About the program
Dining with Diabetes teaches individuals and families practical, research-based strategies for managing diabetes through healthy cooking, balanced eating and simple lifestyle habits. Participants learn how food choices affect blood sugar and how to prepare meals that are both delicious and diabetes-friendly. These skills help adults with diabetes — or those cooking for someone with diabetes — feel more confident, supported and in control of their health.
Diabetes affects more than 1 in 10 U.S. adults, and many people struggle to understand how daily food choices impact their blood sugar. Dining with Diabetes addresses this need by providing clear, step-by-step guidance on meal planning, carbohydrate awareness, portion sizes, label reading and cooking methods that support better health outcomes.
The program is delivered through interactive workshops led by trained MU Extension educators. Both in-person and online versions of the program are offered. Each session focuses on a specific area of diabetes-friendly living, such as choosing nutritious ingredients, preparing lower-sugar and lower-fat recipes, understanding carbohydrates and building balanced meals. Sessions include recipe demonstrations, taste-testing for in-person courses and easy tips for staying active at any age.
Completers of the Dining with Diabetes program have demonstrated:
- Increased confidence in managing diabetes through food
- Improved ability to plan balanced meals
- Greater awareness of how carbohydrates, fats and sodium affect blood sugar
- More frequent use of healthy cooking and shopping strategies
MU Extension continues to refine the program to meet the growing demand for accessible diabetes education across Missouri communities.
Community partnerships
Dining with Diabetes regularly partners with local organizations to reach diverse audiences and help cover program costs. Some of our partners include:
- Missouri Department of Health and Human Services
- Local libraries
- Hospital systems
Program impacts and outcomes
The Dining with Diabetes program has shown measurable success in helping participants adopt healthier eating habits, increase physical activity and better understand how to manage blood glucose levels.
Across the nation, the program has shown meaningful results:
- A program evaluation completed by the University of Maryland in 2024 found an increase in knowledge and uptake of healthy behaviors among their participants.
- There was a 23.4% increase in knowledge of the role of fiber, 19.3% increase in the knowledge of non-starchy vegetables, and a 32.7% increase in the knowledge of physical activity, the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, and how to utilize the diabetes plate method to manage their condition. (Source: Dining With Diabetes: Outcomes of a Nutrition Education Intervention on Knowledge and Behavior Changes of Maryland Adults).
These outcomes are measured through pre- and post-program surveys based on behavior change models that assess knowledge, confidence and self-management practices.
The evidence is clear — Dining with Diabetes equips people with the tools they need to cook nutritious meals, make informed food choices and take meaningful steps toward better long-term health.