Nutritious meals take common sense

With holidays, vacations and family celebrations seemingly upon us all year long, eating healthfully can sometimes be a challenge.

Eating right, even while on vacation, is a key step to staying healthy, looking great and keeping ailments like diabetes in check.

Here are some tips from the National Diabetes Education Program for anyone interested in eating healthful meals while still enjoying foods.

+At a buffet, start by scanning the table to see what is available. Fill up your plate with mostly vegetables and whole grains. If there are meat dishes, limit your portion to about the size and thickness of a deck of cards.

+Choose lean meats, poultry or fish instead of high fat meats such as barbecued ribs. Choose grilled chicken (remove the skin) instead of something fried.

+Look for high-fiber foods, such as dried beans and peas, lentils, and dark green vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, spinach and kale.

+Dishes with green beans, three beans, black beans and black-eyed peas are always good choices, as are whole-grain foods such as brown rice, couscous, whole wheat bread and pasta.

+Watch out for fatty foods. Avoid dishes with a lot of mayonnaise, sour cream and butter. Choose veggies that are light on dressing and cheese. Try making your own dressing with a little olive oil and vinegar.

+If you make a sandwich, use whole wheat bread with mustard or salsa instead of mayonnaise.

+Drink water, unsweetened tea or diet soda with your meal. If you choose to drink alcoholic beverages, drink only with a meal and do not drink more than one (for women) or two (for men) per day.

+Dessert is a great opportunity to get in some of your daily fruit intake. Everyone-including people with diabetes-needs three to four servings of fruit a day. Fruit is an excellent source of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and has zero fat.

Those pies and cookies taste good, but have a lot of fat and cholesterol and not much nutrition. If you can't resist, have a small serving.

Focus on feeling better, eating healthy, and controlling any medical conditions, such as diabetes, for life.

For tips and free materials on diabetes control, visit the National Diabetes Education Program at www.ndep.nih.gov, or call (800) 438-5383.

This story provided by StatePoint Media.