Diabetes: Coping With Your Feelings About Your Diet

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Introduction

Our emotions influence what we eat, when we eat, and how much we eat. So, negative feelings can interfere with your ability to follow your diet for diabetes.

• If you feel that certain foods, such as chocolate cake, are "bad," you may feel guilty after eating a piece.
• If you are angry because you think you can't eat the foods you like, you may feel resentful.
• If you are afraid that you may gain weight or develop other problems, you may not eat enough food.

Once you accept your negative feelings about diabetes and your diet, you will be more likely to let go of these feelings; then you can more easily learn and successfully follow a healthy diet.

Your feelings can also help you follow your diet for diabetes. If you feel like you are doing something good for your health, you may feel motivated. Then, you may feel even better about your diet and yourself.

To deal with your feelings effectively:

• Learn about your diet for diabetes. You will be surprised to learn that you can have all the types of foods you like. All you need to do is fit them into your meal or snack plan.
• Talk with other people who successfully follow the diet for diabetes. Find out what foods they like and how they have worked them into their meals.
• Try new foods and new recipes to put some variety into your meals so you will not feel deprived.

 What are your feelings about the diet for diabetes?

 Why deal with negative feelings?

 How to deal with negative feelings about your diet for diabetes

 Where to go from here

More information about the different types of diabetes can be found in these topics:

• Gestational Diabetes
• Type 1 Diabetes
• Type 1 Diabetes: Recently Diagnosed
• Type 1 Diabetes: Living With the Disease
• Type 1 Diabetes: Living With Complications
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Type 2 Diabetes: Recently Diagnosed
• Type 2 Diabetes: Living With the Disease
• Type 2 Diabetes: Living With Complications

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Last updated:	October 03, 2008
Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS
Reviewed By:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC