I must have dreamt of bread and then woke up to find these in my kitchen. It was clear what I needed to do. Bake! (Note to self - when was the last time I baked - 2004?)
Carol Cooney's life changed when her husband, Brian, was diagnosed with type 2. Here's how she helped him shed 70 pounds and get his health under control. Carol Cooney, 56, of Evanston, Ill., wasn't totally shocked when doctors told her husband, Brian, 54, that he had diabetes.
Living with diabetes can be difficult. One thing that can make it easier is exercising regularly.
3 versatile breakfasts for diabetics September 11th 2012 13:26 Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The first meal to set you up for a good day, yet people still only have coffee or tea before rushing out of the door to work.
Guest Post by Timothy Jones: Teaching your children to eat healthy has many benefits, helping reduce future health risks by establishing good food habits for later in life and aiding their development as they grow. Here are a few tips on how to get your children to eat in a...
Diabetes can affect sufferers in many ways - even resulting in blindness in some cases. Read on to discover how to identify this disease and what can be done to combat it. Whether it's going blind, heart disease or losing a limb - sadly, people with diabetes face harsh realities if they don't manage their condition.
Take control of your diabetes with these new apps. Guest post provided by Timothy Jones. See below for more information about this author. If you've been recently diagnosed with diabetes or have been living with the condition for a while, then take a moment to consider some handy apps you could download to help manage your condition.
As Britain's waistlines expand, being overweight is having a serious effect on the nation's health. Whilst the obvious maladies of heart disease and obesity ballooned in the 20 th century, diabetes managed to largely slip in under the public's radar. But is it as much of a life sentence as its more infamous cousins?
View our range of products for people with diabetes. Includes blood glucose monitors, test strips and diabetic snacks.
View our range of products for people with diabetes. Includes blood glucose monitors, test strips and diabetic snacks.
Around 1.6 million people in the UK have diabetes - and the number is growing. It's a condition where the pancreas can't control blood sugar, leading to a higher than normal level in the body. Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes are the two major forms.
Diabetes facts The prevalence of diabetes has reached epidemic proportions
WHO predicts that developing countries will bear the brunt of this epidemic in the 21st century. Currently, more than 70% of people with diabetes live in low- and middle income countries.
- An estimated 285 million people, corresponding to 6.4% of the world's adult population, will live with diabetes in 2010. The number is expected to grow to 438 million by 2030, corresponding to 7.8% of the adult population.
- While the global prevalence of diabetes is 6.4%, the prevalence varies from 10.2% in the Western Pacific to 3.8% in the African region. However, the African region is expected to experience the highest increase.
- 70% of the current cases of diabetes occur in low- and middle income countries. With an estimated 50.8 million people living with diabetes, India has the world's largest diabetes population, followed by China with 43.2 million.
- The largest age group currently affected by diabetes is between 40-59 years. By 2030 this ârecordâ is expected to move to the 60-79 age group with some 196 million cases.
- Diabetes is one of the major causes of premature illness and death worldwide. Non-communicable diseases including diabetes account for 60% of all deaths worldwide.
Lack of sufficient diagnosis and treatment
- In developing countries, less than half of people with diabetes are diagnosed. Without timely diagnoses and adequate treatment, complications and morbidity from diabetes rise exponentially.
- Type 2 diabetes can remain undetected for many years and the diagnosis is often made from associated complications or incidentally through an abnormal blood or urine glucose test.
- Undiagnosed diabetes accounted for 85% of those with diabetes in studies from South Africa, 80% in Cameroon, 70% in Ghana and over 80% in Tanzania.
- The number of deaths attributable to diabetes in 2010 shows a 5.5% increase over the estimates for the year 2007. This increase is largely due to a 29% increase in the number of deaths due to diabetes in the North America & Caribbean Region, a 12% increase in the South East Asia Region and an 11% increase in the Western Pacific Region.
- Type 2 diabetes is responsible for 85-95% of all diabetes in high-income countries and may account for an even higher percentage in low- and middle-income countries.
