It’s Diabetes Awareness Week 12th-18th June, so anyone affected (and living or registered with a GP surgery within Wokingham, West Berkshire and Reading) needs to be aware of Eat 4 Health.
There are 3.5 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and an estimated 549,000 people who have the condition, but don’t know it.
Everyone living with or at risk of Type 2 diabetes can do things to keep healthy and slow down, or even stop the development of the condition. What’s more, the lifestyle changes advocated by Eat 4 Health (E4H) are often more effective than taking tablets in stopping the onset of Type 2 diabetes.
E4H participants have found that by attending the group based programme and improving their diet and lifestyle they have both reduced their medication and delayed the progression of their diabetes. Some have lowered their risk of developing diabetes in the future.
E4H, a hugely popular Solutions 4 Health (S4H) initiative for people aged 16+ with a BMI >25 kgm² runs in a range of settings over a 10-week period and each 1.5 hour session includes a 45-minute lifestyle workshop in which a range of topics are discussed each week. From portion sizes to label reading and triggers, E4H workshops provide practical support through instructor lead discussions in which participants share ideas that can be implemented in their home environment.
This is followed by 45 minutes on physical activity, whereby the instructor provides a range of activities to encourage participants to try new things and discover something they can enjoy lifelong. The Eat 4 Health team further support this by signposting participants to these activities within their local area – activities may include boxercise, walking football, badminton and circuits, as well as resistance bands and seated fitness.
Emma Taylor, S4H’s Weight Management Services Manager, says: “By empowering participants with the practical skills and knowledge they need to live a healthy and active lifestyle long term, the multi component approach of the Eat 4 Health programme gives it a genuine edge over many paid-for weight management programmes.”
