Hi,

Thanks for getting in touch.

Current advice for someone with type 2 diabetes is to eat a healthy balanced diet which includes foods from all the main food groups. Whereas years ago people with diabetes would have been told to cut out certain foods, this isn’t the case now. So in terms of what to eat you should be following the main guidelines for a healthy diet, which are:

• Include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet - at least 5 portions per day.
• Choose wholegrain carbohydrates over refined versions - so wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta, wholegrain rice, oats, wholegrain cereals, quinoa, spelt and other grains.
• Include lean protein foods with each meal, such as skinless chicken and turkey breast, lean beef, fish, quorn, tofu and pulses.
• Include good fats such as oily fish, avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds.
• Limit intake of high saturated fat foods such as fatty meats, takeaways, chips, crisps and fried foods.
• Include at least 3 portions of calcium rich dairy foods or dairy free calcium fortified alternatives, and choose lower fat versions to keep saturated fat down. E.g. low fat yogurt, reduced fat cheese and low fat milk.
• Limit intake of high sugar and high fat foods such as cakes, desserts, sweets, chocolate, crisps and biscuits. These foods are fine to include on occasion, but should not be a regular part of the diet and portions should be carefully controlled.

As you know, eating sugary foods can cause your blood sugar to rapidly rise, which can affect your management of your diabetes. So it's best to limit the frequency that you eat these foods - but as mentioned, the advice is not to completely erradicate them or all carbs. It's about making the best choices, so wholegrain carbs, as these are full of fibre and are therefore digested slowly by your body, so don't cause the same blood sugar spike as simple sugars.

One of the best ways to manage type 2 diabetes, and even reverse it in some cases, is through weight loss. Weight loss comes down to total calories essentially, so one of the most important things is that you stick to your calorie target to try and reach your weight loss goals.

Exercise is also a great way to help manage type 2 diabetes and can also help boost weight loss. This doesn't have to mean sweating it out in a gym, it can just mean being generally more active. So walking more places, doing more around the house etc. So have a think about ways you can include some extra activity into your routine too!

I hope this helps to get you started and please don't hesitate to get in touch if you need any further guidance.

Best wishes

Emma

Nutracheck Nutritionist