When you get diagnosed with diabetes, the biggest, most effective change that doctors recommend is to your diet. However, reducing your carbohydrate intake can seem like a massive effort, especially since most of us are eating a lot of carbs every day. These simple and complex sugars are found in almost every meal and snack.

So, what can you do?

Tips To Reduce Carbohydrates

It is possible to easily cut out some carbs by making small changes and choosing to eat slightly different foods. Over time, these switches can lead to a big impact in your A1C levels.

#1 Switch To Unsweetened Drinks

Soda pop is ever-present in the American diet, but it has a lot of sugar. You’ll be doing yourself a service if you can effectively switch to unsweetened and artificially sweetened alternatives. Try a few of these options:

• mint tea
• lemon water
• carbonated water
• coffee
• diet sodas

Going with unsweetened drinks can also help prevent those dramatic spikes in blood glucose that come from large amounts of simple sugars entering your system at once.

#2 No More Fruit Juice

For years, juice was marketed as a healthy choice. Yet, it has as much sugar, if not more, as a can of soda. Instead, choose water with fruit slices in it. If you really want something sweet and fruity to drink, make a homemade smoothie with whole fruit. Don’t add any extra sugar to the smoothie either.

#3 Snack Smart

You will likely eat something between meals, so keep healthy snacks on hand to nibble on throughout the day. Roasted nuts are tasty, high in fiber and protein, and low in carbs. Cheese is also low in carbs. Consider dicing cubes to eat with mustard or keeping a package of string cheese in the fridge.

#4 Pick Non-Starchy Veggies

When ordering at a restaurant or making a meal, pick a non-starchy vegetable for your side. Starches from foods like potatoes are converted into carbs during digestion. You’re relatively safe with anything green, red, orange, or yellow. The more colorful the vegetable, the less likely it is to be starchy.