Just before turning 50, Sue had a physical. She worried about arthritis, but her age, obesity and inactivity were classic risk factors for diabetes.

Diabetes hampers our ability to make or use insulin. Sue’s doctor diagnosed the most common form -- type 2 diabetes, which patients can sometimes control with diet and exercise.

The doctor sent Sue to a dietitian. The first lesson: Eat about the same amount of food at the same time each day. The big surprise: She didn't have to give up sugar.

The culprits in diabetes are carbohydrates, present in starches, fruit and milk as well as sugar.

The food pyramid for people with diabetes groups beans with starches, cheese with meats and alcohol with fats and sweets. Some vegetables (corn, peas and potatoes, for instance) count as starches. In general, here’s what a serving offers:

• Starch (a slice of bread or half-cup of pasta, for instance) -- 15 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams protein, less than a gram of fat and 80 calories.
• Fruit -- 15 grams carbohydrate and 60 calories.
• Milk -- 12 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams of protein and 3 or fewer grams of fat.
• Meat (three ounces of beef or poultry, for instance) -- 21 grams protein, 100 to 300 calories and widely varying fat.
• Fats -- 5 grams of fat and 45 calories.

If you have diabetes, a dietitian can help you draw up a food plan. You don't have to count some foods: fresh herbs, for instance. And don't “eyeball” amounts until you gain experience using measuring cups, spoons and a scale.

It may seem like a lot of work -- but it pays off.

“Now I walk more and eat less,” says Sue, who has kept her blood sugar level for almost two years.