- 80% of type 2 diabetes is preventable by changing diet, increasing physical activity and improving the living environment. Yet, without effective prevention and control programmes, the incidence of diabetes is likely to continue rising globally.
- Insulin is vital for the survival of people with type 1 diabetes and often ultimately required by people with type 2 diabetes. Even though insulin's indispensible nature is recognised by its inclusion in the WHO's Essential Medicines List, insulin is still not available on an uninterrupted basis in many parts of the developing world.
Diabetes costs â a burden for families and society
- The financial burden borne by people with diabetes and their families as a result of their disease depends on their economic status and the social insurance policies of their countries. In the poorest countries, people with diabetes and their families bear almost the whole cost of the medical care they can afford.
- In Latin America, families pay 40-60% of medical care expenditures from their own pockets. In Mozambique, diabetes care for one person requires 75% of the per capita income; in Mali it amounts to 61%; Vietnam is 51% and Zambia 21%.
- Expressed in International Dollars (ID), which correct for differences in purchasing power, estimated global expenditures on diabetes will be at least ID 418 billion in 2010, and at least ID 561 billion in 2030. An estimated average of ID 878 per person will be spent on diabetes in 2010 globally.
- Besides excess healthcare expenditure, diabetes also imposes large economic burdens in the form of lost productivity and foregone economic growth. The largest economic burden is the monetary value associated with disability and loss of life as a result of the disease itself and its related complications.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) predicted net losses in national income from diabetes and cardiovascular disease of ID 557.7 billion in China, ID 303.2 billion in the Russian Federation, ID 336.6 billion in India, ID 49.2 billion in Brazil and ID 2.5 billion in Tanzania (2005 ID), between 2005 and 2015.
- Unless addressed, the mortality and disease burden from diabetes and other NCDs will continue to increase. WHO projects that globally, deaths caused by these health problems will increase by 17% over the next decade, with the greatest increase in low- and middle-income countries, mainly in the African (27%) and Eastern Mediterranean (25%) regions.
Source: IDF, Diabetes Atlas, 4th edition
If you are looking for more in depth information on the epidemic of diabetes, costs on care or other relevant information you can access the following tools here:
Last updated 3-15-2012 by bisl.wdf
Living with diabetes can have significant impact on the foods you eat since everything you eat and drink is broken down into glucose, which can affect your diabetes problem. Lower you risks for heart disease, stroke, and other problems of diabetes with a diabetic diet plan that includes healthy food choices to help you better control your blood sugar level.
A guide to managing and living with diabetes - looking at diabetes, treatments, health, complications and diabetic recipes.
Basic diabetic menu for one week Last updated: Thursday, February 04, 2010 Print
Dr Ingrid van Heerden, registered dietician and Health24's DietDoc, has compiled a basic diabetic menu for one week.
Please note that you should consult a clinical dietician to help you work out a diabetic diet that is tailored to your specific needs. The following basic diabetic menu is only a guideline.
This menu should supply approximately 7 500kJ (1 800kcal) and 180g of carbohydrate a day, and is intended for diabetics of normal weight.
Basic diabetic menu
Notes: (t = teaspoon or 5g; T = tablespoon or 15g); artificial sweetener can be used in small quantities.
