Solution: Use precut vegetables and other healthy convenience foods. To slash prep time, look for precut fresh onions, celery, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and mushrooms sold in bags or tubs in the produce aisle. Or pick them up at the salad bar. Also use pre-marinated lean meats, rotisserie-cooked chicken breasts, quartered marinated artichokes, preminced garlic and ginger, refrigerated reduced-fat doughs, and old standbys like canned beans, canned fish, and preshredded reduced-fat cheese to save kitchen time.

Solution: Prepare 1 meal but flavor it 2 different ways. For instance, on pasta night, make a complex, bold-tasting sauce for the adults, but heat up jarred spaghetti sauce for the kids. When making casseroles, divide the mixture in half, flavor each half differently, then pour into opposite sides of the casserole dish and mark them with toothpicks so you'll know which is which.

Solution: Limit eating out or takeout meals to once or at most twice a week and make smart choices. Instead of creamy or fried food, order dishes that are baked, broiled, grilled, or steamed. Ask for sauces and dressing to be served on the side. If your meal does not come with enough carbohydrates, ask for an extra serving of rice, bread, or potatoes. Go for fruits or sorbets for dessert.

Solution: Tape a chart of herbs/spices and their matched foods inside your cupboard for easy reference. For example, thyme goes well with chicken and mushrooms; saffron with rice; rosemary with lean beef. Add flavor with sun-dried tomatoes, hot pepper sauce, balsamic vinegar, and salsa or lemon juice for an extra boost.

Solution: Read the nutrition labels of prepared foods carefully: the so-called healthy versions may just be smaller portions of the regular meals. You can make them more nutritious by adding extra vegetables and starches. Always drain canned vegetables, which can be full of sodium. Rinse them well and cook them in fresh water so they aren't as salty.

Solution: Healthy eating can be healthy for your wallet too! You can actually save money when you substitute fresh vegetables and fruits for meats, processed or prepared foods, and sugary or salty snacks that are more expensive.

Solution: You don't have to. All you have to do is adjust how much and when you eat your favorite foods, based on their effect on your blood sugar. Talk to your diabetes educator or dietitian about ways to incorporate your favorite foods into your meal plan.

Solution: Talk to your loved ones about the changes you are trying to make in your eating habits and how they will help you manage your diabetes. Ask for your family's support and patience as you work on making these changes. If they won't alter their eating habits, ask them to enjoy the foods that are not on your meal plan outside the home.

Solution: If you are dining out at a friend's home, eat a snack before you leave home in case you have to forego some of the dishes that will be served. Many restaurants have healthy eating choices on the menu. If the serving size is too large, ask for a container and take home half for your next day's meal. Sharing a meal with someone else is a good way to avoid overeating.

Solution: Most people find that as they eat healthy foods, they develop a taste for them. From time to time you may still crave snack foods, and it's okay to have them occasionally. But over time, you will start to choose healthy foods because you truly prefer them, especially when you realize how much better you feel when you eat them.

Solution: You may think it's work at first, but as it becomes your regular pattern, it will get easier. When you don't follow your meal plan, you may feel tired or lack energy. If you skip meals, your blood sugar levels may drop and you may experience symptoms of hypoglycemia. Taking the time to follow your meal plan will help you manage your blood sugar and will ultimately help you feel better.

Solution: Meal planning and dieting are very different. Dieting is something you do for a short time to drop extra pounds. Meal planning is a way of life with a long-term goal—managing your diabetes. You never have to diet! Focus on realistic, healthy eating rather than avoiding foods and counting every calorie.