September 2, 2025
When Helen was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, she felt unsure about what to eat and how to manage her condition. Here she explains how EMPOWER gave her the knowledge and confidence to make positive changes.
I was first told I was pre-diabetic. I didn’t fully understand what this meant, but I knew I needed to lose some weight. I joined Slimming World but looking back I still didn’t really know what I was putting into my body.
At a later check-up with the Practice Nurse, I was told I had Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol. She showed me the traffic light system on food packaging, which was a real eye-opener. Some of the foods I thought were healthy actually weren’t, and many of the low-fat products I’d been eating were full of sugar. I was flabbergasted. She then asked if I’d like to join the EMPOWER course to understand more about my condition.
I found the discussions and course content really helpful. The advice around exercise and diet gave me much more insight into what I needed to change. For example, I discovered new recipe ideas through Glucose Goddess, recipe books, and the Diabetes UK website.
Since the course I’ve made small but important changes and I’ve already lost a stone. Some of these include swapping to wholemeal bread, choosing Greek yoghurt instead of low-fat sugary options and building a collection of diabetes-friendly recipes. I’ve also printed off the EMPOWER course notes, which I often go back to.
One of the best tips I picked up was to set reminders on my phone for my medication, so I don’t forget morning and evening doses. I haven’t given up sugar completely, but I’m far more aware of how much is in food, and I now use the traffic light system to guide my choices.
I would recommend the EMPOWER course to anyone with diabetes who wants to learn more about their condition and gain practical tips to help manage it.
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