With diabetes, what you eat matters. That doesn’t mean all patients follow the same strict food plan — we know there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all diet. At Central Maine Healthcare, our registered dietitians will work with you to design a personalized nutrition plan, based on your unique goals, tastes and medical history. More than anything, we want you to be able to eat healthy and enjoy your favorite foods. To us, that’s the essence of meal planning.
Tools to Help You Eat and Live Well
Your one-on-one sessions with your Central Maine dietitian will cover a wide range of topics to inform and empower you, such as:
- Insulin—what it does, how much you need, what happens when you don’t make enough, and how your insulin levels are affected by certain types of foods
- Other food outcomes, good and bad: cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure and more
- Food allergies and intolerances; what’s the difference and how to identify foods you should avoid
- Eating to build muscle
- Losing and gaining pounds, and how the endocrine system affects your weight
- Eating with your family: do they need a new meal plan, too?
- Sports nutrition: how to eat if you’re an athlete (or just a weekend warrior)
- Vegetarian choices; some are insulin-friendly, some aren’t
- Functional nutrition, looking at food as medicine to improve your health
- Alcohol and how it affects your insulin levels
Once you understand food and diabetes, making the best choices will become second nature, whether you’re at home or eating out.