Learning to eat right is an important factor in controlling diabetes. The key steps to developing an approriate diet is cutting back on refined carbohydrates, keeping portions sizes under control, establishing and maintaining a regular meal schedule, and consuming a variety of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Simply speaking, a diabetes-friendly diet is low in fats, high in nutrients, and contains a moderate number of calories.
Understand that there is no single "magic number" when it comes to your A1C levels. However, you should aim to keep this number as low as possible in order to reduce your chances of developing complications from diabetes. Even slightly high A1C levels put you at considerable risk for stroke and cardiovascular problems.
If you have diabetes, you should try to cut out alcohol or talk to your doctor if you can not. Alcohol can cause low blood sugar, which is called hypoglycemia. The effects can be very hard to predict with different people. Doctors will allow some people to have a drink or two with proper management, but it is best to avoid alcohol altogether.