Type 2 Diabetes: Management and Support
by Niamh Lonergan | 11th Nov 2021
Did you know that November 14th is World Diabetes Day? This day marks the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, the man responsible for discovering Insulin 100 years ago!
In honour of this, we've put together some simple tools to help manage your type 2 diabetes as well as how you can support a loved one with a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
How does Type 2 diabetes develop?
Type 2 diabetes is a condition which occurs when the body is no longer able to deal with the increasing level of glucose (sugar) in the blood.
The odd blood sugar spike is completely normal and can happen even after a healthy meal. Your blood sugar is expected to increase, and your insulin then has the job of driving that sugar fuel into the liver, muscles and where it needs to be used.
But persistent high sugar spikes from high sugar meals and poor lifestyle can lead to a need for more increasing amounts of insulin to be released which can then lead to insulin resistance. This puts us on a path towards many health issues, including type 2 diabetes.
Simple Tools for managing your type 2 diabetes
Eating regular meal times, getting three main meals and keeping a consistent eating routine.
Eat enough fibre- Try to use wholegrain varieties of carbohydrate foods to increase the fibre content of your diet e.g. wholegrain bread, wholegrain cereals, whole wheat pasta and brown rice.
Reducing your intake of processed foods- even processed foods that are marketed as “healthy” or “plant based” often contain hidden sugars so these should be limited in our diet. Always choose fresh food where possible!
Being “sugar aware”: Reading food labels is one of the best ways to monitor your intake of added sugar. Look for the following names for added sugar and try to cut back on the amount or frequency of the foods where they are found: Brown sugar, fruit juice concentrates, corn syrup, malt sugar, honey, high fructose corn syrup, molasses.
Other important lifestyle tools include:
- Exercise, including some resistance/strength training
- Stress reduction techniques
- Sleep hygiene- getting good quality sleep is so important!
Support for those with type 2 diabetes
Receiving a diagnosis for type 2 diabetes can be overwhelming and frustrating so having the support of family, friends and community is so important.
Here at Gourmet Fuel we have a wide range of meals suitable for those with diabetes to support the management of diabetes through a healthy diet.
We also offer gift certificates which could be a lovely Christmas present for any loved one struggling with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Let us help you manage your type 2 diabetes by providing healthy, portion controlled and convenient meals!