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Herbs can take a dish from being plain to having pizzazz. Whether from your garden, window box, farmer’s market, or grocery store, fresh herbs add freshness, flavor, fragrance, and eye appeal to meals.

Plant-based eating is popular, and for good reason. Plant foods can add color, texture, taste, volume, and overall appeal to meals. But more importantly, eating more plant-based meals can provide significant health benefits, especially for people with diabetes. Two of the most well-known plant-based eating patterns include the vegetarian and vegan eating patterns.

Do you enjoy trying foods from around the world? While trying new cuisine at a restaurant is a fun culinary adventure, have you thought about trying international recipes in your own kitchen? It can be like traveling without the jet lag. If you want to branch out from your usual ingredients and explore the tastes of a new culture, try these tips for what to look for when shopping at your local international market.

Managing diabetes, especially when first diagnosed, can feel overwhelming. There just seems to be so much to keep track of. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools available to help—including with portion control. These tools can be as simple or elaborate as you want, from pre-portioned plates and containers to digital scales and apps.

Part of a healthy eating plan for anyone means adding lots of fruits and veggies to your meals—but this is especially important for people with diabetes. There are a lot of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber packed into these foods.

It’s no surprise that winter comfort foods tend to be less than healthy. We’re craving warmth and something that gives us feelings of love and nostalgia. They tend to be filled with fat, salt, and carbohydrates—big on calories but not much in nutrition. Indulging in all that nostalgia has its health pitfalls, but there are ways to modify those comfort foods of our past to make them healthier.

Using the Diabetes Plate Method, your meal should be half non-starchy veggies, one-fourth protein, and one-fourth carbohydrate (carb) foods. If you have diabetes and are trying to make healthy food choices, then whole grains are the way to go for your carb choices. They have more fiber and nutrients than refined grains, two important elements that will help with diabetes management.

The Mediterranean diet is touted as one of the healthiest eating plans. Meals are plant-forward and based on whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, pulses (chickpeas, lentils, dry peas, and beans), whole grains, herbs, spices, and olive oil. The eating plan also includes moderate amounts of dairy foods (including yogurt), eggs, fish, and poultry. Small amounts of red meats and sweets can periodically be included, if you’d like.

The Mediterranean eating pattern is one of the suggested eating patterns that can be used to create your eating plan to manage diabetes. It uses whole, minimally processed ingredients rich in flavor and nutrients. Types of Foods in the Mediterranean Eating Pattern It’s more than just an eating pattern—it’s a lifestyle that focuses on: Seasonal vegetables and fruits These form the foundation of most meals Whole grains, such as whole wheat bread, bulgur, farro, and barley These provide quality carbohydrates and fiber Legumes like lentils, chickpeas, and beans These serve as nutrient-rich sources