Why is food important?

All types of food are important to give us energy and to make us grow strong and healthy. Energy comes most quickly from carbohydrate foods, which are turned into glucose. Although we get energy from fat, it does not turn to glucose in the body and so it doesn't make any difference to your blood glucose levels.

When you have diabetes, you have lots of glucose in your blood but you don't have enough insulin (remember - insulin unlocks the door of the 'cell' to let glucose inside to make energy in your body).

Why Carbohydrates are important

How insulin works

Carbohydrates affect the glucose in your blood and should be eaten often throughout the day so that they balance with the insulin that you are injecting. To help you learn how much carbohydrates you are eating, your dietitian will give you a list of foods that contain carbohydrates. If there is fibre in the food as well, this helps to slow down the digestion and absorption of the carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates from bread, potatoes, cereals, pasta, rice and beans are better for your diabetes than carbohydrates from things that taste sweet like candy, lemonade and jam.

The diagram below shows how insulin works in the body. It unlocks the door of the cell to let glucose inside to make energy in your body.

Do I have to give up anything?

You do not need to give up your favorite sweets, but you should try low-calorie foods and diet drinks such as diet Pepsi®, diet Coke®, etc.

Your dietitian will provide you with lots of information about foods and drinks. Your dietitian may also talk to you about carbohydrate counting. This is a way that you can match how much and what you eat with how much insulin you need. This will all become very easy for you once you have had a chance to understand it all much better.

You may also hear about something called the glycemic index (GI). The GI of food is something that tells you how quickly that particular food raises your blood glucose. Foods with a high GI will raise your blood glucose faster and food with a low GI will take more time. Your dietitian can help you understand this better.

Will I be hungry?

There may be times when you feel hungry. You probably lost weight before you found out about your diabetes.. As long as you eat right, it shouldn't matter how much food you eat since your insulin will be adjusted accordingly. Having diabetes doesn't mean you will be eating less; you will probably just eat a bit differently. For example, you may eat more 'carbohydrates' such as bread, pasta, cereals and potatoes.

There will be times when you use up more energy. For example, when you're playing football, swimming or dancing, you may need to eat more to keep the amount of glucose in your blood normal.

If you use more energy than you put in (or eat), the amount of glucose in your blood will fall too low so it's a good idea to eat more carbohydrates before exercise (sports activities).