Despite therapeutic advances with new oral medications & insulin formulations,
diet  therapy   remains   an   integral   part   of  the   overall  therapeutic  plan  in all 
diabetic patients.Type1& type2 insulin  requiring  diabetic  patients should tailor caloric intake to coincide with the time of action of the administered insulin.Diet should be planned  as 3 main meals in type2 diabetes (20% of total caloric intake for breakfast, 40% for lunch & 40% for dinner)  & as 3 main meals + 3 snacks in type1 diabetes ( 20% of total caloric intake for breakfast+ 5-10% snack 2 to 3 hours later, 40% for lunch +5-10% snack  2 to 4 hours later & 20% for dinner + 5-10% at bed time).The  basic  nutritional  requirements  of  diabetics are the same as those of non diabetics, the daily caloric requirement is estimated according to the body weight & type  of  work  whether sedentary, moderate or hard and is calculated as follow :
Body  weight  (in kg)     X         25    Kcal/day......Sedentary work
                                       X         30-35 Kcal/day.....Moderate work
                                       X         40-45 Kcal/day.....Hard work, pregnancy, or lactation.In  some  obese / overweight  type2  diabetics,  MNT can  be  the  predominant
 method of treatment & can alone efficiently control many of subjects with impaired
 glucose  tolerance .Since most type2 diabetic patients are overweight, caloric restriction is always advisable & can be of great benefit, as moderate weight loss of just about 5 to 10 % of starting body weight reduces hyperglycemia & improves dyslipidemia & hypertension.increase consumption of dietary fiber up to35- 40 g/day  or 10 to 15 g/ meal slows  carbohydrate  digestion & absorption  &  lowers serum  triglycerides.Distribution  of calories:
     The diet  (even subcaloric) should  include  adequate vitamins & minerals; the nutrient content of total requirement should  be as follow:
1.Sweeteners can be used  preferably the non nutritive ones such as aspartame, saccharin, acesulfane-K & sucralase , as these provide no calories & are safe for use.MNT   allows   achievement   of  reasonable 
reduction in body weight in  type2 obese diabetics.If the patient is obese give subcaloric diet ;  if he has normal average weight regarding the age, sex & height give isocaloric diet ; if he is underweight give hypercaloric diet.50-60% as CHO with only 5% of them in form of simple sugars such as sucrose , the remainder in the form of complex CHO ( starch).Cholesterol should be300 mg/day,  but if LDL-C is above 100mg/dl , cholesterol intake should be