| "More and more children are overweight or obese. Being overweight increases your child's risk for type 2 diabetes. The good news is that losing a small amount of weight can lower risk. If your child has diabetes and is overweight, losing weight can help lower blood glucose levels. If your child is trying to lose weight, calories count. That doesn't mean your child has to cut out favorite foods. But it is a good idea to reduce serving sizes. Your child can include favorite foods in a healthy meal and still lose weight." "If your child has diabetes, it's a good idea to work with his health care team to develop a meal plan that is right for him. A meal plan will help guide what your child eats. Here are a few tips to get you started." "Eating too much fat does not make you fat. Eating or drinking too many calories makes you fat. But it is smart to limit the fat you eat. Fat has more than twice as many calories as carbohydrates or protein. Everyone should limit saturated fat, which can raise your cholesterol." "Too much sugar is not the problem. The problem is eating too much food -- all types of food -- especially foods high in calories. Too much sugar does not "give" you diabetes. Eating sugar does not cause diabetes. Eating or drinking too many calories can make you overweight, and overweight is a leading risk factor for type 2 diabetes." "If it's fat free, you still need to watch the portion size. Fat-free foods still have calories, often as many as their full-fat versions ... and those calories count just as much. The same is true for sugar-free foods. You can compare the calories in a fat-free or sugar-free food to the "regular" version." "Foods labeled "no sugar added" can still have sugar. This only means that no table sugar has been added. "No sugar added" foods may naturally contain other types of sugar that your body uses just like table sugar. And they may have just as many calories. Eating protein does not build muscle. Bigger muscles come from muscle-building exercise. The average American diet contains more protein than it needs to build and maintain muscle." "You do not need to eat food in special combinations to digest it properly. A healthy diet doesn't require eating a certain combination of foods at each meal. Eating a wide variety of foods during the day is the key to a healthy diet." "It is possible to lose weight and keep it off. Many people who lose weight gain it back. But many others
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