What can we do about type 2 diabetes?

We are hearing more and more about type 2 diabetes in the media – whether it’s on the TV, newspapers, radio or social media. Why has it reached such prominence suddenly?

Type 2 diabetes used to be called ‘late-onset’ diabetes – it was a disease associated with older people. But now, it affects all ages from teens upwards. It has been the subject of a recent Panorama programme showing graphic scenes of amputations, and before that was widely publicised by Jamie Oliver in his programme Sugar Rush, showing a stack of artificial legs and talking about the amount of sugar hidden in everyday foods. According to diabetes.co.uk, the NHS is spending £1.5m per hour on diabetes treatment and by 2035 it is projected to rise to 17% of the entire NHS budget.

The answer to this problem is not to spend more on amputations and other surgical interventions. The answer is to deal with the root cause – our misunderstanding of what food does to our bodies.

Type 2 diabetes is reversible through food. Blood-sugar balancing with three meals a day, combining carbohydrates and proteins at each meal and making sure that half of your plate is full of non-starchy vegetables at two meals each day will bring your blood sugar levels down. You will not feel hungry and there is no need for a restrictive diet - you will still eat foods from all of the food groups. You will feel healthier, happier and have more energy, and along with that comes more willingness to exercise (that doesn’t mean a programme at the gym, it just means more than your current level). None of this is expensive, and none of it requires drugs or hospital admission.

Some very simple changes can make all the difference to whether you develop or continue to experience type 2 diabetes – or not. I hope you will be one of those proactive people who want to take back control of their health and make a real difference to their lives.