The National Institutes of Health Publication 08-5043, What I Need to Know About Eating and Diabetes addresses how you can take good care of yourself and your diabetes by learning what to eat, how much to eat, and when to eat. In addition, it provides information on making wise food choices that can help you feel good every day, lose weight if you need to, and lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, and other problems caused by diabetes. Healthful eating helps keep your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, in your target range. Physical activity and, if needed, diabetes medicines also help. The diabetes target range is the blood glucose level suggested by diabetes experts for good health. You can help prevent health problems by keeping your blood glucose levels on target.