Understanding Diabetes
Blood sugar & insulin
Blood sugar or blood glucose is the main sugar found in your blood. It comes from the foods you eat and is used by your body for energy. Insulin is the amount glucose in your blood is controlled by several hormones but the main one is insulin. Insulin moves the sugar from your blood into your cells for energy. Blood sugar levels can become high if the body is unable to make or use insulin.
Type 2 diabetes
Diabetes is a condition where the level of glucose (a type of sugar) in your blood is too high. When you have type 2 diabetes, you have some damage to your pancreas and do not respond to insulin as well as people without diabetes. Diabetes is diagnosed if either the HbA1c measurement is ≥ 50 mmol/mol, fasting glucose measurement is ≥ 7 mmol/L or random glucose measurement is ≥ 11.1 mmol/L.
Pre-diabetes
Pre-diabetes occurs when the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood is higher than normal but is not high enough to be diabetes. It’s defined as either a HbA1c measurement between 41 – 49 mmol/mol or fasting glucose measurement between 6.1 – 6.9 mmol/L.
What's normal?
The normal level of glucose in the blood is between 4 and 8 mmol/L. When blood glucose levels are higher than this, your body uses glucose as fuel and stores the extra glucose for use later. When the blood glucose levels are lower than this, your body will release glucose from your liver so it can be used as fuel. Long term, high glucose levels cause damage to your eyes, kidneys, blood vessels, heart and feet.
Managing Diabetes
The following lifestyle changes can help with the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes:
1. Increase your fibre intake Fibre is found in vegetables, wholegrains, legumes and unrefined cereals. Focus on basing your meals around whole foods that are high in fibre. Fibre will help with the management of blood sugar levels, try and consume over 30g a day.
2. Carbohydrate control Carbohydrates break down to blood sugar in the body and are found in fruit, starchy vegetables, bread, cereals, rice, pasta, milk, sugar, and yoghurt. Many people will benefit from controlling their carbohydrate consumption, spreading carbohydrates across the day and eating less refined carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, pasta, bakery foods and sugary drinks).
3. Managing weight Your health professional may recommend reducing your body weight if they believe this will improve your health. For most people with diabetes, a sustained weight reduction of around 5% has a significant improvement in blood sugar control, blood pressure and cholesterol.
4. Physical activity Building in regular movement and exercise is a great way to manage blood sugar levels – and makes you feel good too.
What’s the best diet for diabetes?
There's a lot of debate about the 'best' diet for diabetes. Many diets may be used to treat diabetes including a Mediterranean diet, low carb and ketogenic diets, plant-based diets and calorie restricted diets. However, the latest science shows that there's no single best approach. What’s most important is that you find an approach that works for you, where you can successfully manage your blood sugars while still enjoying food and you can sustain over the long-term.
How Fresh Start can help
Nutritional Info
When selecting your meals for the week, we provide the carbohydrates per serve so that you can choose options that are lower in carbs.
Nutritional Info
When selecting your meals for the week, we provide the carbohydrates per serve so that you can choose options that are lower in carbs.
Low Carb
Look out for the meals labelled low carb (<30g carbs per serve).
Low Carb
Look out for the meals labelled low carb (<30g carbs per serve).
Vegetarian Recipes
Choose some vegetarian meals each week to increase the amount of plant foods in your diet.
Vegetarian Recipes
Choose some vegetarian meals each week to increase the amount of plant foods in your diet.
Wholegrains
Choose meals that contain wholegrain carbs particularly those that are intact and unrefined as these are highest in fibre i.e. brown rice, bulgur wheat, quinoa.
Wholegrains
Choose meals that contain wholegrain carbs particularly those that are intact and unrefined as these are highest in fibre i.e. brown rice, bulgur wheat, quinoa.
Calorie Controlled
Look out for our calorie controlled (under 450 kcal) meals to help manage your weight.
Calorie Controlled
Look out for our calorie controlled (under 450 kcal) meals to help manage your weight.
Our Favourite Swaps
Here are a few of our favourite swaps to help you manage your blood sugar levels.
- When honey is a pantry staple be conscious of the amount that you use.
- Choose wholegrain foods instead of refined white carbs i.e. oats, brown rice, whole grains breads, whole grains crackers, wholemeal pasta/couscous.
- Where you can add an extra vegetable to your meals to increase your fibre intake.
- Keep skins on your vegetables instead of peeling them for extra fibre.
- Compare products like breakfast cereals and muesli bars and swap to a similar product that has a lowest sugar content and highest fibre content per 100g.
- Snack on high fibre foods like veggie sticks and hummus, yoghurt and wholegrain crackers with cheese instead of highly processed snacks.
- For drinks choose water instead of fruit juice, soft drinks, sport drinks or other sugar sweetened drinks.
Frequently asked questions
Can diabetes be reversed?
Yes, but it depends on the individual. Typically, around 10-15% weight reduction is required to reverse type 2 diabetes. Remission from weight loss is more successful if you are newly diagnosed.
Should I avoid all carbohydrates?
No. However, the key is to focus on eating more wholegrain high-fibre carbohydrates (eg. brown bread, brown rice) and other low glycemic carbohydrate foods like legumes in place of refined carbohydrates (eg. white rice, white bread, baked goods, desserts, sugary drinks).
Can I have sugar free beverages?
‘Sugar free’ or ‘diet’ drinks are a preferred alternative to sugar sweetened beverages if an individual is trying to reduce their overall sugar intake. However, they should still only be consumed in moderation. Water is always the best drink of choice.
What increases the risk of developing T2DM?
There are a number of factors that relate to your risk of diabetes: - High blood pressure - Smoking - Have a family history of T2DM - Overweight - Do not move your body regularly - Are of Māori, Pacific or South Asian ethnicity - Have been diagnosed with prediabetes
References: 1. https://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/wellbeing/managing-risk/managing-diabetes?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw-O6zBhASEiwAOHeGxc7CAhE2b3eq7m61NAqEyyGxpcQiM98EJHxhxsEEBvQ0gYIw19-FixoCtvcQAvD_BwE 2. https://t2dm.nzssd.org.nz/Section-98-Prediabetes 3. https://nutritionfoundation.org.nz/nutrition-facts/nutrients/carbohydrates/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw-O6zBhASEiwAOHeGxaA5msi_rXFxmQF64B0_vmLh7z9I1ho6wXMBxWGPO1li5rC-f6nUXhoC1t0QAvD_BwE 4. Guideline: Standard of Care for the Nutritional Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults – Dietitians NZ