Healthy Eating

Many people contact us to ask if Food Optimising will fit in with their diabetes – the answer is a resounding YES! Not only will it fit around the condition – many members tell us that it has helped control it.

“At my heaviest weight I’d been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and the condition was steadily worsening. After losing 6 stones with Slimming World my confidence and physical health have improved dramatically and I feel great. My GP has even reduced my diabetic medication – she told me that I’m the only person in her diabetic clinic to have their medication reduced. I’m hoping that it can stop altogether eventually!”
Barrie Walters, Shropshire

"I’d been controlling my type 2 diabetes for several years using tablets. When I went to a routine appointment at my local diabetes clinic however, my doctor was pretty blunt. He told me that if I didn’t change my lifestyle, in a few months time I would need to start injecting insulin.

Part of my condition meant that I experienced diabetic lows, where I’d feel light headed and would start sweating. After joining Slimming World and losing 6 stones I experienced my last low nearly a year ago and took my last tablet - my diabetes is now controlled by my diet alone! My doctor is amazed. He’d never heard of someone with diabetes at my level changing their condition so drastically purely through diet."
John Ritchie, Eyemouth

how can Food Optimising help?

Because Food Optimising is extremely generous and flexible, and puts you in control of the foods you eat and when you eat them, it is easy to fit in with any personal advice on diet that your diabetes care team gives you. Taking insulin or other medication need not be a barrier to losing weight; our research shows that Slimming World members with diabetes lose weight as successfully as other members.

Diabetes UK, the leading charity working for people with diabetes, recommends six steps to healthy eating, which can help control your blood glucose levels and blood fats as well as regulate your weight.

Here is how Food Optimising helps you take those steps easily and enjoyably to achieve your goals:

1. Enjoy plenty of starchy, carbohydrate-rich foods

Food Optimising’s Green choice makes it easy to eat regular meals based on starchy carbohydrates: Free Foods such as pasta, potatoes, rice and pulses are can be eaten whenever you want them. Wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals are Healthy Extras, so you can enjoy them every day if you wish. Filling up on fibre-rich foods is great for weight loss because they help keep you feeling fuller for longer and are low in energy density, which means they help you keep hunger at bay without piling on the calories.

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2. Easy ways to eat less fat

When you are Food Optimising you automatically reduce your fat intake:

• high-fat foods are counted as Syns, so they are limited, but oily fish and olive oil, which are rich in 'good' fats, are Healthy Extras on the Green choice that is recommended for people with diabetes.
  
  
• you are encouraged to choose very-low-fat versions of dairy produce, such as milk, yogurt and cheese
  
  
• trim off fat from meat, bacon etc and remove skin (the lovely high-fat bit) from poultry
  
  
• cook using healthy, fat-free methods such as grilling, steaming or baking instead of frying.

3. Fill up on fruit and veg

The Department of Health recommends that we eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day; we recommend that Food Optimisers eat even more – as much as you have room for! This is because fruit and vegetables are super-healthy, low-energy foods to fill up on. All fruit and vegetables, fresh or frozen, are Free Foods on the Green choice so you can keep the fruit-bowl full and pile your plate with vegetables at every meal.

4. Easy ways to eat less sugar

Like high-fat foods, sugary foods count as Syns and so are automatically limited when you are Food Optimising. But there's no need to go without sweet tea or fizzy drinks: artificial sweeteners are Free Foods and can be used in drinks and in cooking; diet and sugar-free versions of fizzy drinks are also Free.

5. Keep an eye on salt

It is easy to monitor your salt intake when you’re Food Optimising because you are encouraged to prepare meals using fresh foods, rather than eating a lot of ready-made and convenience dishes. Lots of flavourings such as herbs, spices and garlic are also Free Foods.

6. Keep an eye on alcohol

All alcohol counts as Syns, so is limited when you are Food Optimising. A small glass of wine or half-pint of beer both have around 5 Syns, so with a typical daily allowance of 10 Syns, you can enjoy one or two drinks a day if that is how you like to use them. Drinking on an empty stomach, which is not recommended if you have diabetes, need never be a problem as there are always Free Food snacks to fill up on.

We recommend that you talk to your diabetes care team about Food Optimising. This is especially important if you are taking insulin or other diabetes medication as doses may need adjusting as you lose weight.

Your Slimming World Consultant and fellow members are part of your 'care team' too. Every week in your group you can look forward to sharing food ideas, building activity into your routine, learning strategies for success and enjoying the warm support of people like you who all want to lose weight, get fitter – and have fun. Let your Slimming World Consultant know you have diabetes; he or she won't be able to give you specific dietary or medical advice, but will be happy to help you incorporate any advice you've been given and, of course, give you plenty of support and encouragement to reach your goals.

For more information on all aspects of diabetes check out www.diabetes.org.uk.

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