Food and Type 2 diabetes

"‘I have diabetes and I intend to savour all of life’s pleasures"

Key points

  • Making healthy food choices is the cornerstone of managing Type 2 diabetes (along with staying physically active).
  • The guidelines for eating well for those of us with Type 2 diabetes are the same as the healthy eating guidelines recommended for everybody.
  • Our relationship to food is complex. It involves feelings, upbringing, and habits. Because of this, changing our eating habits can be a big challenge. BUT there are lots of strategies that can help.
  • All of us have unique nutritional needs. The amount and type of foods we need depend on our age, our gender, our metabolic rate, our level of activity, and our existing body weight.
  • It is best to see a registered dietitian to work out a food strategy that works for you
  • Knowledge about food increases all the time. It pays to get periodic updates.
  • If you are a woman and you become pregnant or start breast-feeding your nutritional needs will change

In the western world today it is increasingly difficult to make healthy food choices. The choice of unhealthy foods is vast. BUT the range of healthy foods is vast also. To eat well we need knowledge. We also need well-developed strategies to maintain our motivation.

With the hectic pace of modern life many of us are eating out, or eating pre-prepared food, often. When we do this we are letting someone else make decisions about what is in the food that we eat. Being able to read food labels on pre-prepared food is a useful skill to help make healthy choices. Being proactive and asking for healthy options in cafes, restaurants and food outlets can help us. It can also help raise awareness in the food industry, which will help all of us long term.

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