on a related note, my grandpa is in the hospital for some lung problems, and he was put on steroids that have induced diabetes...now the hospital gives him special "diabetic meals" consisting of the exact same foods he ate before, but anything containing sugar has been replaced with things with artificial sweetener. ugh. I know it helps, but I also know he could be so much healthier eating plant-based foods! I made him butternut squash soup for his birthday and brought a big batch there...but still, you'd think people would catch on and start serving things like chick pea salads or lentil stews or something like that. It's probably way cheaper than the meat, potatoes & 'diabetic' foods he gets now anyway. :P

Ugh, i feel ya, tino...ive spent the whole beginning of this year hospitalized, with trying to be vegan and have diabetes and a bunch of other restrictions...low residue (no fiber!), low potassium, high protein...its been a struggle....i just rolled my eyes at the hospital food. it is soooo backwards but unfortunately, there are often little finances, organization or knowledge for healthier quantity food programs.
since i b*tched and complained enough, i had special meals made for me and there was so much interest in my tofu stirfrys, etc...that staff asked about it, recipies, nutrition, etc, that i am getting together recipes to give to the hospital kitchen to offer regularly.
it pays to make noise, i guess!
all the fake sweetener just makes you want sweet stuff more, and you build up such a quick tolerance to it, needing more and more in order to satisfy. in only  a few days, i used like 5 splenda in my morn cream of wheat, when normally, i dont eat it at all! i cut *that * out right away...b/c hmm, i wonder if my head pain, nausea, etc wasnt in fact caused by the chems!

as for the diabetes, i have type 1 myself, so while ill never be cured, i use food to help control  it. i think getting a blood sugar monitor would be helpful, you can check to see how certain foods or your fave meals affect your sugar levels...b/c after all everyone is diff.
for me, tho beans are great, in theory, they raise my blood sugar way too fast and for too long.
cinnamon is recommended, yes, at least for type 2. also, chammomile has been seen to help as well.
agave is great as a sweetener for not raising actual blood sugar, but if you have type 2 diab, your pancreas may still work, so it can still illicit an insulin response and cause fluctuations.
again, something youd have to check for yourself.

i choose quinoa over rice (even brown rice)...you can eat it sweet too, like oatmeal.
oatmeal is very good for blood sugar (bs)..oat bread, etc.
no to juice, but fruit with skin, and thus fiber, is okay
veggies again, have great fiber...but there are a few starchy veggies that contain more carb than others, so you want to be sure to mindful of  a real serving size... like potatoes, winter squashes, corn, peas, etc.  Add shredded carrots and summer squashes (low GI) to spaghetti to lower the portion of carb, but still be able to eat your pasta!
use whole grain pasta and can even cook it a little more aldente than normal...it will take longer to digest, and avoid a bs surge.
measuure your food portions for awhile until you get used to what a serving looks like, and test yourself again, just to keep yourself in check. use smaller plates to learn to feel more satiated with real portion sizes. fill up on the appropriate veggies.

also, even losing a bit of weight...as little as 5-10lbs! can really help control your diab.
exercise affects you long after youve done it too, so even just stepping up your daily exertion a bit can really help.

sorry i talked so much. lol. feel free to PM me if you want to talk. hope this helps tho.