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New service supports diabetics by giving freedom and finances
Over 4 million people in the UK are living with diabetes, and over 500,000 of them don’t know they have got it yet. It is a lifelong condition which will affect them each and every day. However, one inspirational businesswoman is determined to make sure it does not rule their lives.
“Being diagnosed with diabetes is really scary for people’” says Sally Pinnegar, founder of fitnaturally, a vibrant healthy lifestyle company. “Whether it is type 1 or type 2, the consequences can be very serious if it’s not managed well. However, it doesn’t have to sentence you to a life without sugar or carbohydrates or not being able to take any exercise, you just need to follow a few basic rules”.
Sally set up her own business to improve people’s lives by fundamentally changing their relationships with food. “For many people, food becomes a necessary evil. It’s something we spend inordinate amounts of time thinking about. What to cook for a start, then buying for it and preparing it, it’s no wonder most people get stuck with just a few recipes which they recycle week after week. If you add into the equation the pressure which we’re increasingly under to feed ourselves and our children well, to reduce the amount we spend and the volume of food we waste, the workload, anxiety and guilt soon add up.”
For diabetics, or those living with a diabetic, this is magnified tenfold. “I remember when I was first diagnosed,” John Symmons recalls, “I thought to myself, if one more person gives me a diabetic cookbook, I’m just going to throw it back at them! I know they meant well, but it just felt like my life was never going to be the same again. There was so much to learn and get my head around, and I didn’t trust myself to get it right.”
However, Sally’s approach is very different from the fears of most diabetics. “When we work with diabetics, we recognise that they want to eat as ‘normally’ as possible, so we prescribe tasty slow-release foods in the right amount at the right times.Being overweight has a huge effect on the occurrence and management of diabetes, so we support people to achieve a healthy weight and keep it off through good eating and regular activity.”
fitnaturally is a unique programme of menus and support, which enable people to enjoy a wide range of tasty and easy to prepare foods, all of which accommodate their eating preferences or needs. “Our nutritionists work with such a wide range of people now, from those who are training for highly physical activities like marathons or Ironman challenges, to those who are pregnant or hoping to conceive; we have many clients who want to lose some excess weight and just be healthier, and even students who are away from home for the first time and need to eat well, but on a tight budget.”
“In addition to those, we are now offering a new dedicated service for people who are diabetic” Sally continues. “Utilising one of our plans takes the immediate fear away for them as they know they can trust us to get it right and keep their intake balanced. Whilst they are doing that, they continue to eat delicious, easy to prepare meals, which provide variety and can be enjoyed by the whole family.”
The plans which fitnaturally produce, offer a number of ways for people to take responsibility for their eating, and are designed with enough flexibility to accommodate for meals out, lunch at your desk or even the dreaded business buffet. “Our clients really like the way they can look to the plans to help them navigate through the full range of possibilities which may crop-up during the day. From last minute changes and invitations, to action packed days out, the options we provide will allow you to live life your way…without food fears getting in the way.”
fitnaturally are so keen to free diabetics from their fears and being dictated to by food, that they have made a special pledge. Sally explains, “every time someone new signs up to one of our diabetic plans for at least a month, we will donate £2 to Diabetes UK to help them continue their vital work researching and campaigning to improve knowledge, improve awareness and improve lives.”
To find out more about the plans and sign up for your own lifechanging support, visit https://www.fitnaturally.co.uk/eatnaturally/eatnaturally-for-diabetics/