Most people make resolutions to lose weight in January. For diabetics, sticking to a meal plan is more about staying healthy than looking great.

Your diet should be low in saturated fats, cholesterol and sweets. It should also be high in fiber, fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Your dietitian can help create an individualized meal plan, but the basics will be the same regardless of your health status.

People with diabetes should get most (45-55%) of their daily calories from complex carbohydrates including vegetables, whole-grain breads and cereals. The simple sugars found in low-fat dairy and fruit are included as healthy carbohydrates, too.

It's important to remember that blood glucose levels can be affected by how foods are prepared. Raw veggies are digested more slowly than those that have been cooked. Fruit juices will affect your blood-sugar level faster than eating a piece of fruit.

Make sure to limit your sugar and alcohol as well as fats. Diabetics can consume sugar as long as they plan for it and adjust their insulin dosage accordingly. Alcohol must be treated in a similar way.

Those with diabetes should opt for polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats reduce LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol.

Dietary goals are different depending on the type of diabetes you have. Check AOL Health for more information on how to improve your diet.

King County, Washington - following in the footsteps of New York - has banned restaurants from cooking foods in trans fats. King County is home to Seattle, the city famous for its generous rainfall and equally generous caffeine intake. The new rule stipulates that, in addition to the trans fats ban, all eateries in the Seattle-area must also provide nutritional information about menu items.

The trans fats ban was passed by the King County Board of Health in an effort to stem soaring rates of illnesses that are linked to obesity, like type 2 diabetes. Board members and their supporters (including a representative from the American Diabetes Association) argue the change will help turn the tide by improving eating habits. Their opponents, however, have vigorously argued that this is not true. Restaurant patrons already know they're choosing unhealthy foods, they argue, and this new law won't prevent them from ordering fatty and sugar-laden foods. "I have a six-letter word to describe them [the board members and their supporters]," says restaurant-owner Chris Clifford. "It's 'stupid.' You can't help stupid people." Ouch. Well, this is a case where only time can prove him right or wrong. Click here to read more on the new measures.

Omega-3 fatty acids and phytonutrients are good for you. Really, really good for you and it's a proven fact! Well, at least according to researchers Keith Block from the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment (IL) and David Katz from the Yale Prevention Research Centers (CT). Block and Katz say that a diet rich in these nutrients reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Their reasoning works like this: many of the foods Americans consume include a lot of fats, refined flours and sugars. High in calories, yes, but also not very nutritious. Katz and Block say such foods increase inflammation in the body and contribute to debilitating weight loss, unintentionally help along the progress of diseases you're trying to fight. In a nutshell, they're saying conventional American ways of eating essentially starve the patient's body of the nutrients it needs to fight disease.