Healthy eating is a critical component in managing diabetes. But it's not easy to separate fact from fiction when it comes to a healthy diet for diabetics. There are many myths surrounding the disease -- including the idea that eating too much sugar causes diabetes.

While sugar doesn't cause the disease, food is a very big problem for most diabetics. Treatment for the disease usually means that diabetics must overhaul the way they eat. However, the principles of good eating for diabetics are not all that different from the advice that's generally given to everyone, say experts from the American Dietetic Association in their revised "Complete Guide to Diabetes" (Bantam Books, 2000). The idea is to eat a wide variety of foods and balance carbohydrates, protein and fat.

The goal for diabetics is to balance their diet so that calorie and carbohydrate intake during the day stays in the right range to keep blood-glucose levels under control. Carbohydrates are starches and sugars and are found in cereals, grains, fruit, pastas, milk products, vegetables and legumes. There is no difference between starches and sugars when it comes to how fast glucose gets into the blood, however. The key is to watch how much carbohydrate is eaten and whether it is consumed along with other types of foods, such as fat, that will slow down digestion and delay the effect on blood sugar.

"The most common mistake diabetics make with their diet is that they say they don't eat sugar but that they do eat a lot of carbohydrates. But you have to count the carbohydrates just as you do the sugar," says Wahida Karmally, an associate research scientist at Columbia University in New York and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

The remainder of the diet should comprise proteins and fats. But health experts today caution diabetics to be particularly sensitive to the amount of fat in the diet.

"We now know that diabetes increases the risk for atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease," Karmally says. "We need to aim for a diet that lowers glucose levels and also lowers low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides."

According to Karmally, 80 percent of diabetics are overweight. Besides controlling blood-glucose levels, these individuals need to focus on weight loss, reducing saturated fat intake and increasing physical activity.

"There is a strong connection between diabetes and weight," she says. "People often don't realize that if they lost weight, their diabetes would improve. But you don't have to become a Madison Avenue figure. Even if you lose a little weight -- 5 percent of your body weight -- that has a significant effect on diabetes management."

One approach to helping diabetics with obesity is to aim for a diet of 15 percent or less of calories from protein and 10 percent or less from saturated fat. The remaining calories can be distributed between carbohydrates and unsaturated fats. Saturated fats are found in such foods as bacon, butter, coconut oil, palm oil, cream cheese, lard and meat fat. Unsaturated fats are found in margarine, mayonnaise, safflower oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, nuts, olive oil and peanut butter.

But, Karmally warns, be aware that non-fat products can still be high in sugar. And read food labels carefully to make sure you are getting more unsaturated fats than saturated fats.

"Eat different colored vegetables because they contribute different antioxidants," Karmally says. "Think color. Think five servings a day. A serving is usually a half-cup."

It's not easy to manage a healthy diet that lowers fat intake and controls blood-glucose levels. Most diabetics would benefit greatly from a consultation with a nutritionist. An expert can help individuals come up with specific goals for daily calories, carbohydrates and fat.