The doctor said on BBC Morning Live that the diet can help manage the diagnosis
A doctor has shared a diet that he thinks is beneficial for those who have type two diabetes. Speaking on BBC Morning Live today (November 14), the expert said one diet that could help people manage their condition, specifically type 2, is all to do with the Med.
He revealed that in the UK alone, around two million people have this type of diabetes. The common condition is caused by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood, with the NHS stating it starts with issues with a chemical in the body (hormone) called insulin.
The condition is linked to being overweight and inactive – and your risk is higher if someone in your family has it. The expert revealed the Mediterranean diet could help – and there’s scientific proof it has great benefits for our health.
Dr Kiran Morjaria said that whilst he’s not an advocate for telling people that they should eat and avoid certain foods, he says that the popular Med diet has some evidence which “might be helpful in weight loss and blood sugar control. But that’s not a prescription to take a holiday to Greece unless I can also come,” he joked.
One viewer asked if there was an alternative to medication. The doctor explained: “There are some people whose diabetes are managed with diet and lifestyle interventions alone, but for most people with type two diabetes they are managed with medication. There isn’t really an alternative to medications and I’m talking about type two diabetes here. There are things we can do alongside medications that can be really helpful.
“The first one is diet. Diet is crucial.”
Stressing “it’s about having a healthy, balanced diet, eating foods from all the food groups”, the expert warned: “I wouldn’t embark on a strict, calorie-controlled diet without discussing that with your doctor first.
“As well as diet, exercise is also key.” Urging people to do “two to two and half hours of moderate intensity activity per week” he says that this means people should “try to do regular exercise and be mindful of the amount we’re doing.”
The late doctor, Michael Mosley, who reversed his own type two diabetes, said that there’s “overwhelming scientific evidence that a low carb Mediterranean-style diet — one rich in vegetables, olive oil, nuts and the occasional glass of wine or bite of dark chocolate — is better for weight loss, blood sugar control and improving cholesterol than going on a low fat diet.”
The author, who died tragically earlier this year, penned the successful Fast 800 diet and lost a stone-and-a-half in just 12 weeks, reversing his diabetes as a result. Speaking about her husband after his passing in June of this year, Dr Claire Bailey Mosley said: “I think reversing his own diabetes” was his proudest achievement.
She fondly recalled: “He was a choca-holic, he asked me to hide the chocolate and I’m still finding chocolate in the broom cupboard, in weird places. He said he didn’t want to go onto medication until he had tried other things. One of the big things he was really proud of was to help people lose weight and reverse diabetes – which nobody thought was possible.”
What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes?
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes can include:
- feeling very tired
- cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
- itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush
- blurred vision
- peeing more than usual
- feeling thirsty all the time
- losing weight without trying to
What are the risk factors of type 2 diabetes?
You’re more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes if you:
- are over 40 years old, or over 25 if you’re from an Asian, Black African or Black Caribbean ethnic background
- have a close relative with diabetes (such as a parent, brother or sister)
- are overweight or living with obesity or are not very physically active
- are from an Asian, Black African or Black Caribbean ethnic background
What is the Mediterranean diet?
The traditional Mediterranean diet, according to Harvard Health, is based on foods available in countries that border the Mediterranean Sea and includes:
- an abundance of plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes, which are minimally processed, seasonally fresh, and grown locally
- olive oil as the principal source of fat
- cheese and yogurt, consumed daily in low to moderate amounts
- fish and poultry, consumed in low to moderate amounts a few times a week
- red meat, consumed infrequently and in small amounts
- fresh fruit for dessert, with sweets containing added sugars or honey eaten only a few times each week
- wine consumed in low to moderate amounts, usually with meals
