There are two issues here, one the diabetes miletus, and the other cholesterol.
1. Now, if you have diabetes simpliciter then you do not need to worry about your cholesterol levels. IE your cholesterol is below 4.5.
That means that you will be able to use "diabetic" cook books from the library. The recipes in them ALLWAYS substitute fat for the sugar that has been removed, because fat is a flavour carrier, in a similar way that sugar is. If you are missing the one, it can often be replaced with the other.
2. If you are type 1 (insulin dependant) you can eat virtually anything you like, provided you balance and keep shooting up the insulin.
3. If you are type 2 (diet control) you have to be careful, and if you have to loose weight (most diabetics do when diagnosed) you have to be VERY CAREFUL about your calorie intake, particularly in wasted calories like fat.
4. But many diabetics ALSO have cholesterol problems. Most LOW FAT (or more correctly low saturated animal fat) cookbooks use....yes you guessed it, SUGAR to make up for the missing taste element. So if you have both these problems, which is quite common, then there are NO COOKBOOKS or general recipes that I know of to help you. You will have to reinvent your cuisine from scratch.
5. Therefore, the only advice I can give you is this:
A diabetic diet is a healthy diet. It consists, per meal, of 50% complex carbohydrate, 25% protein, 25% vegetables and fruit. It AVOIDS or ELIMINATES refined products like white flour, bread, potatoes, and substitutes brown flour, brown bread, brown pasta, ground dried sultana for sweetening, basmati or brown rice, ABSOLUTELY NO CHOCOLATE, COOKIES, ICE CREAM, OR TOXIC TAKEAWAY BURGERS/PIZZA.
A good place to start would be to think about building a southern european/north african cuisine. Keep it simple and use spice for the missing flavour.
6. If you need to cut the fat, use olive oil and derived products. Learn to live with low smoking temperatures
7. There should be support groups in your area to assist you, and I sugest you contact them. If you are still having dificulties after 7 days, you can PM me and tell me precisely what the problem is.
8. Over the next few weeks I may be posting some tips and tricks for maintaining a healthy diet, if anyone shows any interest.