MONDAY
(Low-fat or skim milk allowance for the day: 560ml)Breakfast:
Oats porridge (120g) with low-fat milk from allowance (e.g. ½ cup or 150ml)
Wholewheat bread (2 slices/60g) with 2 t (10g) Lite margarine and Marmite
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowance (about 30ml)Mid-morning snack:
Wholewheat biscuits (15g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceLunch:
Chicken breast, grilled (50g)
Boiled potato (120g)
Tomato and lettuce salad
Orange (120g, peeled weight)
Low-fat yoghurt (small carton or 100ml), artificially sweetened, apricot-flavoured
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceMid-afternoon snack:
Provita (15g) with 1 t (5g) Lite margarine
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceSupper:
Lean pork chop, (50g), pan-fried in non-stick pan with Spray & Cook
Steamed broccoli with 1 T melted cheese
Carrot salad with lemon juice and artificial sweetener
Wholewheat bread (2 slices/60g) with 2 t (10g) Lite margarine and 2 t (10g) diabetic jam
Sliced pineapple (90g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceBedtime snack:
Use remainder of low-fat milk (e.g. 200ml) with 15g Ovaltine or Horlicks, or wholewheat bread (1 slice, 15g) or 1 Rye crispbread (15g) with 1 t (5g) Lite-margarineTUESDAY
(Low-fat or skim milk allowance for the day: 560ml)Breakfast:
Maltabella porridge (120g) with low-fat milk from allowance (e.g. ½ cup or 150ml)
Boiled egg (50g)
Wholewheat toast (2 slices/60g) with 2 t (10g) Lite margarine
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowance (about 30ml)Mid-morning snack:
Rice cakes (15g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceLunch:
Club sandwich:
Lean, sliced roast beef, all visible fat removed (50g)
Seed loaf (3 slices/120g) with 3 t (15g) Lite margarine, or 3 t (15g) low-fat mayonnaise
Sliced tomato, lettuce and gherkins
Pawpaw cubes (120g)
Low-fat yoghurt (100ml), artificially sweetened, fruit-flavoured
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceMid-afternoon snack:
High-fibre biscuits (15g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceSupper:
Snoek (50g), pan-fried in nonstick pan with Spray & Cook
Baked potato (60g) with 1 t (5g) Lite margarine
Steamed baby marrow with herbs
Sliced peaches (120g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceBedtime snack:
Low-fat milk (e.g. 200ml) with 15g wholewheat biscuitWEDNESDAY
(Low-fat or skim milk allowance for the day: 560ml)Breakfast:
All-Bran cereal (3 T/20g) with low-fat milk from allowance (e.g. ½ cup or 150ml)
Wholewheat bread (2 slices/60g) with 2 t (10g) Lite margarine and 2 t (10g) diabetic jam
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowance (about 30ml)Mid-morning snack:
Apple (120g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceLunch:
Tuna (50g), tinned in brine with 1 t (5g) low-fat salad dressing
Rye bread (3 slices/120g) with 3 t (15g) Lite margarine
Asparagus, tinned (½ cup)
Cucumber, sliced (½ cup)
Banana (60g, weight with peel)
Low-fat yoghurt (100ml), artificially sweetened, banana-flavoured
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceMid-afternoon snack:
High-bran muffin (½ a muffin/15g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceSupper:
Lamb chop (50g), grilled
Brown rice (½ cup cooked)
Steamed green beans with lemon juice and herbs
Lettuce and watercress salad
Apricots, dried (75g, boiled weight), stewed with artificial sweetener
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceBedtime snack:
Use remainder of low-fat milk (e.g. 200ml) with 15g Ovaltine or Horlicks, or carob-flavoured rice cakes (15g)THURSDAY
(Low-fat or skim milk allowance for the day: 560ml)Breakfast:
Maize meal porridge (120g) with low-fat milk from allowance (e.g. ½ cup or 150ml)
Grilled bacon (20g)
Grilled tomato
Wholewheat toast (2 slices/60g) with 2 t (10g) Lite margarine
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowance (about 30ml)Mid-morning snack:
Wholemeal biscuits (15g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceLunch:
Chicken and mushroom casserole, (50g)
Mashed potato (120g) with 2 t (10g) Lite margarine
Peas, cooked (½ cup)
Beetroot salad (½ cup)
Naartjie segments (120g, without peel)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceMid-afternoon snack:
Provita (15g) with 1 t (5g) Lite margarine
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceSupper:
Kabeljou (50g), grilled, with herbs and garlic
Baked potato (60g), with plain, low-fat yoghurt flavoured with herbs & garlic (2T, 30g)
Spinach, cooked
Cabbage and carrot salad with lemon juice and artificial sweetener
Strawberries (180g), with artificial sweetener
Low-fat yoghurt (70ml), artificially sweetened, berry-flavoured
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceBedtime snack:
Use remainder of low-fat milk (e.g. 200ml) with 15g Ovaltine or Horlicks, or wholewheat bread (1 slice, 15g) or 1 Rye crispbread (15g) with 1 t (5g) Lite margarineFRIDAY
(Low-fat or skim milk allowance for the day: 560ml)Breakfast:
Cornflakes (15g) with low-fat milk from allowance (e.g. ½ cup or 150ml)
Cheese, grated (15g)
Wholewheat date muffins (60g) with 2 t (10g) Lite margarine
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowance (about 30ml)Mid-morning snack:
Raisins (15g) and peanuts (10g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceLunch:
Lean steak, grilled (50g)
Corn on the cob (60g) with 1 t (5g) Lite margarine
Tomato, cucumber and lettuce salad
Pear (120g)
Low-fat yoghurt (100ml), artificially sweetened, pear-flavoured
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceMid-afternoon snack:
Biscuit (15g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceSupper:
Lean tomato mince (50g)
Pasta, cooked (½ cup/60g)
Mixed vegetables, boiled (½ cup)
Apple and celery salad (½ cup) with low-fat salad dressing (2 t/10g)
Sliced plums (120g), with artificial sweetener
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceBedtime snack:
Use remainder of low-fat milk (e.g. 200ml) and Provita (15g) with 1 t (5g) Lite margarine and 1 t (5g) diabetic jamSATURDAY
(Low-fat or skim milk allowance for the day: 560ml)Breakfast:
Oats porridge (120g) with low-fat milk from allowance (e.g. ½ cup or 150ml)
Scrambled egg (50g), prepared in microwave or nonstick pan
Wholewheat toast (2 slices/60g) with 2 t (10g) Lite margarine and Marmite
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowance (about 30ml)Mid-morning snack:
Wheat cakes (15g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceLunch:
Sosaties, grilled (50g)
Baked potato (120g), with plain, low-fat yoghurt flavoured with herbs and garlic (2T, 30g)
French bean salad with low-fat salad dressing (2t, 10g)
Spanspek (½ cup)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceMid-afternoon snack:
Bran muffin (15g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceSupper:
Salmon (50g), pan-fried in nonstick pan with Spray & Cook
Brown rice (½ cup cooked)
Aubergine cooked with tomato and onions (½ cup)
Lettuce, tomato and gherkin salad (½ cup) with low-oil mayonnaise (1 t/5g)
Sliced orange (120g, peeled)
Low-fat yoghurt (70ml), artificially sweetened, granadilla-flavoured
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceBedtime snack:
Use remainder of low-fat milk (e.g. 200ml) and wholewheat crackers (15g) with 1 t (5g) Lite-margarineSUNDAY
(Low-fat or skim milk allowance for the day: 560ml)Breakfast:
Corn flakes (15g) with low-fat milk from allowance (e.g. ½ cup or 150ml)
Poached egg
Wholewheat bread (2 slices/60g) with 2 t (10g) Lite margarine and 2 t (10g) diabetic jam
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowance (about 30ml)Mid-morning snack:
Rice cakes (15g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceLunch:
Lean steak, grilled (50g)
Roast potato (30g)
Butter nut, boiled (½ cup)
Carrot and cabbage salad with low-fat, artificially sweetened pineapple-flavoured yoghurt (2 T/30g)
Sliced mango (90g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceMid-afternoon snack:
Wholemeal biscuit (15g)
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceSupper:
Chicken, roast (50g)
Three-bean salad (60g/½ cup), including 1 t salad oil
Green pepper and avocado salad with low-fat salad dressing (2t/10g)
Mixed berries (120g)
Low-fat yoghurt (70ml), artificially sweetened, berry-flavoured
Tea/coffee with low-fat milk from allowanceBedtime snack:
Use remainder of low-fat milk (e.g. 200ml) with 15g Ovaltine or Horlicks, or wholewheat bread (1 slice, 15g) or 1 Rye crispbread (15g) with 1 t (5g) Lite margarine(Dr Ingrid van Heerden, DietDoc, updated October 2009)
Read more: Diet basics for diabetics
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Options abound in this collection of diabetes-appropriate recipes. "It's time to debunk the myth of the 'diabetic diet,'" says EatingWell nutrition editor and author Joyce Hendley. If you have diabetes, you don't have to eat special foods or be excluded from what "everyone else" is eating.
