Course Work

Eating well with Type 2 diabetes

Contents

Introduction Your diet and diabetes Ten steps to eating well Your questions answered A healthy balance Getting the balance right What’s on your plate? Managing your weight Know your labels Sources of support and information About Diabetes UK 3 3 5 8 11 12 14 16 18 22 23

Diabetes UK recommends that everyone with diabetes should see a registered dietitian at diagnosis, and then have regular reviews for specific advice on their eating habits.

Introduction

Balancing your diet when you have Type 2 diabetes can be challenging but it is important. Making sensible food choices and adapting your eating habits will help you manage your diabetes and help protect your long-term health. The good news is that you should still be able to enjoy a wide variety of food. It is better to make small changes that you feel you can stick to rather than completely altering your diet and not sticking to it. Taking steps to balance your diet, as outlined in this booklet, will help you control your blood glucose levels, blood fats including cholesterol, and blood pressure. This booklet is also a good starting point if you need to think about regulating your weight. You’re likely to have lots of questions about your diet and we’ve tried to answer those most commonly asked in this leaflet. A registered dietitian will be able to answer any further concerns.

Your diet and diabetes

What is Type 2 diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high because the body cannot use it properly. Glucose comes from the digestion of foods containing carbohydrate and from the liver which makes glucose. Insulin is vital for life. It is a hormone produced by the pancreas, that helps the glucose to enter the cells where it is used as fuel by the body. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly...