Last week we looked at ways to easily modify your eating habits to balance starches, fruits and vegetables. To help you control both glucose levels and lipid levels, the American Dietetic Association suggests the following:

• Eat less total fat.
  • Just use less of fatty salad dressings, butter/margarine, mayonnaise, oil, and cream cheese.
  • Substitute low-fat or fat-free salad dressings, sour cream, cream cheese, etc.
  • Use fat-free toppings -- fat-free yogurt, salsa, mustard, jam/jelly.
  • Cook with flavored vinegars or lemon juice instead of oils.
  • If you do use oil, make it olive, canola, soybean, corn, sunflower, or safflower oil.
• Eat less saturated fat.
  • Eat lean cuts of meat, or think of meat as a side dish, not the main course.
  • Eat more skinless poultry and seafood, prepared by grilling, broiling, or poaching.
  • Moderate your use of foods that contain hydrogenated fat.

Related information Diabetes and diet