Here’s some of the feedback we got from participants on our Sadee Smile diabetes awareness courses aimed at the South Asian communities in Leeds. All the clients referred to below are Pakistani adults, aged 45-60 with either Type II Diabetes or Prediabetes. The clients with Diabetes were either taking medication or aiming to control the condition through diet.
People said that they chose to attend the course in order to find out more about the condition and about any lifestyle or dietary changes that could help them to control it.
Some of the participants said that they found they were frequently tired or didn’t have enough energy for all the things they wanted to get done in a day. One client in particular noticed a marked change in this after learning about balanced diets in a session on the “Eat Well Plate”. She had previously avoided carbohydrates, but once she understood that carbohydrates are part of a healthy diet, she started to include them in each meal. She now has more energy than before and doesn’t feel tired as often as she used to.
Changes that clients told us they had made as a result of the course included increased exercise (e.g. regular walking, aqua-aerobics), reducing refined sugar intake (e.g. stopping taking sugar in tea, switching sweet biscuits for a healthier snack), making sure they don’t miss medication and eating regularly, but with a more balanced diet.
Clients told us:
- “I think twice before eating anything about whether it’s healthy or not.”
- “I enjoyed everything about this course.”
- “The course was very helpful for me as I didn’t know about the condition.”
- “I am more aware of what I eat and how I eat.”
- “These courses should be done more frequently for South Asian people. People need more awareness about diabetes to be able to change their lifestyle.”
