Before we go any further I am going to state that I am not a doctor, and I have no medical qualifications whatsoever. But what I can tell you is this, I have had years of dealing with the problems of diabetes, simply because I have many relatives who are diabetic, my wife my daughter father and mother in law being some of them.

I am not here to scare anyone who has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, but I am asking you to please, please, please take notice of some of the words I have put down here.

My father in law who is in his eighties was diagnosed diabetic fairly late in life, unfortunately he has lost most of his sight due to this terrible disease. So you have got to take some responsibility for yourself, if you do not want to read what I have to say do your own research, but whatever you decide to do, make sure you do it and keep yourself healthy.

You can lead a normal life even if you have to use insulin, don’t give me none of that but I am ill rubbish. My daughter and my wife run a drama dancing and singing school, they have 120 kids three nights a week, these kids put on three productions a year and that is without all of the nights these kids do shows at old folks homes and the like.

So as you can imagine they lead a very hectic life between them, don’t get me wrong they do have off days when they do not feel well but they get through it.

How you ask simple, they look after themselves, obviously they keep fit we all would with that amount of kids to see to, but they also make sure they have a strict regime with their insulin and diet.

Don’t get suckered into thinking you can only eat properly manufactured diabetic food, you don’t believe me read this from the food standards agency and Diabetic UK I have not changed any of the wording.

Diabetic products

The Food Standards Agency and Diabetes UK (formerly the British Diabetic Association) don’t recommend special diabetic products.

Foods that are labelled ‘diabetic’ are not necessarily healthier or more suitable for diabetics than other foods. And they tend to be more expensive than other products.

Many of the products that are labelled ‘diabetic’ are sweets, chocolates and biscuits. We should all avoid eating lots of these types of foods.

Take heed of this warning, your diet should be healthy anyway as it should be for none diabetics but healthy need not be boring. Again I have not changed any wording on this next statement.

What should people with diabetes eat?

People with diabetes should try to maintain a healthy weight and eat a diet that is:

low in fat (particularly saturated fat)

low in sugar

low in salt

high in fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a day)

high in starchy carbohydrate foods, such as bread, chapatti, rice, pasta and yams (these should form the base of meals) – choose wholegrain varieties when you can

There are no foods that people with diabetes should never eat. And there is no need to cut out all sugar. But, like everyone, people with diabetes should try to eat only small amounts of foods that are high in sugar or fat, or both. If you have diabetes you can eat cakes and biscuits sparingly, as part of a balanced diet.

Fruit juice is high in fructose (fruit sugar) so it can cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly. Because of this, it’s best for people with diabetes to drink juice with a meal and avoid having more than one small glass a day.

If you are prone to low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia), you might sometimes need to increase your blood sugar level quickly. If you suffer from a hypoglycaemic episode, you should have some fast-acting carbohydrate, such as a sugary drink or some glucose tablets, and follow this up with a starchy snack, such as a sandwich. It goes without saying if you are diabetic, any change you make to your diet should be with the full approval of your doctor.

So we will go over a few points we have covered.

* You do not need to spend a fortune on diabetic foodstuff.

* You can live a relatively normal healthy lifestyle.

* Foodstuff your family eat is perfectly acceptable for a diabetic.

Regular checkups with your doctor and hospital are essential, pay particular attention to your eyes ( use your optician ) and look after your feet, do not cut your nails to short or worse still pick at them, your feet have to last you a long time.

I hope I haven’t scared anyone, all I am trying to do with these articles is to let all of you good folk out there who are recently diagnosed know that there is life after diabetes.