12 secrets of good health...

• Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods
• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits
• Eat plenty of legumes (pulses) such as peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, and split peas
• Eat plenty of cereal grains including breads, rice's, pasta and noodles - preferably the wholegrain variety, and choose the low GI options
• Include lean meats, poultry without skin and fish or appropriate vegetarian protein alternatives. Make sure you eat at least 2 servings of fish a week
• Include milks, yoghurt's, cheeses or calcium-enriched soy alternatives; and choose the reduced fat varieties where possible
• Drink plenty of water
• Limit saturated fat and moderate your total fat intake
• Choose foods low in sodium (salt)
• Reduce serving sizes - portion caution is an important part of healthier eating
• Limit your alcohol intake if you choose to drink alcohol
• Consume only moderate amounts of added sugars and refined starches

And make sure you include at least 30 minutes of planned exercise like walking, swimming or riding a bike in your daily routine, plus 30 minutes of incidental activity like using the stairs instead of the lift.

Eat more of the healthy foods (such as fruit and non-starchy vegetables)

It isn’t all about cutting back. Most people don’t eat anywhere near enough fruits and vegetables. Fresh, dried and canned fruits are all suitable, and you can eat as much as you like of most non-starchy vegetables (leafy greens, carrots, tomatoes, onions, etc).

Modify your carbohydrate intake

This means thinking about carb quality and quantity and getting familiar with the sources and amounts of carbohydrate in your diet. There’s no point buying the ‘99 per cent fat free’ product if it packs in 120 g of high GI carbs per serving. For carb quality, make sure that you are eating the low GI ones as much as possible. As for quantity, 50–60 g of carbohydrate at any one sitting is a good average. Replacing some carbohydrate in your diet with monounsaturated fat can reduce your post-meal blood glucose levels and lower your triglycerides, but you have to be careful with this. Too much added fat may lead to weight gain. Talk to your dietitian about the proportion of fat to carbohydrate that’s right for you.

Moderate your protein intake

Protein won’t increase your blood glucose level and is valuable for satisfying appetite. The usual recommended protein intake is 15–20 per cent of your total energy intake. Most people in the developed world already eat this amount, so there is no need to eat more.  People with kidney disease (about 1 in 3 people with diabetes) should avoid a high protein intake, because research shows that a more moderate intake helps preserve kidney function.

Limit saturated fats and cholesterol

This is absolutely essential for everyone with type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. You must get and keep your LDL (bad) cholesterol down. Don’t obsessively avoid high cholesterol eggs and prawns. It’s the saturated fats in those lamb chops and chocolate chip cookies that are having the greatest effect on your cholesterol levels. If you’ve been eating healthily and doing regular exercise for at least three months and your cholesterol levels still haven’t improved, talk to your doctor about cholesterol-lowering medications. A practical intermediate step may be to try one of the reduced fat margarine's that have added phytosterols for a further three months. Provided you can eat the 4–5 teaspoons a day of margarine without gaining weight, these margarine's can reduce your blood cholesterol levels by around 10%.

Cut back on salt

High blood pressure is a common risk factor for cardiovascular disease around the globe. Reducing your sodium intake by not adding salt to food when cooking or at the table, and choosing salt reduced or low salt foods at the supermarket, will help lower it. If you think you have done this but your blood pressure is still high, you might need medication as well. See your doctor for further advice.

Limit your consumption of alcohol

Like most things in life, moderation is the key. Excessive amounts of alcohol may increase the risk of pre-diabetes and diabetes by contributing to weight gain – particularly if your drinking goes along with eating energy-dense foods. If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes, it’s important to limit your consumption of alcohol to no more than one standard drink a day if you are a woman and two standard drinks if you are a man.

It’s never too late to make a difference.