Naseem Tariq (manager of Touchstone’s Long Term Condition and Diabetes Programme), speaks about World Diabetes Day, and ways to manage or avoid the condition:
Today is World Diabetes Day, which has grown every year to become a globally-celebrated event to increase awareness about diabetes.
It is proving effective in spreading the message about diabetes and raising awareness for the condition.
The theme of World Diabetes Day, from 2014 to 2016 will be healthy living and diabetes and this year, there’s a focus on starting each day right by having a healthy breakfast.
A healthy breakfast should help blood sugar levels from getting too high and should keep you full through the morning. Whilst cereal and toast may be cheap, these options typically raise blood sugar levels rapidly and may leave you hungry again before lunch.
If you drink fruit juice for breakfast, consider cutting the juice out or having a smaller glass of it. For reference, a 150ml glass of unsweetened orange juice contains around 15g of carbohydrate and 13g of sugar.
World Diabetes Day was jointly introduced by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). The global diabetes awareness campaign was introduced amidst concern over an escalating diabetes epidemic.
November 14th is a significant date in the diabetes calendar because it marks the birthday of the man who co-discovered insulin, Frederick Banting. Banting discovered insulin in 1922, alongside Charles Best.
World Diabetes Day is internationally recognised and is now an official United Nations Day.
Spread the word and promote the theme ‘healthy breakfast’ today on your social media accounts.
