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Q: I don’t know why my diabetes is out of control — I cut out soda and cake! I walk around my house; shouldn’t that be good enough for exercise?

A: Diabetes can be complicated to manage. Medications can be difficult to understand, and knowing what to eat and how to exercise can be confusing.

Unfortunately, there is no universal plan because everyone’s lifestyle and health are unique. There are, however, recommended diets that can help keep your diabetes under control.

Your pharmacist can play a crucial role in helping change your lifestyle other than recommending medication. Utilize your pharmacist to develop a meal plan that is geared towards your likes.

For a diet plan, you can go with two strategies.

The first strategy is to keep your intake of carbohydrates to 45 to 60 grams per meal, aiming for 135 to 230 grams of complex carbs per day. This means you will need to check labels or other sources of nutritional information to determine the amount of carbohydrates each meal.

The second strategy is called the plate method. To follow this strategy, you fill half a standard dinner plate with non-starchy vegetables such as carrots, spinach, asparagus or broccoli. One-quarter of the plate should be filled with lean protein such as chicken or fish. The remaining one-quarter of the plate should have starchy vegetables or whole grains, such as brown rice, wild rice, potatoes or corn.

Fruit contains sugar, so be careful how much fruit you are eating. To keep your daily intake of fat down, it’s best to drink skim or low-fat milk in place of whole milk.

Diet is a great way to control your diabetes, but adding an exercise regimen can also be beneficial for your diabetes and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic exercise.

Before starting an exercise regimen, you will want to speak to your doctor to ensure you are healthy enough to start an exercise program. If you are not regularly active, then begin with five to 10 minutes a day and increase as you see fit.

A few common examples of aerobic exercise include walking outdoors or on a treadmill, bicycling, dancing, swimming and moderate to heavy gardening.

From personal experience, I know adopting an exercise schedule can be difficult. But scheduling a 10-minute walk after a meal, or a 15-minute walk on the treadmill before starting your day, can be a good way to start. These aerobic exercises help the body use insulin adequately, which can lower blood glucose and increase one’s quality of life.

If you feel like you’re taking too many medications, dieting and exercise can help decrease your medication load. A pharmacist is a great resource for you if you have any questions or concerns about your diabetes and how to get it under control.

Aafaq Tariq is a third-year doctor of pharmacy student at VCU School of Pharmacy. He is from High Point, North Carolina, and graduated from University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a B.S. in biochemistry.