Resources for pre-diabetics

 

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What is pre-diabetes? 

Pre-diabetes means your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes, giving you a chance to make lifestyle changes to  prevent or delay the condition.

How serious is this?

This really depends on your age and life expectancy (as well as the presence of other risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as smoking, high blood pressure etc). About 1 in 3 people with pre-diabetes develop Diabetes over the next 5 years. Complications of Diabetes, such as stroke and cardio-vascular disease, tend to occur 8-10 years after developing Diabetes. Pre -Diabetes in your 70s and 80s is less likely to to have a significant impact on your health than developing pre-diabetes in your 40s and 50s.

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How Can you reduce your risk?

There is lots of support and information to help your reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Changes to your diet, activity levels and weight can make an enormous difference, and many of the things you can do to reduce your blood sugars will also improve other aspects of health, as well as making you feel better overall.

 

The National Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP)

The NDPP is a free programme designed to help people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes make lasting lifestyle changes to improve their blood sugars and overall health.  You will get expert advice and practical tips to help you build healthier food and activity habits. Many of our patients who have taken part in the programme lost weight/inches, feel better and are very positive about the course.  In West Dorset we have local groups in Bridport, Lyme Regis and Dorchester which run regularly throughout the year and provide long term support.  If you prefer you can also follow the course via an App where you are assigned a personal coach who works with you.  

We strongly recommend you attend.

To be referred to the programme please:

 

Diabetes UK 

The first stop in understanding the disease and things you can do to help yourself, including advice on diet and exercise, links to recipes and eating plans and information on different approaches to managing pre-diabetes and diabetes. They have lots of resources on the site and you can order free information booklets from their online shop.

  • Diabetes telephone helpline: 0345 123 2339.
  • Website

Live Well Dorset

Offers online, 1 to 1 and telephone support to help you improve your health.  If you would like to lose weight they can offer coaching and a 12 week countdown at Slimming World or a referral to ‘Second Nature’.  Second Nature is app based and gives 12 weeks of intensive support with a dietician/nutritionist coach, plus peer support and tools to help behaviour change.  Based on lifestyle change rather than dieting it offers a lower carb approach so is very suitable for pre-diabetics. 

You can refer yourself via their website or by:

  • Telephone: 0800 840 1628 (Monday to Friday 9am to 6.30pm) or we can ask them to contact you.
  • Website

Local Support

The Bridport area Peer to Peer Diabetes Support group meets on the first Tuesday of the month at the WI Hall in North Street, 3.30 -5.00pm. Find more information here, or call Social Prescribing on 01308 428943

 

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Lower Carbohydrate Eating

The most recent research suggests that eating  fewer carbohydrates and choosing those which are high in fibre can be helpful in blood sugar control. Being mindful of portion sizes when eating carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, bakery goods and pastry) and making sure you chose wholegrain versions is really helpful.

The Public Health Collaboration is a charity that promotes good metabolic health through sustainable lifestyle changes, education about real foods, and lower carb eating. They have resources, online support groups and videos.

Pulses (beans, lentils and peas) are an excellent option as they contain protein, lots of fibre and slow release carbohydrates. 

Find out more about why carbs are important for diabetics here.

The late Dr Michael Moseley wrote a lot about controlling blood sugars through diet and exercise.  He recommends following what is known as the mediterranean diet and he has several eating plans and recipe books, more information can be found here.

You can learn more about the mediterranean diet here.

His radio 4 Podcast ‘just one thing’ is also very interesting and covers lots of topics to help you improve your health and wellbeing. 

 

The Glucose Goddess Method

The ‘Glucose Goddess’, Jessie Inchauspe, is a biochemist, writer and broadcaster who tries to help people understand how food impacts the body.  She has published several books and uses social media and television to highlight the impact  of carbohydrates in the diet.  Her website and her book ‘The Glucose Goddess Method’ have lots easily accessible information and ‘hacks’ to help you improve you blood sugars. View her 'Glucose Hacks' here.

 

Getting More Active

Evidence shows that increasing your physical activity can dramatically improve your blood sugars and reduce your diabetes risk. Simple things such as being more active in the home, going for a walk,  and building physical activity into daily life can be very helpful. Locally we have weekly free guided health walks for all abilities.   

Bridport Leisure Centre and Leisure East Devon (Axminster and Seaton) both offer reduced rates of subscription when you are referred by a healthcare professional so you can try out the gym and some classes. Pick up a form to complete  at Bridport Leisure Centre (01308 427464).  Contact the Social Prescribing team for a referral to Leisure Est Devon.

The Social Prescribing team also has information on a wide range of exercise classes, groups and activities in West Dorset, from Nordic walking to gentle yoga and beyond, so please get in touch if you want more information.

 

Making Healthier Choices

If you need help making better choices whilst shopping, you can use the NHS Food Scanner App (download from your App store), which suggests healthier food swaps and alternative when you scan a food’s barcode.

The NHS healthier families website is full of ideas, hints and tips to help you make better food choices for all the family.

Several patients have recommended the ‘Yuka’ app (they have a carrot as an icon) and it simply flags foods as red, amber and green to help guide you to healthier choices.