Like everyone, you should:
- eat a wide range of foods – including fruit, vegetables and some starchy foods like pasta
- keep sugar, fat and salt to a minimum
- drink alcohol in moderation
- eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day – don’t skip meals
Enjoying food and drink
You can still eat the food you love.
There’s nothing you can’t eat if you have type 2 diabetes but – just like everyone else – you need to limit certain foods.
Diet advice can be confusing!
With so much advice out there, it’s hard to know what’s right.
On our local and free X-PERT course you’ll learn about different ways of eating, from mediterranean to low carb to intermittent fasting. This will help you make the right choices for you.
Book now →What’s diabetic food?
There’s no such thing as special diabetic food. In the past some foods were labelled as diabetic food. They were often low in sugar but just as high in calories and fat which can lead to weight gain.
Your weight is important
If you’re overweight then losing weight will help lower your blood sugar and improve your blood pressure and cholesterol. To know if you’re overweight, check your body mass index (BMI).
If you do need to lose weight, do it slowly over time, eg. lose 0.5 to 1kg per week.
Help with enjoying healthy eating
If you find it hard to know what or how to cook, you’ll find lots of useful ideas and recipes on the X-PERT diabetes course.
Also, take a look at these pages from around the internet for inspiration:
What about alcohol
Drinking less is a simple change that will make a big difference to your diabetes. Why not try two dry days per week or a challenge such as Dry January or Sober October.
Use this quick quiz to see how a little less can help a lot.
Make simple changes with smarter goals
Being healthier isn’t just about ‘doing the right thing’ – it’s about taking small steps each day to fit your life and make you feel good. Download our SMARTER goals template to create mini goals that are easier to stick to, so you feel better, every day.