Type 2 & nutrition

The key to managing type 2 diabetes is achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight, making healthier food choices and being as active as you can be, every day.

Foods that contain carbohydrate provide the main source of energy for your body, especially the brain. When your body digests carbohydrate, it breaks it down into glucose, which is then absorbed into the bloodstream. This causes your blood glucose levels to rise.

Not all carbohydrate foods will have the same impact on blood glucose levels (BGLs). Some carbohydrate foods are broken down and released into the blood stream very quickly and others are broken down much more slowly. The rate at which carbohydrate foods are released into the bloodstream is called the Glycemic Index (GI). Carbohydrate foods can be classified as having either a low, medium or high GI. 

By law, all packaged food products must display an ingredient list. Small packages and foods like herbs and spices, tea, coffee and foods sold unpackaged or foods made and packaged at the point of sale are exceptions.