One of the first major lifestyle changes you need to make when you are diagnosed with diabetes - is to make a shift in your dietary plan. You must ensure to have a balanced diet, to live a healthy life. Changing your dietary plan with the help of a nutritionist becomes a must, so that you can make the right food choices. Every individual with diabetes requires customized diet plan because no two diabetic patient have exact health conditions or complications. Taking help of a nutritionist becomes vital, as he would suggest a diabetic diet chart or plan that is perfect for you. Symptoms of diabetes itself suggest how a diabetic person can be afflicted with different diabetes related health complications. Some people may struggle to shed few kilos or others may find it extremely difficult to gain or maintain an ideal weight. In both the scenarios, a nutritionist can help by suggesting the right diabetes diet plan which would enable one to lose or gain weight, at the same time maintaining the essential nutrients a body needs. Why do you need a nutritionist? Diet plays the most important role when it comes to maintaining, preventing, reversal or even curing (in rare cases) diabetes. Eating the right healthy diet rich in healthy fats, fruits & vegetables and low carbs can protect you from worsening diabetes conditions, while eating carbohydrates and fatty foods can worsen your health complications. Given below are few more benefits of hiring a nutritionist:

1. Your diet and weight make a huge impact on glucose level in your blood, even if you are controlling your diabetes with tablets or insulin. A nutritionist is a trained healthcare professional who can help you manage your weight and ensure you eat a healthy diet.
2. Consulting a nutritionist can help you develop healthy eating habits which to a great extent help you mitigate diabetes complications and thus reduced medication requirements.
3. Eating a diabetes-pro diet regularly would prevent long-term diabetes health complications such as eye sight, and kidney problems.
4. In addition, eating a healthy diet minimize the risk of developing heart diseases in diabetes patients.

What does a nutritionist does for a diabetes patient?

1. Meal planning -- A nutritionist prepares customized meal plan for an individual patient. He addresses specific health conditions through efficient diabetic meal plans that particular mitigate diabetic risks, while at the same time including all the vital nutrients. From healthy morning breakfast to dinner and in between snacks, a nutritionist plans your entire meals.
2. Educate on food choices -- From scheduling your meal timings and making healthy diabetic food choices, your nutritionist acts as a food educator, teaching you how different types of foods impact your blood glucose level and affect diabetic conditions. He can also help you pick the right cereals, fruits & vegetables and meat while you are on grocery shopping, to manage your diet.
3. Evaluates a diabetic patient -- A certified nutritionist evaluates a diabetic person before preparing his/her diet plan. Once the diet plan works and enhances the patient condition, the results are reported to the concerned doctors to make further required changes in the diet.

Acts as a support system People who are newly diagnosed with diabetes can face a tough time living with the disease. In such cases, a nutritionist offers the right dietary advice by informing them about new dietary plans, what patients need to understand about diabetes, and lifestyle changes they need to incorporate for a healthy living. Besides, they act as a friend and provide the necessary support to people especially who are yet to come in terms with the disease.