Health Conditions A-Z Endocrine Diseases Type 2 Diabetes Beyond Type 2 Diabetes: Lowering Blood Sugar Through Food Medically reviewed by Kelly Wood, MD Medically reviewed by Kelly Wood, MD Kelly Wood, MD, is a board-certified endocrinologist with a special interest in osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease. learn more Many factors can affect your blood sugar levels. One of them is nutrition. Health's Type 2 Diabetes Advocate Alysse Dalessandro explains how food plays a part in her diabetes management. Plus, we've rounded up some content to help you navigate what role nutrition can have in your own life as you continue on your journey of type 2 diabetes—beyond your diagnosis. Food is nourishment and fuel for your body. What you eat and when you eat are crucial parts of managing your diabetes. Along with medications, regular water intake, stress management, and activity, nutrition is one of the many tools in your diabetes management toolbox. In my diabetes management, nutrition plays a role by ensuring that I am regularly eating food that nourishes my body. As someone with a past of disordered eating, I started working with an eating disorder-informed nutritionist. One of the things she stressed to me was the importance of eating three regular meals with substantial snacks in between. With my disordered eating, I used to think that skipping meals was an excuse to eat more later. My gut instinct would be to skip a meal when I saw a high blood glucose number on my continuous glucose monitor. Now I know that I still need to eat when I am hungry but maybe that means having lettuce wraps instead of a sandwich. Getting a continuous glucose monitor really transformed my understanding of how eating different foods at different times impacts my blood glucose levels. It takes the guesswork out of figuring out the patterns. ALYSSE DALESSANDRO HEALTH'S TYPE 2 DIABETES ADVOCATE How Food Can Help Manage Your Blood Sugar 15 Ways To Naturally Lower Your Blood Sugar 11 Types of Fruit That Are Low In Sugar Foods That Will Keep You Full Without Spiking Your Blood Sugar I think people mistake nutrition and diabetes management to mean there are certain foods you can never eat. I don’t think there’s anything you can’t ever eat—just foods that are wiser choices when your levels are high and other foods that are fine to eat when you’re in range or low. ALYSSE DALESSANDRO HEALTH'S TYPE 2 DIABETES ADVOCATE Type 2 Diabetes Content For You Timing of Meals for Diabetes Snacks for Type 2 Diabetes Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes? Can You Drink Alcohol With Diabetes? How To Boost Your Fiber Intake and Help With Bloating Is Rice Bad for Diabetics? Best and Worst Foods if You Have Diabetes