Written by Administrator
Food provides us with the energy to live life, and is vital for our wellbeing – affecting both body and mind. Enjoying food with friends and family is an important part of our social interactions, and it’s no surprise that almost every celebration of life and achievements in our society – like christenings, birthdays and weddings - are celebrated with a gathering to enjoy food together.
Finding a balance between healthy everyday foods and occasional treat foods is the key to a sustainable eating plan that promotes both good health and an enjoyment of food. The everyday foods which make up a balanced diet give us energy, protein, antioxidants, fibre, vitamins and minerals and carbohydrate for fuel. These are the essentials that help keep us healthy, and contribute to a strong immune system and healthy bones, teeth and skin. Making these foods a part of every day eating is the way to achieve a healthy diet, and the fact sheets on this page are full of ideas and information aimed at helping you make the steps to put this idea into practice.
You can find more information and support about weight management on our "weight matters" and type 1 weight matters" pages here:
Diabetes Counselling - Weight Matters
Diabetes Counselling - Type 1 Weight Matters
Get expert one on one counselling about any issue relating to your diabetes, weight management, mental health and wellbeing here:
Diabetes Counselling - Online Diabetes Counselling
FOOD BASICS
Most people have a fairly good understanding of the healthy options in the foods they eat – meat with the skin on or off, low fat versus full-fat dairy, and so on – but do you know your food basics well enough to make the healthy choice when faced with a supermarket full of options? For example, are any fats better or worse than other kinds of fats for your health? What is a "low G.I. carb" and what kinds of food can you find them in?
This section contains the information that makes up the building blocks of a healthy diet.
- Facts on fats
- Carbs and Diabetes
- The Glycemic Index
- Planning for healthy meals
- Reading food labels
- Food portion sizes
DCO Fact Sheet - Facts on Fats
DCO Fact Sheet - Carbs and Diabetes
DCO Fact Sheet - Glycemic Index
DCO Fact Sheet - Planning for healthy meals
DCO Fact Sheet - Reading Food Labels
DCO Fact Sheet - Portion Sizes
HEALTHY EATING FOR ALL AGES 
As mentioned in many of our fact sheets on healthy eating, there is no real "diabetic diet". Instead, a balanced diet with lots of healthy wholegrains and fruits and vegetables is recommended – just as it is for the rest of the population. Yet there are some challenges to achieving a healthy diet for particular populations, such as young children who may be fussy eaters, and older adults who may have lost interest in food. Below are some suggestions for overcoming barriers to healthy eating for all ages and stages.
- Toddlers
- School age children
- Teenagers
- Older adults
- Carers of older adults
DCO Fact Sheet - School Aged Children
DCO Fact Sheet - Carers of Older Adults
DIETS AND WEIGHT LOSS – MANAGING THE MAZE
There are well-known, scientifically-proven benefits to maintaining a healthy body weight, and this is particularly important for people with diabetes. Having an awareness of the benefits of weight loss, however, can make some people think that the best thing they could possibly do for their health is to lose as much weight as possible, as quickly as possible... but is this really best for your health? These fact sheets discuss some popular diets, as well as giving advice on setting up the right attitude and skills to eat well for life.
- Healthy Eating not Dieting
- "Crash" diets
- Low carbohydrate diets
- Emotional eating
- Motivation and taking the steps
- Step-by-step goal setting
- Food and Mood Diary
- Healthy Goals and Action Plans
- Having a positive relationship with food
DCO Fact Sheet - Healthy Eating not Dieting
DCO Fact Sheet - Low Carbohydrate Diets
DCO Fact Sheet - Emotional Eating
DCO Fact Sheet - Motivation and taking the steps
DCO Fact Sheet - Step by step goal setting
Healthy Goals and Action Plans
DCO Fact Sheet - Having a Positive Relationship with Food
FOODS, DRINKS, DIABETES AND LIFE 
Although there is no "diabetic diet", there are sometimes a few extra challenges that people with diabetes may need to keep in mind when deciding what to eat – for example, when exercising, or in social situations – particularly where there may be alcohol. These fact sheets are designed to give you some ideas in case these issues crop up, to help you handle them with a minimum of stress, frustration, and confusion.
- Dining out
- Social situations
- Managing hypos
- Alcohol
DCO Fact Sheet - Managing Social Situations
DCO Fact Sheet - Managing Hypoglycemia
COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES
Many people are interested in exploring non-medical options for managing their diabetes, or to add to their medications in the hope of optimising their health. It’s well-known that not all supplements are useful in achieving their health claims, just as it’s known that some may be a useful addition to people’s diets. The fact sheets below are to help demystify the health claims around diabetes-related complementary and alternative therapies.
- Herbal remedies
- Supplements
DCO Fact Sheet - Herbal Remedies
Acknowledgements
Photos all taken from free digital photos
Thank you to our 2 wonderful students Claire and Anastasia for developing this page for us all and to our Board member and dietitian Kate Marsh for overseeing the whole thing!
