There are 23.6 million people in the U.S. who have diabetes and yet 5.7 million of those individuals are unaware that they have the disease. November is Diabetes Awareness Month and NutritionData.com is doing its part to increase awareness about Type 2 diabetes, the form of the disease that most Americans are diagnosed with yet is largely preventable.

NutritionData.com has highlighted 6 common myths about Type 2 diabetes:

Myth #1 All Type 2 diabetics need to take insulin or other anti-diabetic drugs for life.

Not so! Even if you are currently using insulin or anti-diabetic medications to manage your Type 2 diabetes, you may be able to reduce or even eliminate your need for drugs by losing weight, exercising, and sticking to your diet plan.

Myth #2 If I'm diabetic, I shouldn't eat fruit.

Fruit does contain carbohydrates and can affect blood sugar, but fruit can be a very healthy part of your diet, even if you are diabetic. Fruit contains valuable nutrients and fiber and has a milder effect on blood sugar than other types of sweets. A healthy diabetic meal plan should contain 2 or 3 servings of whole fruit each day.

Myth #3 I only need to pay attention to carbohydrates, not protein or fat.

Limiting carbohydrates will help keep your blood sugar levels in check but it's also important to be sure that your total calorie intake is appropriate. Eating too much protein or fat can lead to weight gain, which can accelerate diabetes. Diabetics also have an increased risk of heart disease, so watching your saturated fat intake is also important.

Read them all here.