese, and eggs

 Dried beans or peas such as kidney, 

white, split, or blackeye 

 Soy products and nuts 

Fats are a good source of fuel for the body

and help you grow. Fat does not make blood

glucose go up but too much fat can make you

gain weight.

Choose fats that keep your heart healthy:

 Small portions of salad dressing, “lite” 

mayonnaise, and margarine in a plastic tub

 Nuts, olives, and vegetable oil

 Avocados 

Choose these high fat foods less often.

They are not healthy for your heart:

 Butter, stick margarine, and 

regular mayonnaise

 Fried foods such as potato chips 

and french fries

 Meats with fat on them, including 

bacon and lunch meats

 Cakes, cookies, pies, and other desserts 

What about sugar, sweets,

and desserts?

Everyone likes the taste of sweet foods!

Small amounts of foods that contain

sugar can be part of a healthy meal

plan. Sugary foods include soda pop, fruitflavored drinks, syrup, honey, and candy. 

Desserts such as cakes, muffins, pies,

cookies, and ice cream contain a lot of fat

as well as sugar. If you choose to eat any 

of these sweet foods, just have a small

amount at the end of a healthy meal. Have

a piece of fruit if you are still hungry.

Drink water, sugar-free soda pop,

and sugar-free fruit drinks if you are

thirsty—instead of fruit juice, regular

soda pop, sweetened fruit drinks, and

sports drinks that are all high in carbs.

How much should you eat?

Your height, weight, age, whether you 

are a boy or a girl, and how active you are

will affect how much food you need to 

eat each day to stay at a healthy weight.

Everyone is different. Talk to your doctor

or dietitian about how much to eat. 

It’s best to spread your food out over

the day and eat breakfast, lunch, and

dinner and a couple of snacks as well. 

You will have a ready supply of energy

and you won’t get too hungry.

If you take in more food than your

body burns, you will gain weight.

If you take in less food than your body

burns, you will lose weight. Being active

and eating smaller amounts of food and

fewer sweet or fatty foods can help overweight kids lose weight in a healthy way.

You will keep your heart healthy, too. 

n

m

*
These are good carb choices:

 Whole grain foods

 Low-fat or nonfat milk and cheese

 Fresh fruits and vegetables from every

color of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow,

white, green, blue, and purple. 

Choose these carbs less often:

 White bread and potato chips

 Whole milk and fruit juice

 Sweets and desserts

Protein foods help to build strong muscles

and bones. Protein foods do not make 

the blood glucose go up like some carbs do.

Protein helps you feel less hungry. 

Foods that contain protein include: 

 Meat and poultry without the extra fat or skin

 Fish, low-fat cheese, and eggs

 Dried beans or peas such as kidney, 

white, split, or blackeye 

 Soy products and nuts 

Fats are a good source of fuel for the body

and help you grow. Fat does not make blood

glucose go up but too much fat can make you

gain weight.

Choose fats that keep your heart healthy:

 Small portions of salad dressing, “lite” 

mayonnaise, and margarine in a plastic tub

 Nuts, olives, and vegetable oil

 Avocados 

Choose these high fat foods less often.

They are not healthy for your heart:

 Butter, stick margarine, and 

regular mayonnaise

 Fried foods such as potato chips 

and french fries

 Meats with fat on them, including 

bacon and lunch meats

 Cakes, cookies, pies, and other desserts 

What about sugar, sweets,

and desserts?

Everyone likes the taste of sweet foods!

Small amounts of foods that contain

sugar can be part of a healthy meal

plan. Sugary foods include soda pop, fruitflavored drinks, syrup, honey, and candy. 

Desserts such as cakes, muffins, pies,

cookies, and ice cream contain a lot of fat

as well as sugar. If you choose to eat any 

of these sweet foods, just have a small

amount at the end of a healthy meal. Have

a piece of fruit if you are still hungry.

Drink water, sugar-free soda pop,

and sugar-free fruit drinks if you are

thirsty—instead of fruit juice, regular

soda pop, sweetened fruit drinks, and

sports drinks that are all high in carbs.

How much should you eat?

Your height, weight, age, whether you 

are a boy or a girl, and how active you are

will affect how much food you need to 

eat each day to stay at a healthy weight.

Everyone is different. Talk to your doctor

or dietitian about how much to eat. 

It’s best to spread your food out over

the day and eat breakfast, lunch, and

dinner and a couple of snacks as well. 

You will have a ready supply of energy

and you won’t get too hungry.

If you take in more food than your

body burns, you will gain weight.

If you take in less food than your body

burns, you will lose weight. Being active

and eating smaller amounts of food and

fewer sweet or fatty foods can help overweight kids lose weight in a healthy way.

You will keep your heart healthy, too. 

n

m

*
Putting it all together!

 Eat meals and snacks at about 

the same time each day. Try not 

to skip meals.

 Be as active as you can.

 Drink more water instead of juice 

or soda.

 Learn more about foods and how 

much you need to eat.

 Ask your doctor or dietitian for help.

 Take the right amount of insulin or

pills at the right times if you need

them to help manage your diabetes.

It’s not always easy to eat healthy 

foods when others seem to eat 

whatever they want. Do the best 

you can and know that it 

will make a difference 

in your life.

A joint program

of the National

Institutes of

Health and the

Centers for

Disease Control

and Prevention

WThink Balance— 

in food, 

in being active, 

in all you do!

To learn more

A registered dietitian or a diabetes 

educator can help you and your family 

make the best food choices.

To find a dietitian near you, contact the

American Dietetic Association.

1-800-366-1655 • www.eatright.org

To find a diabetes educator near you, 

contact the American Association 

of Diabetes Educators. 

1-800-832-6874 • www.diabeteseducator.org

Also check out:

American Diabetes Association

1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383)

www.diabetes.org/wizdom

CDC’s Nutrition and Physical 

Activity website for more information 

on healthy eating tips as well as the 

Kids Walk to School Program at 

www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/publicat.htm.

yk *

c

*

n

NIH Publication No. 03-5295

August 2003