Diabetic lifestyle change

Hi.

I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in my 30′s, and I take insulin and glucophage. I have been diabetic for about 8 years now. Initially after consulting with a specialist and a dietitian I gained control quite quickly, and maintained control for a long time. There was definitely a honeymoon period of about 3 years where all went great and then I got pneumonia from which I took about a month to recover from.

I found afterwards that my sugar levels were far more unstable, and heat and cold played a much larger role in how much insulin I needed. I have a really physical job so extra exercise has really never been an issue for me, except when going on holiday.

I think most diabetics crave some type of junk food, or sweet, at one time or the other, it’s simply human nature, especially when a friend or partner is snacking in front of you, and you think, “Why me?” There are some very conflicting ideas of what foods are good, and what is bad, high and low GI/GL etc, but simply eat as much fresh unprocessed foods as possible, eat healthily, and eat in moderation. Nobody wants to be hypo and definately not hyper.

I applaud Sweet Life for their efforts simply because it’s time the big corporates wake up and take notice of how many diabetics there are in SA, and hopefully more will be done to reduce costs and make life a little sweeter. Remember diabetes is simply a lifestyle change, a change to what everyone should actually be doing anyway.

– Brett