{"id":5758,"date":"2022-07-28T14:15:19","date_gmt":"2022-07-28T14:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/?p=5758"},"modified":"2026-02-17T15:05:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:05:36","slug":"august-nutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/august-nutrition\/","title":{"rendered":"What you need to know about diabetes"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"wp-image-5760\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>4.9 million<\/strong> people in the UK <strong>already have diabetes<\/strong>. <strong>13 million<\/strong> people are <strong>at risk<\/strong> of developing it. But did you know that combined lifestyle interventions including diet, physical activity and losing weight can <strong>reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 50%<\/strong>?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>We asked Dietitian Clare to tell us more about diabetes. Here, she takes us through what it is, how it affects us, and how a healthy, balanced diet can help. Along with some exercise of course.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size: 25px;\">Part I. What is Diabetes?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The <strong>World Health Organisation<\/strong> (WHO) defines diabetes as \u2018a <strong>chronic, metabolic disease characterised by elevated levels of blood glucose (blood sugar), which leads to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves over time<\/strong>\u2019.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cDiabetes is a <strong>long term, complex condition<\/strong> that has many forms. The 2 most common forms are Type 1 and Type 2.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Type 1:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>The body doesn\u2019t make any, or very little, <strong>insulin<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li>When we break down <strong>carbohydrates<\/strong> from food into <strong>glucose<\/strong> and absorb it into our bloodstream, there is no insulin to move it into our cells.\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li>This means <strong>glucose levels in the bloodstream continue to increase<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>It most commonly develops in children, teenagers and young adults and affects around <strong>8% of people in the UK<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cGenetics are believed to be a significant risk factor in the development of type 1 diabetes, with evidence suggesting diet, Vit D exposure and poor gut health may further increase risk\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Type 2:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Occurs when either the insulin you\u2019re producing <strong>isn&#8217;t working properly<\/strong> and your <strong>cells are less sensitive<\/strong> to it<\/li>\r\n<li>Or when the <strong>cells in your pancreas<\/strong> aren\u2019t making enough insulin<\/li>\r\n<li>This causes <strong>blood glucose levels to rise<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Around <strong>90% of people living with diabetes have Type 2<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cGenetics, age, ethnicity, high blood pressure, diet and weight are all risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"200\" class=\"wp-image-5762\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/shutterstock_2032604657-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/shutterstock_2032604657-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/shutterstock_2032604657-1-300x100.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/>\r\n<figcaption>Close-up Of A Man Testing Glucose Level With A Continuous Glucose Monitor On His Arm<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size: 25px;\">Part II. Diabetes and Carbohydrates<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A healthy balanced diet helps maintain blood glucose levels. So let\u2019s talk:\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Fibre<\/li>\r\n<li>Carbs\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li>Glycemic Index.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cWhile there is no such thing as a diabetes diet, <strong>optimising fibre intake and choosing slow release, low glycaemic index carbohydrates <\/strong>can be helpful to someone meal planning with diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>What is the Glycemic Index (GI)?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>All forms of <strong>starchy carbohydrates increase blood glucose levels<\/strong>. However some carbs have a <strong>significant<\/strong> and rapid impact on blood glucose levels, so this scoring system from <strong>1- 100<\/strong> can help.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Low GI foods<\/strong> score from 1-55 and are digested and absorbed more slowly. <strong>Medium GI foods<\/strong> score from 56-69.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Examples of medium and low GI foods<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Granary, multigrain and rye bread, most fruit and\u00a0 vegetables, beans and pulses, new potatoes with skin, sweet potatoes, wholegrains such as oats, bulgar wheat, quinoa, brown and basmati rice.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Why choose these types of food?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Choosing low GI, high fibre foods can be helpful as they release energy more slowly and cause a more gentle rise in blood glucose levels.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>High GI <\/strong>foods score from 70-100. These foods cause very quick and sharp rises in blood glucose levels.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>High GI foods<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>White rice, sugary beverages, white bread, processed sugary breakfast cereals, white potatoes, sugar and sugary foods<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Did you know?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Higher fibre low GI <\/strong>options are more sustaining and filling, which helps to regulate appetite, minimise snacking and cravings!\u00a0We should be including a minimum of 30g of fibre a day.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size: 25px;\">Part III. Diabetes and your 5 a day<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>What does a healthy, balanced diet for someone with diabetes look like? And what foods should we enjoy &#8211; or avoid?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cEating in a <strong>healthy, balanced way is important for people with diabetes<\/strong>, not only because it helps to <strong>manage their blood glucose<\/strong> levels over the short term, but also because it can help to <strong>avoid long term complications<\/strong> such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Clare\u2019s top tips:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>5-a-day<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Eat a minimum of 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. More if you can!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Why?