I have pre-diabetes and am trying to lose weight. How many servings of fruit and veggies should I have each day?

Its great to know that you are attempting to lose weight. According to the American Diabetes Association, weight loss through the right diet and physical activity will help prevent the development of Type II diabetes.

Fruits and vegetables are great options since they are high in vitamins, minerals , fibers and phytonutrients. With the right choices, you can optimize the diet to work towards improving your health.

You should have a minimum of 2 servings of fruit in a day. Choose fruits that are high in fiber and potassium like Bananas, prunes, apricots and melons. Chose to eat a whole fruit than drinking a fruit juice since in addition to loss of fiber, the juice might increase your blood sugar quickly.  Dried fruits and canned fruits are also good options, however, fresh fruits are the best.

Minimum 3 servings of vegetables a day is recommended. Choose vegetables that are high in proteins and fiber. Avoid the starchy ones like Potatoes, lima beans, peas and corn

To get an idea about serving sizes and choices you should make, please have a look at the following links

http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/diabetes-food-pyramid.html#Vegetables

http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/diabetes-food-pyramid.html#Fruit

I am trying to find a class for our grandson. He is 19 and has a part-time job but no insurance. He just found out last week that he is a type 1 diabetes after losing a lot of weight and his blood sugar was 523. He is on insulin but needs to go to a class to manage is diabetes without going hungry. Where do we start? Any suggestions would help us a lot.

Generally the health care centers have outpatient clinics where diabetes educators provide information on diabetes.  Ask your health care center about this. If they do not, they might be able to recommend you other clinics that do. They will provide you with handouts and other educational materials and provide a comprehensive information on managing diabetes.

You might also look at these links to know where to get started:

http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/consumer/

http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/general07.htm

You can locate a diabetes educator in your area here:

http://www.diabeteseducator.org/DiabetesEducation/Find.htm

If you are trying to find basic information online, I would encourage you to go to valid websites like the American Association of Diabetes Educators and cdc.gov. There is a lot of information out there and it can get overwhelming.

The best way out is to schedule an appointment with a diabetes educator so that you know you are getting the right information.