Medialink Features: Living Lite With Diabetes -- Tastefully

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin -- a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into important energy. People with diabetes need to carefully watch their diet, maintain a healthy weight and follow their doctor's recommended treatment regimen to keep diabetes in control.

Because food -- particularly those delicious items high in sugar and carbohydrates that we all crave -- significantly affects blood sugar (glucose) levels, good meal choices are important.

"Contrary to popular belief, there's no such thing as a 'diabetic diet,'" said Hope Warshaw, dietitian, diabetes educator and author of "Guide to Healthy Restaurant Eating."

"People with diabetes need to choose healthy foods, prepare tasteful meals that are low in saturated fat and trim down to a healthy weight by practicing portion control," Warshaw said.

Recently, three world-famous chefs created recipes especially designed for people living with diabetes. Lindsey Williams, grandson of Harlem's queen of soul food Sylvia Woods and author of "Neo Soul," prepared a delicious baked fried chicken dish made with corn flakes and yogurt; Lorena Garcia, owner and executive chef of Food Cafe and Tierra restaurants in Miami, made an organic cucumber carpaccio and a tasty sugar-free creme de papaya for dessert; and Michel Nischan, former chef at W New York's Heartbeat, created a healthy salmon satay dish infused with Asian-style pesto.

"Many people believe that eating healthy is boring and tasteless," Nischan said. "But there is nothing boring about a beautifully ripe tomato. Using a simple approach with fresh, ripe ingredients makes for exciting and delicious meals."

Regular monitoring of blood sugar levels throughout the day helps people with diabetes assess how meals, medication and exercise impact their glucose levels.