5. Skip fad diets and make healthier choices

Many fad diets — such as the glycemic index, paleo or keto diets — may help you lose weight. But there is little research about the long-term benefits of these diets or how they help prevent diabetes.

Your goal for your diet should be to lose weight and then keep a healthier weight moving forward. So healthy decisions about your diet need to include a plan that you can keep as a lifelong habit. Making healthy decisions that reflect some of the foods you like and your traditions may be helpful for you over time.

One simple way to help you make healthy food choices and eat appropriate portion sizes is to divide up your plate. For example, aim for your plate to include these portions:

• One-half: fruit and nonstarchy vegetables.
• One-quarter: whole grains.
• One-quarter: protein-rich foods, such as legumes, fish or lean meats.