On Wednesday 6th November Nicola Dolby, Diabetes Specialist Nurse from Teddington Memorial Hospital came to give residents a talk on Diabetes and Healthy eating. DESMOND stands for 'Diabetes Education and Self-Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed'. Nicola talked through how the body works in relation to glucose and insulin. Residents were shown different foods and were asked to say how many sugar cubes they thought each food contained. The results were very surprising, especially for foods such as bread and potatoes as they contain a large amount of sugar. Nicola talked to residents about the importance of activity and exercise and how this can help the cells absorb the glucose, which is a good thing. Everyone enjoyed the talk and left feeling more confident about food choices and how the body benefits from regular activity.
If you would like to know more about diabetes or the Desmond Programme, their website contains a lot of useful resources.