Dietary guidelines for people with diabetes have evolved as new knowledge about the disorder has been discovered. Before 1921, the year in which insulin was discovered, people were placed on starvation diets. As our understanding of the mechanism of the disease and the role of glucose in metabolism has improved, so have the nutritional recommendations (see Table).

When	% of Calories from Carbohydrate	% of Calories from Protein	% of Calories from Fat
1921	20	10	70
1950	40	20	40
1971	45	20	35
1986	60 or less	12-20	Less than 30

Today, there is no one diet for people with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends that carbohydrate and fat intake should be based on nutritional assessment and treatment goals for each individual, with 10 to 20% of calories from protein and less than 10% from saturated fats.

Source:  ADA. Nutritional Recommendations and Principles for People with Diabetes Mellitus. Position Statement, Clinical Practice Recommendations 2000.