How does what I eat benefit my health? 

Food has a powerful impact on body weight, blood glucose levels, and overall wellbeing. While there is no one-size-fits-all eating plan, there are recommendations for a balanced diet that can help you: 

• Reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 
• Support a healthy weight. 
• Protect your heart: Healthy eating lowers cholesterol, reduces blood pressure, and decreases your risk of heart disease and stroke. 
• Boost energy and mood: Nutritious foods help keep energy levels steady and support mental wellbeing. 

What and how much should I be eating? 

A healthy diet is all about balance, variety, and portion sizes. It means enjoying a variety of foods from each of the five food groups:  

When you eat more energy (calories) than you burn through daily activities and exercise, it can lead to weight gain, which can increase your risk of developing prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.  

Try to limit foods that are high in energy, such as takeaway meals, sweet biscuits, cakes, sugary drinks, fruit juice, lollies, chocolate, and salty snacks. Paying attention to your portion sizes and eating mindfully can also help you manage how much energy you take in. Mindful eating strategies include sitting at a table to eat, taking smaller bites and chewing slowly, and pausing during your meal to check if you are still feeling hungry. 

To help reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes

• Choose more whole, unprocessed foods and less processed or packaged foods. 
• Eat regular meals and spread them evenly throughout the day. 
• Get to know what type and how much carbohydrate foods to eat for you. 
• Look to follow a low GI (glycaemic index) diet and reduce the GL (glycaemic load) of your meals. 
• Eat a diet lower in fat, particularly saturated fat. 

Understanding carbohydrates   

In recent years much has been made about the role of carbohydrate foods and the effect they have on your health, particularly when it comes to lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes. Carbohydrates provide many important nutrients and are an essential part of a healthy diet, but not all carbohydrates give you the same health benefits. It’s important to avoid highly processed carbohydrates such as white bread and white rice, and look for whole grain, low GI foods.   

If you’re thinking about reducing carbohydrates, speak with an accredited practising dietitian for personalised advice as individual needs will vary. 

Types of fats   

Fats have the highest energy (calorie) content of all foods. Eating too much fat can make you put on weight, and increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. You need some fat for good health but the type of fat you choose is important.   

Saturated fat   

It is important to limit saturated fat because it raises your LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol levels. To reduce your saturated fat intake:   

• Choose reduced or low-fat milk, yoghurt, cheese, ice-cream and custard. 
• Choose lean meat and trim any fat off before cooking.  
• Remove the skin from chicken, duck and other poultry (where possible, before cooking). 
• Avoid using butter, lard, dripping, cream, sour cream, coconut oil, copha, coconut milk, coconut cream, and hard cooking margarines.   
• Limit pastries, cakes, puddings, and chocolate to special occasions.
• Limit how much processed deli meats you eat (devon/polony/fritz/luncheon meat, chicken loaf, salami, and sausages, etc.)  
• Avoid deep and battered foods such as chips, fried chicken and battered fish.  
• Avoid pies, sausage rolls and pastries.   

Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats   

Eating small amounts of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats can help ensure you get the essential fatty acids and vitamins your body needs.   

Polyunsaturated fats include:   

• Polyunsaturated margarines (check the label for the word ‘polyunsaturated’)   
• Sunflower, safflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed and sesame oils
• The fat found in oily fish such as herring, mackerel, sardine, salmon and tuna  

Monounsaturated fats include:   

• Canola and olive oils   
• Some margarines   
• Avocado  

Seeds, nuts, nut spreads, and peanut oil contain a combination of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat.   

Drink water 

Where can I get advice? 

Everyone’s lifestyle, culture, and health needs are different. If you’re at risk of type 2 diabetes or have prediabetes, it’s important to get advice that works for you. Helpful supports include: 

• Your GP – They can check your risk factors, blood glucose, and overall health, and refer you to other services. 
• Accredited Practising Dietitians – Qualified nutrition experts who provide tailored advice and meal planning support. 
• Credentialled diabetes educators – Health professionals who can help with practical strategies for eating, activity, and health checks. 
• Diabetes Australia – For evidence-based information on food labels, carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and healthy recipes. 

Remember, the sooner you start to make healthier changes, the sooner you can start to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.