Type 2 Diabetes

What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 Diabetes, also known as non-insulin dependent or adult-onset diabetes, is the most common form of diabetes and usually develops in overweight people after the age of 40 due to the body not responding to insulin properly, causing there to be too much glucose (a type of sugar) in the blood.
The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is increased by being overweight and inactive, having a family history of diabetes, and eating too much fat and refined carbohydrates.
Type 2 diabetes can be managed, and in some rare cases reversed, through healthy eating, weight control and physical activity.

How to prevent type 2 diabetes with diet.
As type 2 diabetes is predominately a lifestyle disease, following a healthy eating plan and regular exercise is the best way to stave of this disease. 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days should be maintained.

How to control type 2 diabetes with diet.
Diet has a huge influence on not only controlling weight, but also blood glucose levels. When suffering from diabetes of any kind it is recommended that you follow a healthy eating plan based on high-fibre foods, as well as choosing foods low in saturated fats and sodium. Only eating a moderate amount of sugars is also recommended.

To assist diabetics in making the right food choices, Healthy Food For Life offers a wide range of diabetic-friendly recipes, as well as 3 diabetes cookbooks (Diabetes, Diabetes 2, and Diabetes Big Ideas) and a diabetes recipes DVD.

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For your chance to win a pack of six boxes of crackers from Melinda’s Gluten-Free Goodies, visit Healthy Food For Life and tell us in 25 words or less how Melinda’s crackers will help you entertain this Christmas.

The pack contains 2 boxes of each delicious flavour: Natural, Poppy Seed, and Pepper & Chives.

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ABOUT LOW GI

WHAT IS THE GLYCEMIC INDEX (GI)?

The glycemic index is a scale that rates carbohydrate foods on how quickly they raise blood glucose/sugar levels after eating.
Foods that are high GI are are digested and absorbed quickly which results in fluctuations in blood glucose/sugar levels.
Foods that are low GI are digested and absorbed at a slower rate and therefore result in a gradual rise in blood glucose/sugar levels.

WHY FOLLOW A LOW GI DIET?

Eating foods that are Low GI has been shown to improve the blood glucose/sugar levels of people suffering from type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It also assists in weight loss and weight control as low GI foods control appetite and delay feelings of hunger.
The slow releasing of energy provided by low GI foods also reduces the risk of heart disease and other chronic illnesses that are related the high blood glucose/sugar fluctuations.

FOODS THAT HAVE LOW GI

Examples of foods that have a low GI are:

• multi-grain bread
• low-fat milk and yoghurt
• sweet potato
• legumes
• most fruits
• pasta

Examples of foods that have a high GI are:

• white bread
• jelly lollies
• potato
• sugar

Remember, just because a food has a low GI does not mean you should gorge yourself on it. The same applies for restricting high GI foods. Everything in moderation.

For more advice on low GI foods, low GI recipes and products visit Healthy Food For Life.