Introduction
The nutrition therapy recommended for people with diabetes is often based on theories or the opinions of the medical treatment provider. People with diabetes often find this frustrating or confusing, because they hear or read that ideally they should be on a low-carbohydrate diet but from other sources they are told that they should be eating a high-carbohydrate, high-protein, or low-fat diet. However, in recent years, there has been a shift in how medical recommendations for prevention and treatment of various diseases are developed. Medical recommendations, including those for nutrition therapy, are now being developed using an evidence-based approach. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics published evidence-based nutrition recommendations for type 1 and type 2 diabetes in 20101,2 and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in 2013 published nutrition therapy recommendations for the management of adults with diabetes using a similar process.3 The ADA 2013 nutrition therapy recommendations are the basis for the majority of the recommendations cited in this review.