Eat your way to WELLNESS

These recipes are well-balanced, nourishing, and perfect for helping people take charge of their diabetes diagnosis.

PG 47

Chicken shawarma, crisp vegetables & yoghurt sauce 

NUTRITIONAL COUNT

per serving

8g total fat (1.6g saturated fat);

1507kJ (360 cal);

25g carbohydrate;

38.5g protein;

7.2g fibre;

313mg sodium

TAKING CHARGE OF DIABETES

Diabetes is one of the biggest health challenges we face this century. In Australia one person develops diabetes every five minutes - that's about 280 people a day.

Diabetes is a condition that affects the body's ability to get glucose out of the blood and into cells around the body, where it is converted into energy to fuel our various bodily functions. The hormone responsible for this is insulin and it is produced in the pancreas.

There are three types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease where the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin are destroyed.

Type 2 diabetes, where insulin resistance is developed as a result of poor diet and being overweight.

• Gestational diabetes, which develops during pregnancy and usually goes away after the baby is born.

Although different, they are all equally serious and so must be carefully managed.

The good news is that they can be managed. It can be empowering to take control of diabetes  through lifestyle changes, alongside professional medical help. A healthy diet will help to maintain a good weight, or lose weight if you need to, control blood glucose levels, reduce your risk of heart disease and the development of diabetic complications.

 KEY FOUNDATIONS OF HEALTHY EATING

• Eat whole, minimally processed foods.