Learn about type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, diet, management and diabetes prevention.
View our range of products for people with diabetes. Includes blood glucose monitors, test strips and diabetic snacks.
Diabetes is a long-term condition that affects the body's ability to process sugar or glucose. It can have serious health consequences. But with careful management, people with diabetes can continue to lead full, healthy and active lives. In people with diabetes, the level of glucose in the blood is too high.
Dietary advice[4]
See also the separate article Healthy Diet and Enjoyable Eating. The goals of dietary advice are:
- To maintain or improve health through the use of appropriate and healthy food choices.
- To achieve and maintain optimal metabolic and physiological outcomes, including:
- Reduction of risk for microvascular disease by achieving near normal glycaemia without undue risk of hypoglycaemia.
- Reduction of risk of macrovascular disease, including management of bodyweight, dyslipidaemia and hypertension.
- To optimise outcomes in diabetic nephropathy and in any other associated disorder.
Diabetes UK recommendations[5]
- Eat three meals a day. Avoid skipping meals and space breakfast, lunch and evening meal out over the day.
- At each meal include starchy carbohydrate foods, eg bread, pasta, chapatis, potatoes, yam, noodles, rice and cereals. Eat more slowly absorbed (low glycaemic index) foods, eg pasta, basmati or easy cook rice, grainy breads such as granary, pumpernickel and rye, new potatoes, sweet potato and yam, porridge oats, All-Bran® and natural muesli.
- Reduce the fat in the diet, especially saturated fats. Use unsaturated fats or oils, especially monounsaturated fats, eg olive oil and rapeseed oil.
- Eat more fruit and vegetables. Aim for at least five portions a day.
- Eat more beans and lentils, eg kidney beans, butter beans, chickpeas or red and green lentils.
- Eat at least two portions of oily fish a week, eg mackerel, sardines, salmon and pilchards. Limit sugar and sugary foods.
- Reduce salt in the diet to 6 g or less per day.
- Drink alcohol only in moderation.
- Don't use diabetic foods or drinks (they are expensive and of no benefit).
Type 2 diabetes[6]
- A low glycaemic index diet can improve glycaemic control in diabetes without compromising hypoglycaemic events.[7]
- Although the studies are not extensive, one meta-analysis has shown that, for people with type 2 diabetes, a large fall in blood pressure similar to that of single drug therapy can be achieved with salt restriction.[8]
- Dietary advice should be personalised and take on board the individual's needs, cultural and belief, and willingness to make changes. Advice should be ongoing and available educational programmes should be offered - eg DESMOND (= Diabetes Education and Self-management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed[9]).
- Emphasis should be on eating a healthy balanced diet applicable to the general population. Control of obesity is also important. For people who are overweight , the target should be an initial bodyweight loss of 5-10%. Lesser degrees of weight loss may still be of benefit and larger degrees may provide additional metabolic advantages.
- Diet should be assessed with a view to reducing hypoglycaemia in patients using insulin secretagogues.
- Limited substitution of sucrose-containing foods for other carbohydrates is allowable but excess energy intake should be avoided.
- Patients admitted to hospital or other institutions should have their meals and snacks planned with a view to providing consistency in carbohydrate content.
Type 1 diabetes[10]
- Diet should be assessed with a view to reducing hypoglycaemia in all people with diabetes whose treatment includes insulin. The hyperglycaemic effects of different foods should be discussed in the context of the insulin preparation chosen to match the patient's food choices.
- Educational programmes - eg DAFNE (= Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating[11]) - should be available so that patients can make an educated choice about:
- The variety of foods they wish to eat.
