We all know about diabetes, but do we really know what it involves? As a wellness brand, we think it’s important to talk about what wellness looks like for everyone. In honour of National Diabetes Week, we spoke to a few different people living with diabetes, and we’ve compiled a list of all the ways diabetes affects their everyday life based off their answers. The team at Tonik HQ are not experts in this area, but we don’t necessarily think we have to be to raise awareness and educate where possible.
- Managing a healthy diet
Our interviewees admitted that their diet as a diabetic isn’t much different to someone without diabetes and should consist of food we should be eating anyway 💁🏻♀️; however, the effects of food on our bodies may be different. Diabetics tend to be more wary of foods high in energy, as well as saturated fats, as they can raise your cholesterol levels. A ‘healthy’ diabetic diet generally focuses on foods to help regulate blood sugar levels.
- Taking regular medications/supplements
Most, if not all, diabetics have some sort of non-negotiable medication regime consisting of natural and traditional treatments. One of our fave supplement routines included the regular addition of our Tonik No.2 in their cycle – how freaking amazing! They use Apple Cider Vinegar to help manage their insulin levels and lower cholesterol levels. What a natural superstar!
- Regularly monitoring blood sugar levels
You know when you’re on antibiotics and have you have to remember to take them at specific times every day but always seem to forget? Well, pricking your finger is kind of like antibiotics… but you don’t really have the luxury of forgetting. Life as a diabetic is as involved as drawing blood on a daily basis. One of our interviewees pricks his finger every morning to get the low-down on his levels, and then adjusts his diet for the rest of the day to manage his blood sugar levels.
- Keeping on top of your health
Living with diabetes means you have to be tuned in to your health most of the time, as other illnesses or conditions can sometimes be affected by diabetes. This means regular exercise, making conscious food choices and getting on top of doctors appointments. When one of our Tonik Tribe members was diagnosed with a separate illness, his regular Type 2 habits were replaced with insulin injections and he had to adopt Type 1 practices to manage his health.
- Daily insulin injections
So, how much do you know about insulin? Do you know how insulin is produced in our bodies and why we need it? Diabetes Australia defines insulin as “…a hormone made by beta cells in the pancreas. When we eat, insulin is released into the blood stream where it helps to move glucose from the food we have eaten into cells to be used as energy” (Diabetesaustralia.com.au, 2019). Which means a lack of insulin results in a lack of energy. Those with Type 1 Diabetes are physically incapable of producing insulin, which is why they require daily injections. There are different types of insulin available, which is why it’s important to talk to our friends and family members about their diabetes so we can completely understand their condition and how we can continue to support them through their diabetes journey.
Do you have diabetes or know someone who does? Talk about it with people around you, find out what life is like as a diabetic and educate others on how they can raise awareness around something that affects so many of us. Living with diabetes is not just a ‘one-time’ thing. It’s an ongoing, lifelong, commitment that we should all understand the effects of.
Diabetesaustralia.com.au. (2019). Insulin. [online] Available at: https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/insulin [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].
