Eat a healthy diet

There is no such thing as a 'special' diet for people with diabetes. The best general advice is to eat less salt, sugar and fat, have at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and base meals on starchy foods, such as bread, potatoes, pasta and rice.

People in England generally eat too much food - too much of which contains an excess of fat, salt and sugar. Fruit and vegetables contain a large amount of the vitamins and minerals that help your body to function at its best. They are also very low in fat so are helpful for people trying to lose weight.

Most people with Type 2 diabetes are overweight, but losing weight makes it easier to control diabetes. As the weight comes off your resistance to insulin will improve making it easier to control blood glucose levels. When you are diagnosed with diabetes you should be referred to a registered dietitian who will help you to understand what changes you might need to make to your eating habits.

Become more active

Regular physical activity is good for your overall health but importantly it can help to control diabetes. The type and frequency of exercise is important here. It must either be:

Aerobic exercise - the kind that makes your heart and lungs work harder, or weight-bearing - such as walking, running, tennis, weight training and aerobics.

The exercise needs to be done regularly in at least half-hour blocks. People with diabetes should aim to exercise at least every three days because the effects of exercise wear off. See our exercise section for more information.

Check with your GP or diabetes nurse before taking up exercise, particularly if you are overweight.

Follow a treatment plan

You will probably see a range of different healthcare workers, including your GP, a consultant diabetologist, dietitian and diabetes specialist nurse. These people and others will make up your diabetes 'care team'. They should work with you to develop a programme of care that suits you.

Your care team should set goals for you, with respect to managing your diabetes. For more detailed information about diabetes management and treatment, visit the Diabetes UK website. They also have information about what diabetes care is available and what kind and level of care you should expect from the NHS.

Stop smoking

Smoking is particularly dangerous for people with diabetes, because among other things it:

• raises blood sugar levels
• hampers the body's ability to use insulin
• doubles the likelihood of having problems with healing.

If you have diabetes and continue to smoke you are much more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. The other serious complications that can result from diabetes are also much more likely if you smoke. For help visit the NHS Give Up Smoking site or call the helpline free on 0800 169 0 169.