Management & tips

Day-to-day management of diabetes rests on four pillars. None of them is rocket science, but they need to fit your life — not someone else’s. Aim for steady, sustainable habits rather than a perfect week followed by giving up.

1. Diet & nutrition

You don’t need a “diabetic diet” — you need a generally healthy eating pattern with an awareness of carbohydrates, because carbs are what raise blood sugar most. Practical NZ-friendly habits:

• Half your plate vegetables, a quarter lean protein, a quarter starchy carbs (rice, bread, kumara).
• Choose wholegrains where you can — wholegrain bread, brown rice, rolled oats — they raise blood sugar more slowly.
• Watch sugary drinks. A 600 mL bottle of soft drink contains around 60g of sugar.
• Read NZ nutrition labels: look at the “per 100g” column to compare products.
• Eat at regular times. Skipping meals and then eating a big one tends to spike blood sugar.

2. Exercise

Activity helps muscles use glucose and improves insulin sensitivity. The Ministry of Health recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week for adults — about 30 minutes, five days a week.

• Brisk walking is the easiest place to start. Free, low-impact, and counts.
• Mix in some resistance work (gardening, body-weight exercises) twice a week to build muscle.
• If you take insulin or sulfonylureas, learn how exercise affects your blood sugar — sometimes you’ll need a small carb snack first.
• Anything is better than nothing. Two ten-minute walks a day still counts.

3. Blood-sugar monitoring

Knowing your numbers takes the guesswork out of management. Two measurements matter most:

Test	What it tells you	Healthy target
HbA1c	Average blood sugar over the past 2–3 months. Done by your GP.	Usually below 53 mmol/mol (talk to your GP about your target)
Fingerprick / continuous glucose monitor	Your blood sugar right now	Mostly between 4–8 mmol/L (varies by person and time of day)

Not everyone with Type 2 diabetes needs to fingerprick every day. Ask your GP what makes sense for you.

4. Medication & insulin

Many people with Type 2 take metformin, the most common first-line medication. Newer classes (SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 agonists) are increasingly funded in NZ for people who meet certain criteria. Type 1 always needs insulin. The right combination is your doctor’s call — but understanding why each one is prescribed makes it easier to take them consistently.

• Take medications at the times your prescriber suggested. Most diabetes drugs work best when their levels stay steady.
• Tell your GP about side effects rather than stopping. There are usually alternatives.
• Keep an up-to-date medication list on your phone — useful at appointments, in emergencies, and at the pharmacy.