Are you the life of the party? Do you enjoy going out to eat? It's hard to turn down a dessert or a snack when someone offers, especially if you're part of a fun group. You can eat sweets and other treats once in a while, even when you have diabetes.

There's no need to feel guilty or feel that you're sabotaging your health—the key is to learn balance.

• If everyone's going out for pizza, you can do it too—just stick to one slice.
• Enjoy happy hour with a diet soda. If you go for alcohol, get a light beer, a glass of dry wine or even a wine spritzer.
• If you're going to a pot-luck dinner, bring something healthy so you know there'll be at least one thing you can enjoy.
• When ordering in a restaurant, ask the server to put half of your meal in a to-go box before bringing it to you. Portion size is important!
• Enjoy dessert sometimes, but scale back on other carbohydrates in your meal to compensate.

Published 01/23/09