There’s lots of nutritional advice out there for people with diabetes — the problem is, not all of it is helpful (or accurate). For instance, one source may claim to limit your carbohydrate intake to a certain amount, while another may recommend an entirely different number.
That’s why it’s important to seek out resources from trusted organizations that specialize in diabetes care or nutrition. These four are chock full of information that can make it easy to meal plan, count carbs, and learn what to eat when.
American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is one of the leading diabetes advocacy organizations in the United States. Its mission is to improve the lives of everyone affected by diabetes, including by educating people about food and nutrition.
The ADA’s Diabetes Food Hub is full of diabetes-friendly recipes, how-to videos, healthy eating tips, and advice from leading nutrition experts. If you create an account, you can also use the site’s Meal Planner, which allows you to build a menu and create eating plans by registered dietitians and nutritionists, and the Create a Grocery List tool, which automatically generates a list of the ingredients needed for the meals.
The ADA is also active on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists
The Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) is a national organization that’s dedicated solely to helping people manage and prevent diabetes. Its members work with hospitals, health centers, pharmacies, and other groups to improve the lives of those living with the condition.
Through its Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support program, you can meet with a diabetes care professional who can help you optimize diabetes management through measures like developing a healthy eating plan that’s best for you, finding apps and other tools for tracking your progress, and more. The program is covered under Medicare and most insurance plans, but it requires a referral from a healthcare provider.
Follow the ADCES on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world’s largest organization of nutrition and dietetics professionals. The group’s experts — which number more than 100,000 — are committed to helping people make healthy food decisions that can help prevent and manage conditions such as diabetes.
Its Nutrition Fact Check center summarizes the best available evidence for hot-button topics such as saturated fats, low- and no-calorie sweeteners, and ultra-processed food, among others, so you can make educated decisions about what to avoid or add to your diet. You can also find a registered dietitian or nutritionist using the group’s online nutrition expert locator, which allows you to filter by specialty, language, and insurance.
The Academy is active on social media and frequently posts on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and YouTube.
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central
Wondering how many carbohydrates are in a slice of bread or a serving of chia seeds? The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central is a one-stop hub for nutritional information, including how many carbs (and protein, fat, and calories) are in a particular food. The database includes data on basic foods, such as apples, chicken, and rice, as well as more specific packaged and processed foods.
