WORTHINGTON — Food choices are a key to learning to navigate diabetes or prediabetes. There are such negative connotations with the “D” word that I will do my best to avoid using it because I really want folks to tune into this information.

Our society all too often seems to rate satisfaction with food, meals, restaurants, etc. on portion size. Don’t believe me? Listen to the conversation surrounding the newest restaurant option in town. Sure, there may be some talk about flavor and menu variety, but if you don’t leave stuffed “for the money” that will undoubtedly be the takeaway.

Let’s do some investigating in your own home. Grab a tape measure or a ruler. Go to your cabinet where your dinner plates are kept. Measure your family’s standard dinner plate. Is it greater than 9 inches? If it is 11-12 inches or greater, it may be the best money you spend to buy a new, “right-sized” set of dinner plates that will match the goals you are setting for yourself and those you love most dearly. It may take some time to establish this as a new normal once again, but stick with it and eventually, we won’t need to compensate by filling that plate multiple times.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends you start with a 9-inch plate and imagine you divide this plate in half. Now, divide one of those halves into two. Let’s discuss the recommended makeup of what is put on this dinner plate.

First, the undivided half is recommended to be used for non-starchy vegetables. This includes lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, artichokes, asparagus, green beans, cabbage, baby corn, cucumbers, and many more. Some of those are out of season you say? Frozen veggies are a great option and often more affordable too.

Next is one of the divided halves (one-quarter of the 9-inch plate). This is for your source of protein. Lean proteins are the best choices, including fish, seafood and poultry. Try to include fish at least two times per week. It’s best to limit your intake of red meat since they tend to be higher in saturated fats. If you decide to have these, choose the leanest options and trim all excess fat. The leanest cuts of beef tend to be chuck, rib, rump roast, round, sirloin, cubed, flank, porterhouse, T-bone steak, or tenderloin. Leaner options of pork include Canadian bacon, center loin chop, ham, or tenderloin.

The other quarter of your 9-inch plate is for your grains or starchy foods. This would include breads (whole grain is better than white), rice (brown or wild rice is better than white), pasta, vegetables such as corn, potatoes and peas.

As far as what is ideal to drink, water and unsweetened tea are the best options. Snack on nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits. Just don’t turn snacking into meals of these foods. If you feel like you need dessert, eat fruit.

Healthy eating does not mean you must stop eating your favorite foods or dining out. It may mean you modify how much or how often you eat some of these foods.

It’s important to also cover a “don’t if at all possible list”. We live in a world of convenience and oftentimes this means quick and easy. Some of the worst foods for us are processed foods conveniently packaged for storing on a shelf for a long time and for throwing in the microwave or other means for quick use.

How can you tell if a food is a processed food? Look at the list of ingredients, if there are more than 10 ingredients and any that you struggle to pronounce, it’s likely an unhealthy processed food. When a food is processed, fat, sugar and salt are often added, and important, healthy ingredients such as fiber are usually removed.

Other foods to avoid include sugar-sweetened drinks. While fruit juice is healthier than soda, its effect on blood sugar is similar. Deep-fried foods have chemicals in them that can lead to inflammation and they’re also fried in unhealthy oils that can lead to weight gain.

Anything with trans fats raises bad cholesterol and lowers good cholesterol which greatly increases the risk of heart disease. Common foods that sometimes contain trans fats include peanut butter, frozen dinners, coffee creamer, margarine and grocery store baked goods.

The take-home message is contrary to what is often perceived when it comes to food choices in someone with diabetes or at risk for developing diabetes, there are not many off-limits foods.

If we can recalibrate our thinking just a bit to realize we can still enjoy foods but maybe in different proportions than we have become accustomed to, we may be able to accomplish healthy living goals, increase our longevity, and quite possibly break a family cycle of unhealthy eating.

The indicator we tend to pay the most attention to in diabetes or prediabetes is the A1C lab. When nutrition changes are enacted, it may be possible to lower A1C by 1% to 2%. Join this up with some weight loss that will almost surely happen and become a bit more active, we may just be moving into a position of power over what seemed to be a mountain to climb in facing this thing called diabetes or prediabetes.

Did you realize I made it through an entire discussion about healthy food choices without mentioning the “D” word?

Jason Turner is a pharmacist with a master’s degree in pharmacy (Medication Therapy Management), is Board Certified in Advanced Diabetes Management (BC-ADM), and is a certified Diabetes Prevention Program Coach. He has practiced as a community pharmacist in Worthington since 1994.