We hear from Anthony about his experiences in the HEAL-D programme and how it's helped him manage type 2 diabetes.
When you are first diagnosed with diabetes, as an African or Caribbean, you feel totally lost because you would not even know where to start. The doctors have told you to stay off starchy foods, increase your physical activities and take your medications to stay alive. The fear of what to eat hits you hard. You are left lost with no one to understand you or effectively guide you through.
Anthony – HEAL-D participant
With HEAL-D, it’s different! The HEAL-D team have brought hope. They understand our African and Caribbean way of life and have deep-dived into how to connect with us and bring to us the message of hope. The HEAL-D programme breaks things down and builds them up again in a way that we can identify with.
Apart from educating us on the dos and don’ts, the programme explains in detail the reason WHY. This helps us understand what changes have happened in our body and how we must make little changes here and there that will make significant impact without actually spelling doom in our daily way of life. Understanding that we can still eat the things we love in controlled portions and actually stay alive and healthy is a breakthrough.
The HEAL-D content educates you on all you need to know about diabetes, on physical activities that can help your body work better for you and how you can eat the foods you love and still have a well-control blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol level. I am glad I attended….!!!
If you have type 2 diabetes and are of Black African or Caribbean heritage you can find out more about HEAL-D here.