Eating healthy is an essential part of managing diabetes.

But if you're not used to cooking healthy meals at home, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are some tips you can use to help you get started.

Use fewer fats. Reducing your fat intake will reduce your chances of having a heart attack or potentially a stroke. It is important for you to recognize which fats are good and which are harmful to your body. The following oils help reduce cholesterol and improve heart health.

• Corn
• Flaxseed
• Olive
• Safflower
• Sunflower
• Vegetable

Add healthy carbs to your plate. I get it. It's tough to avoid carbs. The good news is — you don't need to. It's true that carbs include sugar, but they also include starches and valuable fiber. Foods with healthy carbs include:

• Starchy vegetables like peas, corn and potatoes
• Whole grains like wheat pasta, brown rice and wheat bread
• Fruits like bananas, apples and strawberries

Choose lean meats. Lean meats like chicken and turkey are a great source of healthy protein. When preparing your meat, be sure to choose a healthy cooking method like broiling, grilling, roasting or stir-frying to cut down on fat

Just because you have diabetes does not mean you have to cut an entire food group out of your diet. You can enjoy all the foods you love in moderation by making healthy decisions. If you are looking for a yummy dessert to enjoy, check out this recipe for cranberry almond muffins from the American Diabetes Association.

Remember, small changes that you make in your diet are better than no change at all. It takes baby steps to get to where you want to be.

For more nutrition tips, sign up for Get Healthy, Live Well's Carb Counting class. During this free class, you will learn how to control your blood sugar by understanding how carbohydrates affect your body. You will also learn how to avoid carb-rich foods and what foods can lower your blood sugar.

For more information about this class and others, email gethealthy@tanner.org.