- Insulin dose changes appropriate to reduce changes in glucose levels when eating different amounts of those foods.
- The type and amount of snacks taken between meals and at bedtime - discussed in the context of the patient's insulin regime. Those choices may need to be adjusted according to the individual's self-monitoring tests. Advise snacks only if self-monitoring suggests a need; check particularly if a high insulin analogue dose is needed to correct preprandial hyperglycaemia.
- Patients should be made aware of:
- The effects of different alcohol-containing drinks on blood glucose excursions and calorie intake.
- The use of high-calorie and high-sugar 'treats'.
- The use of foods of high glycaemic index.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends that the nutritional advice given to insulin-dependent patients may need to be modified to take into account patients who are underweight, have eating disorders, have hypertension or have chronic kidney disease. The information made available to people with type 1 diabetes should consider cultural and religious diets, feasts and fasts and should include matching carbohydrate, insulin and physical activity.
Exercise[4]
- Regular physical activity improves insulin resistance and lipid profile (reduction in triglyceride and increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL)) and lowers blood pressure (although blood pressure will rise during exercise).
- The metabolic benefits in type 2 diabetes are lost within 3-10 days of stopping regular exercise.
- Physical activity also protects against the development of type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes UK recommendations[5]
- The recommended minimum amount of activity for:
- Adults - 30 minutes on at least five days of each week.
- Children - one hour each day.
- It is essential to find activities that are enjoyable, achievable and sustainable, eg walks, dancing, swimming, bowling, cycling, golf, playing with the children, DIY.
Special considerations when advising diabetics about exercise[12]
- Always consider insulin/oral hypoglycaemic therapy and meal schedule: test blood glucose before exercise, postpone exercise until after a snack if blood glucose is low, and always keep glucose at hand.
- Autonomic neuropathy is common and can be associated with silent ischaemia, postural hypotension and a blunted heart rate response to exercise.
- Peripheral neuropathy is common and may lead to numbness, paraesthesiae, reduced balance, Charcot's joints.
- Peripheral vascular disease: there may be intermittent claudication, leg ulcers, etc.
- Avoid high-impact exercise, as this may traumatise the feet (emphasise foot care, proper shoes and cotton socks).
- Hypoglycaemia may occur up to several hours after exercise.
- Exercise is contra-indicated if there is active retinal haemorrhage or recent retinal photocoagulation.
Type 2 diabetes
NICE only gives generalised advice concerning the role of physical exercise in type 2 diabetes. Guidance can be found in the St Vincent Declaration and from the American College of Sports Medicine.[12][13] Advise that physical exercise:
- Can benefit insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and blood lipid control.
- Should be taken at least every 2-3 days for optimum effect.
- May increase the risk of acute and delayed hypoglycaemia.
Manage physical exercise using:
- Formal recording of levels of physical activity
- Identification of new exercise opportunities (see under 'Exercise', above), and encouragement to develop these.
- Appropriate self-monitoring, additional carbohydrate, and dose adjustment of glucose-lowering therapy for those using insulin secretagogues.
Warn about:
- Alcohol, which may exacerbate the risk of hypoglycaemia after exercise.
- The risks of foot damage from exercise (advise low-impact exercise).
- The need to consider ischaemic heart disease in those beginning new exercise programmes.
Type 1 diabetes
Advise that physical activity can reduce enhanced arterial risk in the medium and longer term. Give information on:[10]
- Appropriate intensity and frequency of physical activity.
- Self-monitoring of changed insulin and/or nutritional needs.
- Effect of exercise on blood glucose levels when insulin levels are adequate (risk of hypoglycaemia) or when hypoinsulinaemic (risk of exacerbation of hyperglycaemia and ketonaemia).
- Appropriate adjustments of insulin dosage and/or nutritional intake for exercise and for 24 hours afterwards.
- Interactions of exercise and alcohol.
- Where to find more information.