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Fruit and vegetables are high in fibre and a rich source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"2\">\r\n<li><strong>Healthy fats please<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Include more healthy mono and polyunsaturated fats and minimise saturated and trans fats\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Find them in<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Olive oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, nuts, seeds and oily fish.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"3\">\r\n<li><strong>\u00a0Sweet enough<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Avoid foods and beverages high in sugar when managing blood glucose levels.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Don\u2019t add sugar to foods and beverages\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li>Watch your \u2018free sugars\u2019<\/li>\r\n<li>Use natural high fibre sources of sweetness like a piece of whole fruit!<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"4\">\r\n<li><strong>Long chain Omega 3 fats<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Include at least 1-2 portions of oily fish a week from fresh anchovies, carp, herring, mackerel, pilchards, salmon and trout, or sea vegetables\u00a0like nori, spirulina, and chlorella.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" class=\"wp-image-5759\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2216-FAMILY-Smoked-salmon-quinoa-and-lentil-risotto_1rs.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2216-FAMILY-Smoked-salmon-quinoa-and-lentil-risotto_1rs.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2216-FAMILY-Smoked-salmon-quinoa-and-lentil-risotto_1rs-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"5\">\r\n<li><strong>Watch the salt!<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Check food labels and salt content. Be conscious of adding salt when cooking or at the table and limit high salt foods.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Know your limits: 6g of salt a day for adults!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Surprisingly salty culprits<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Cheese, gravy granules, olives, prawns, stock cubes, and yeast extract (to name but a few!)<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"6\">\r\n<li><strong>Red (meat) alert<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Red meat and processed meats have been related to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and a number of cancers.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Naughty list<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Beef, lamb, bacon, sausage, ham, cured meats (salami or chorizo).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\" start=\"7\">\r\n<li><strong>Alcohol and diabetes<\/strong><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Alcohol is high in energy and may stimulate appetite. For people with diabetes, especially those taking insulin or mediations, alcohol can increase risk of hypoglycaemia.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size: 25px;\">Part IV. Diabetes and Exercise<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cPhysical activity is very beneficial for people with diabetes. Finding a variety of activities that you can enjoy regularly can be brilliant to help manage blood glucose levels. Not only that, exercise helps you feel great, too!\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>The good news about exercise:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li><strong>Increases insulin sensitivity<\/strong> &#8211; can help minimise or reduce medication.<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Improves long term blood glucose control <\/strong>&#8211; research has shown in some cases this can lead to diabetes going into remission!<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Improves blood <\/strong>pressure\u00a0and<strong> blood cholesterol <\/strong>levels.\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li><strong>Helps manage stress<\/strong>, improve <strong>sleep<\/strong>, and manage <strong>weight<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Yet to try healthy eating made easy? Get \u00a310 off your first two\u00a0healthy recipe\u00a0boxes by entering code\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/mindfulchef.com\/BLOG20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BLOG20<\/a>\u00a0at checkout. Mindful Chef\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/healthy-recipe-boxes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">healthy recipe boxes<\/a>\u00a0provide you with the tools to cook delicious nutritious meals, in under 30 minutes. Each box contains recipe instructions, pre-portioned ingredients and fresh\u00a0produce\u00a0sourced from award-winning British farms.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>4.9 million people in the UK already have diabetes. 13 million people are at risk of developing it. But did you know that combined lifestyle interventions including diet, physical activity and losing weight can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 50%? We asked Dietitian Clare to tell us more about diabetes. Here, she&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/august-nutrition\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[286],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5758","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthy-lifestyle","8":"entry"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1.jpg",600,400,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1.jpg",600,400,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1.jpg",600,400,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1.jpg",600,400,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1.jpg",600,400,false],"horizontal-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1.jpg",600,400,false],"horizontal-thumbnail-small":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1-360x225.jpg",360,225,true],"vertical-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1.jpg",600,400,false],"vertical-thumbnail-small":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1-360x400.jpg",360,400,true],"square-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-TV-Campaign-Shoot_Family_012-1-360x361.jpg",360,361,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Olivia Parker","author_link":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/author\/olivia\/"},"uagb_comment_info":2,"uagb_excerpt":"4.9 million people in the UK already have diabetes. 13 million people are at risk of developing it. But did you know that combined lifestyle interventions including diet, physical activity and losing weight can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 50%? We asked Dietitian Clare to tell us more about diabetes. Here, she...Read&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5758"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5758\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7327,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5758\/revisions\/7327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mindfulchef.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}