Diabetes

A healthy diet is an essential part of any diabetes management as it can help to manage blood glucose levels and achieve a healthy weight. Regardless of the type of diabetes — type 1, type 2, or pre-diabetes — eating right is essential. That's why an accredited practising dietitian is an important member of your diabetes management team.

Kerryn has extensive diabetes experience having worked in the diabetes unit at the Royal Women's Hospital for 16 years. She can help manage Type 1, Type 2, or Pre-Diabetes.

Everyone’s needs are different and it is important that any dietary advice is tailored to each person. Kerryn will consider personal health and lifestyle influences to help you manage your diabetes and stay healthy.

Type 1 diabetes
In type 1 diabetes, the body doesn’t produce any insulin naturally. So, people with type 1 rely on insulin each day to replace what their body isn’t producing. A healthy diet can limit the amount of medication you need and reduce the risk for episodes of excessively high or low blood sugar.

Whether you are newly diagnosed, need an update on diet, need to learn carbohydrate counting (to adjust your insulin to match the food you are eating or to commence an insulin pump) Kerryn can help with all your Type 1 needs.

Type 2 diabetes
In people with type 2 diabetes, the body becomes resistant to insulin, or it gradually stops producing enough to manage blood glucose levels. Either way, without enough effective insulin, the blood glucose levels will rise above normal levels.

While there is currently no cure for type 2 diabetes, the key to managing type 2 diabetes is achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight, making healthy food choices and being as active as you can be, every day.

Kerryn has extensive experience with Type 2 diabetes and can help tailor a healthy lifestyle plan for you.

Pre-Diabetes
Pre-diabetes describes a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. People with pre-diabetes have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular (heart and circulation) disease. In fact one in three people will go on to develop type 2 diabetes if they do not make lifestyle changes such as changing their diet, losing weight or becoming more active.