If diabetes is a part of your life, Better health is a goal that's worth pursuing. There are many changes you can make to your life to enhance your health even though you have this condition.

For example, did you know that the more overweight you are the more likely you are to suffer with diabetes? However, when diabetics get their weight under control, it usually helps their overall health to improve.

A daily meal plan to help you overcome the effects of diabetes can be tremendously helpful to your overall well-being.

Just because you have diabetes doesn't mean you have to deprive yourself of the fun of eating. You will need to keep close watch over what you eat, but you can still enjoy your meals.

It is true that you need to refrain from eating certain foods. With that in mind, here are eating tips for diabetics:

1. Fatty foods should be avoided.

For example, limit your fat intake by cooking with less of it. Don't use cooking oils such as coconut oil or palm oil or shortening. Olive oil and flax seed oil are examples of cooking oils that are good for you.

There are fats that are harmful and other fats that can actually be good for you. You'll want to avoid saturated fats as much as possible since they can detract from your health. These bad fats clog your arteries, elevate your cholesterol level and can result in heart trouble. These bad fats or saturated fats are found in poultry skins, margarine, butter and whole milk products.

Avoid purchasing foods that are already packaged for you since they are usually high in bad fats.

Another way to cut back on bad fats is to use skim milk instead of whole milk. Also be sure to trim away the fat you find on meat before you cook it.

2. Foods that are high in cholesterol aren't good for you, so avoid eating them.

One of the main sources of cholesterol is animal products such as eggs and dairy products. Since foods from plants don't contain cholesterol, eat vegetables and fruit, grains, cereals, nuts and seeds as the main source of your diet.

3. Don't yield to the temptation of eating sugary foods and drinks.

As a diabetic you need to avoid ice cream, soft drinks, cookies, cakes and pies.

4. Use as little salt as possible since too much is not good for diabetics.

Processed meats, such as lunch meats, and prepackaged convenience foods are usually loaded with salt. So keep that in mind when you go to the grocery store.

5. Avoid overindulging in simple carbohydrates because too many of them can be bad for people with diabetes.

Some simple carbohydrates that should be on your banned list of foods include fruit sugar, table sugar and milk sugar. You've just read a list of five kinds of foods to avoid or to eat sparingly.

The next section of this article will give you a list of foods that you'll want to eat for your best possible health.

1. Vegetables and select fruits plus whole grains should be featured foods in your daily diet.

2. Be sure to include enough protein in your diet such as skinless poultry, fish, nuts and cheese.

3. Bread, pasta and rice are complex carbohydrates. Be sure to eat complex carbohydrates every day.

Keeping your weight where it should be is important to you as a diabetic, so invest in a food scale so you can weigh your food. This will assist you to keep the size of your portions down. Another helpful suggestion is to be sure you don't skip meals or eat between meals either. As a diebetic, you need to keep your weight down, so be sure to have an exercise plan that you follow on a consistent basis. Be sure to eat at the same time each day.

As you plan your meals, keep your daily schedule in mind so you can develop consistent eating habits. Chew your food thoroughly and take more time eating. That way you can eat smaller portions and still feel satisfied.

Make a habit of reading food labels so you can stop purchasing items that are too salty or that have too much sugar in them.

To help yourself cook meals featuring high fiber and low-fat recipes, invest in at least one cookbook with these types of recipes in mind.

If you follow these simple suggestions, even though you do have diabetes, your health should improve. It's worth the time and trouble to help yourself to better health.