Objective To provide a targeted nutritional intervention for diabetic patients, we tried to apply the Chinese diet balance index-2007(DBI-2007) to evaluate their diet quality. Methods 209 patients with diabetes mellitus were enrolled to evaluate their qualities of diet by using a DBI scoring and its evaluation method. Results Most patients have unbalanced-diet patterns. The excess and insufficient intake of grains and animal foods both exist. Insufficient intake of milk, peas and beans, fruit and fishery products are common. A crucial problem is over-intake of salt and edibleoil. Male diabetic patients and those under 40 years old show a problem of over-intake, while diabetic women and those with age from 50 to 59 mainly bear a problem of insufficient intake of foods. Conclusions The nutritional education for diabetic patients is still urgent. It should be emphasized that adequate intakes of milk, beans, fishery products, fruit and limited intake of salt and edible oil to improve the nutritional status for patients with diabetes mellitus are suggested.