Diabetic Living Australia — July-August 2017

110 JULY/AUGUST 2017 diabetic living

Rushing out the door without
breakfast, sitting all day then
dealing with offers of sweet
treats are typical workplace
roadblocks and health hazards.
Address such blips in your
diabetes management with these
ideas to remain on track from
nine to five and beyond.

Brekkie
Starting your day with
nothing but coffee can
boost stress hormones and your
blood glucose level (BGL). If you
have type 2 and don’t eat until
lunch, your pancreatic beta cells,
which produce insulin, can start
to lose their ‘memory’, shows
research from Tel Aviv University.
Then, at your next meal, your
body’s insulin response is
delayed, which could then send
your BGLs sky high. For type 1s,
prolonged fasting can also
increase the risk of hypos.

WISE UP
● Set your alarm earlier to
eat breakfast Try a nourishing
porridge or wholegrain sourdough
toast with eggs. Skipping your

breakfast could cause a binge

later by making the reward

centres of your brain light up

more intensely at the thought or

sight of treat foods, Imperial

College London research shows.

● Organise breakfasts ‘to go’

Pack foods such as wholegrain

crackers to eat on the train or

tuna to put on toast at work.

● Eat protein at breakfast

Foods like eggs, healthy beans

and sardines can lower BGLs for

the day by increasing the output

of insulin, shows University of

Missouri research.

Chair-bound

“When you sit for hours,

enzymes responsible

for fat burning are switched off,

circulation slows and glucose

metabolism is disturbed,” says

Kate Battocchio, dietitian and

exercise physiologist at Diabetes

NSW & ACT. “This can lead to

weight gain and increase the risk

of sleep apnoea, circulation

issues, heart attack and stroke.”

Moving for two out of every 20

minutes counters some of the

health fallout, Baker IDI Heart

and Diabetes Institute has found.

WISE UP

Battocchio suggests you:

● Stand more Get up while on

the phone or reading documents.

● Take the stairs Skip the lift.

● Request an adjustable

standing desk You can stand

while working for part of the day.

● Place items further away

from your desk Move the

printer and rubbish bin so you

have to walk to use them.

Want to stay on top of diabetes

at work? Keep it simple with

these self-care solutions

TRICKS

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