Greater finesse is required in managing the diets of Type 1 diabetic patients; if they eat too much, diabetic control deteriorates; if they eat too little they become hypoglycaemic. The important principles are that carbohydrate intake should be steady from day to day and that it should be taken at fairly regular times each day. If this discipline is not followed diabetic control becomes difficult, although new approaches to the management of Type 1 diabetes such as dose adjustment for normal eating (DAFNE) may permit flexibility in which calculation of carbohydrate intake is used to calculate the insulin dose, thus freeing the patient from a rigidly controlled dietary intake. Severe carbohydrate restriction is not necessarily required; indeed, if the diet is fairly generous patients are less likely to resort to a high fat intake, which may be harmful in the long term. The actual requirement for carbohydrate varies considerably; it is unsatisfactory to recommend less than 100 g daily, and control may become more difficult if more than 250 g daily is allowed.

The smaller amounts are more suitable for elderly, sedentary patients while the larger amounts are more appropriate for younger, very active people particularly athletes who may need considerably more. Although it has been observed that not all carbohydrate-containing foodstuffs are equally absorbed and that they do not have the same influence on blood glucose values, it is impracticable to make allowances for such variations other than recommending that sugar (sucrose) should be avoided except for the treatment of hypoglycaemia.

For social convenience it is customary to advise that most of carbohydrate should be taken at the main meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—even though these are not necessarily the times when, according to blood glucose profiles, most carbohydrate is needed; for example, less carbohydrate at breakfast and more at mid-morning and lunch often improves the profile. Snacks should be taken between meals—that is, at elevenses, during the afternoon, and at bedtime—to prevent hypoglycaemia. At least the morning and night snacks are essential and should never be missed. For the convenience of some, and for those adopting the DAFNE method of controlling Type I diabetes and therefore needing to calculate the carbohydrate content of their meals, 10 g of carbohydrate is described as "one portion" so that a 170 g carbohydrate diet is described to patients as one of "17 portions". Patients sometimes find it valuable to know the carbohydrate values of different foodstuffs.

List of diabetes foods that you can include in your diet which can help control the blood glucose level:

1. Fresh fruit
2. Eating fish 3-4 times per week can be beneficial as it contains omega 3 fatty acid.
3. Grains contain starch which is in the form of a complex carbohydrate.
4. Green vegetables in the form of salad green can be eaten as often as you want.
5. Dairy products like low fat milk can be consumed 2 to 3 times per day.
6. You can include meat, eggs, beans and cheese in your diet.