Learn how to effectively manage diabetes and maintain a healthy and balanced diet in this free online nutrition course.

Eating healthily is crucial for leading a healthy lifestyle. The saying ‘you are what you eat’ emphasises the importance of being mindful of the food we consume. A balanced diet provides our body with the energy it needs, mainly from carbohydrates that break down into sugars. Sugars are stored in the body as glycogen and can be released into the bloodstream as glucose for energy when needed. However, when blood sugar levels are too high or too low, it can disrupt normal bodily functions and increase the risk of developing diabetes. This disease is common, caused by various factors and has no cure - so it is crucial for people with diabetes to understand how to manage the condition effectively as maintaining normal blood sugar levels can be difficult. This health and nutrition course examines the factors that can increase or lower blood sugar levels and explains how to manage diabetes through diet.

We start by explaining how the body uses insulin to regulate blood sugar (glucose) levels. We then distinguish between ‘type 1’ and ‘type 2’ diabetes and show you how diabetes can affect the eyes, nerves and kidneys. The course discusses various diabetic conditions, including diabetic neuropathy, hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. We outline the causes and risk factors of both types of diabetes and provide diets recommended for people suffering from the disorder. We compare the three types of carbohydrates to help you understand how nutrition can help you to manage diabetes. Diabetics are more likely to experience depression because of the daunting effort required to keep their blood sugar level within range. Though such people need support to overcome this disease, we explain how a person-centred support and its principles can help diabetics manage their disease.

The course provides some strategies designed to help you cope with changes in language and methods of communication when dealing with diabetic patients with dementia. Diabetics should eat smart and healthily to keep their blood sugar levels within range. We explain how to maintain a healthy balanced diet and discuss the foods that diabetics need to stay healthy. We describe the healthy lifestyle that diabetics should adopt but some patients may need insulin injections, which we show you how to perform. We then explain how the body responds to illness and how that can affect blood sugar levels. Diabetes is widespread and daunting to manage so this course is designed for health experts, dietitians, diabetics and anyone who lives with them. Sign up for this nutrition course to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle and manage diabetes through diet.