Research has clearly shown that the G.I. factor of refined sugar is the same in people that have diabetes and people that don’t. Moderate consumption of sugar (which means 40 to 60 grams of refined sugars a day) does not compromise blood sugar control. In fact, excluding sugar from the diet has important psychological consequences.

Sugar is not just empty kilojoules, but a source of pleasure and reward and it helps to limit the intake of fatty foods and high G.I. carbohydrate foods.

Our advice is to spread your sugar budget over a variety of nutrient rich foods that become more palatable with the addition of sugar, e.g. yoghurt, porridge and other breakfast cereals, milk drinks, fruit desserts, jam on toast.

Bread and potatoes have high G.I. factors (70 to 80). Does this mean a person with diabetes should avoid bread and potatoes?

Potatoes and bread can play a major role in a high carbohydrate and low-fat diet, even if a secondary goal is to reduce the overall G.I. factor. Only about half the carbohydrate has to be exchanged from high G.I. to low G.I. to achieve measurable improvements in diabetes. So, there is still room for bread and potatoes. Of course, some types of bread and potatoes have a lower G.I. factor than others and these should be preferred if the goal is to lower the G.I. as much as possible.

In the overall management of diabetes, the most important message is that the diet should be low in fat and high in carbohydrate. This will help people not only to lose weight, but to keep it off and improve their overall blood glucose and lipid control.

There are so few low G.I. foods that anyone wanting to follow a low G.I. diet would have to narrow the range of foods that he or she eats. Isn’t this a bad thing?

It is a myth that you have to narrow the range of foods you eat on a low G.I. diet In fact, some people have told us the opposite. They have found that the advent of the G.I. factor has expanded the range of foods they can eat because foods containing sugar are not unduly restricted.

The rumour that all low G.I. foods are high in fibre and not very palatable also needs dispelling. It is true that legumes and All-Bran may not be everyone’s favourite foods, but pasta, oats, fruit and many favourite Mediterranean recipes using cracked wheat and lentils etc. are low G.I. and delicious. To dispel such myths finally, we have included many mouth-watering recipes using legumes and lentils in Part II.

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The aim in care of diabetes is to keep you healthy all the time and to make sure you grow normally. It may be that you feel well but that there are early signs of something going wrong which a doctor could pick up and help you correct before you actually felt ill. It is helpful for your doctor to keep in touch with you, because if any problems do arise with your health, he will then know you and your diabetes well enough to be able to advise you more easily and efficiently. It will also make it easier perhaps for you to discuss minor’ difficulties and problems with him if you see him regularly and know him well.

Diabetes care involves a certain amount of self-discipline and, for some people at least, regular medical supervision helps to develop this. Finally, by attending a diabetic specialist or clinic regularly you will be sure that you will benefit from any new developments in special care for diabetes, because it is part of the job of specialist doctors and clinics to keep abreast of all research and new developments in treatment.

I am an adolescent girl. Will my periods upset my diabetes?

Menstrual periods won’t upset your diabetes, but your diabetes could be a little unstable during the period. This is of no importance and it is usually best to leave the insulin dose unchanged.

I am a teenage girl, and even though I am keeping to my exchanges I am getting fat. What can I do?

It may seem unfair to be getting fat when you are already on a diet. But a diet for a child with diabetes is not designed to make you lose weight, and it may be that you do not need as much food as you used to. You must first ask yourself whether you are being accurate with your exchanges; there is always a possibility that you are being a bit generous with measurements or having an extra exchange now and again without really meaning to. Are you having too much butter or other fatty foods? Are you taking enough exercise, or do homework and television take up most of your leisure time?

If you feel sure you are being careful with your diet, and being as active as you can, yet despite this you are getting fatter, then you should discuss it with your doctor. It may be that you need a reduction in your diet, but you should not cut down the number of exchanges without first consulting your doctor because you will probably need to adjust your insulin. If you get very hungry and find it hard to keep to your diet, the dietitian may be able to suggest more filling foods that will satisfy your appetite without giving so many calories.

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