Starting your diabetes diet

It is as well to be aware of what you are trying to achieve before starting the diabetes diet because this must become a way of life.

The diabetes diet you are embarking on is a way of eating that doesn't count calories. You may be eating 1,500, 2,000 or 3,000 calories a day. But don't bother counting them; they are irrelevant.

You must, however, restrict your intake of sweet and starchy foods. You may find that merely cutting down on these foods is sufficient, or you may have to make a more conscious effort to avoid eating too much of them. But either way let your appetite be your guide.

On this diabetes diet you can eat as much protein and fat as your body tells you it needs. Historically people have preferred these combined in the proportions of one part fat to between three and six parts lean by weight.

Blood controls for diabetes and weight loss

If you are overweight, what is it that you actually want to lose? That's not as silly a question as you might think. You don't want to lose weight — you can do that by having a leg amputated; what you really want to lose is fat.

The point is that, to lose fat, your body must use that fat as a fuel; there is no other way. And the only way your body will use its stored fat as a fuel is if you force it to. That means depriving it of its present supply of fuel — the blood sugar, glucose — so that it has no choice in the matter. In so doing, of course, you also ensure that your blood glucose is controlled.

There are two ways to cut your body's glucose supply: