The food and drink you eat make a difference not only to managing diabetes, but also to how well you feel and how much energy you have.
The five food groups are:
- fruit and vegetables
- starchy foods such as bread, rice and potatoes
- high protein foods including meat, fish, eggs, pulses, beans and nuts
- dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt
- foods high in fat, sugar and calories.
No single food contains all the nutrients you need so it’s best to eat a healthy balanced diet with foods from all the five food groups, in the right amounts.
Everyone’s different and how much you need to eat depends on your age, gender and how active you are. An active growing teenager, for example, will need more calories each day than an adult sitting at a desk all day. It’s all about getting the balance right.