If you have type 2 diabetes, you will need to look after your health very carefully. Caring for your health will also make treating your diabetes easier
In the UK, current 2012 NHS diabetes diet advice is that there is no special diet for people with diabetes.
Diabetes is a relatively common condition with over 2.9 million UK residents recorded as having diabetes . The condition is where the level of glucose in your body is too high and therefore your body cannot use it efficiently. This is due to your body not producing enough, or any, insulin into your cells.
This is great for diabetics! Who says just because you have diabetes, you can't have nice food! They have diabetic chocolate after all!
With more than 2.9 million people in the UK having diabetes according to NHS figures, many of us are likely to be looking for ways to manage the condition and stay healthy.
Skin is the body's direct contact the outside world and works hard to protect the body from the environment and pathogens. While it constantly regenerates there are still many things that can be done to help prevent damage and increase shine and elasticity.
Offering support to your loved one can make a huge difference in helping them live with diabetes. If your family member has diabetes, it can be hard to know how best to offer them help and support. Diabetes is an illness that needs to be kept under constant supervision; otherwise, complications could lead to serious...
Diabetic children need more than just insulin injections, medication and blood sugar tests. Read on for tips to encourage your kids to get out and get active.
Keeping fit and healthy is an extremely important part of every child’s life and particularly important for those with existing health problems.
Getting active can help reduce the risk of further complications that can be brought on by diabetes in later life, such as heart disease. Research also shows that exercise has a direct effect on people’s moods and happiness levels. So what are you waiting for? Get yourself and the kids moving today and lead a healthier and happier life.
Diabetes doesn’t have to be a drag
Contrary to the myth that people with diabetes can’t play sport, there is no reason your diabetic child shouldn’t lead a happy and healthy active lifestyle. As long as they regularly take a blood sugar test, your child should be able to take part in as much activity as any of their peers.
Encourage kids to pick their favourite sportsman or woman for inspiration, then do some research into their background. Many famous athletes, as well as actors and musicians, have diabetes or another health condition they have overcome on the road to success. Fore example, five-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave has become one of the most celebrated British Olympians of all time, despite having diabetes.
Get involved!
Ultimately, the biggest role model in a child’s life is a parent or carer. Kill two birds with one stone by finding fun activities to do along with your child to get the blood pumping – not only are you doing yourself a favour, but you’ll also set a great example. Active kids grow in to active adults and the lessons you instill in your child now can last a lifetime.
What now?
The NHS recommends all children be physically active for at least one hour a day in order to achieve the maximum benefits for physical and mental development. Now that you and your child are inspired and raring to go, here are a few of our favourite activities to get you started.
· Sacrifice the school run – It might not be possible to walk the kids to and from school every day. But every little helps, so try walking or cycling to or from school a couple of times a week. Short of time? Park the car a few streets further back or get off the bus a stop earlier. The benefits of an extra few minutes of exercise twice a day will soon add up – and it won’t blow your schedule out of the water.
· Soar like an eagle - Flying a kite is a great way to get exercise whilst having fun – both you and the kids will be having such a great time, you won’t even notice all the running about. Once the running stops, flying a kite can also be very calming and therapeutic.
· Walk the dog – Taking the dog out for a walk is a great way to get some enjoyable exercise. If you don’t have a dog, you could always ask a neighbour and help your child get used to animals at the same time.
· Make a commitment – Joining a weekend club or committing to an activity together can be rewarding to both you and your child in so many ways. Not only do you get lots of exercise, you will learn new skills and potentially make a lot of new friends in the process, just by setting aside a couple of hours every week. From karate to kayaking and tennis to ten-pin bowling, you’re sure to find something for yourself and the wee one. And who knows – you or your child might even discover a hidden talent you never knew you had!
These are just a few activities that can help you and your diabetic child stay healthy and happy. What are your favourite tried-and-tested tips for getting the kids active?
There is a common misconception that salads are just rabbit food and are boring- wrong! Salads don't have to be boring, they are as exciting as you make them and we are going to show you how to make them more fun.
Don't worry, we won't post anything.
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