News

Amcal Diabetes Check

Did you know that you can get your blood sugar level checked at Amcal by a trained pharmacist? 

If you are unsure whether you could be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, ask your Amcal pharmacist for a Diabetes Risk Assessment. 

You may be at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes if any/all of the following apply - you: 

• Have a family history of diabetes
• Are over 40 years old
• Are physically inactive and/or have poor nutrition
• Are a smoker
• Have high blood pressure

Amcal’s Diabetes Risk Assessment can assess your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and covers:

• On-the-spot finger prick blood test (HbA1c)* (additional + fees may apply)
  • A HbA1c test measures the amount of glucose (sugar) attached to your red blood cells. The test provides a measure of whether there has been too much sugar in your blood over the previous 3 months.

You can book your test here.

Pasta and diabetes - yes!

We're so excited to launch our 2 new delicious pasta meals to you.

We have a yummy vegetarian Pumpkin Ravioli and an equally delicious Beef Ravioli in bolognaise sauce. 

And to keep you really warm in Winter, try our new, gluten free, Moroccan Chicken with 5 Veggies.

We'll be bringing you new meals seasonally, and keeping your favourites. And we'd love any suggestions from you to. 

As always, every meal is dietitian approved and low in carbs, sugars, salt and calories - and still packed with flavour! You can see all our meals here.

Easter Guide for managing diabetes

It's nearly easter and to lots of people that brings memories of chocolate eggs and hot cross buns - and lots of both of those! Nikki Wallis talks about surviving Easter here.

Easter can be a daunting time, particularly if you have diabetes and are insulin dependent. 

No matter where you go, you just can’t escape being bombarded with sweet, chocolatey temptations – argh! 

But it doesn’t have to be scary. 

Over the years I’ve learned to come up with ways to help alleviate the temptation during Easter. 

Keep reading as I share with you some of my tips for reducing stress this time of year and ensuring you have a happy Easter. 

Select treats with a nutritional label 

This can be easier said than done, because many of the traditional Easter treats like hot cross buns, come in packets without an in-depth nutritional label.

Many of these products are produced at in-house bakery sections of major supermarkets and just come in a standard plastic bag. 

This can make it really tricky to work out exactly how many carbs you’re eating and how much insulin to give yourself. 

There are apps on the market which can assist in giving you a rough indication of carbs per serving or popular foods, but some of these are more like guesstimates than accurate values. 

Make it yourself 

Baking your own Easter treats is a great way to ensure you’re eliminating the guess work out of Easter eating.

Using ingredients you know and trust and knowing exactly how much of each ingredient has gone into the recipe, makes it a lot easier to work out total carbs per serve. 

Substitutes and alternatives 

Many of the treats popular at Easter time are very high in carbohydrate and have a high GI value. 

Standard hot cross buns can have anywhere from 30g-40g of carbohydrate per bun, which is up to two and a half portions. Not to mention the added sugar and carbs if you add a sweet topping like, dare I say … jam? 

Instead, you can try the fruitless versions, as these will be lower in carbs as dried fruit is naturally high in sugar.

Other options are the ‘mini’ hot cross buns which are half the size of normal versions. This way you’re only eating half the carbs. 

As for toppings, why not try home-made jam using real fruit and chia seeds for thickening?

You don’t even need to add sugar as fruit is naturally sweet and once the water has been cooked out of the fruit, the sweetness is more noticeable. 

Why not go bananas … or rather berries? Try some chocolate covered fruit instead. Berries are a great option if you have diabetes, as they’re low in carbs and are low GI.  

Read the rest here.

Pies - another delicious option for our meals!

We, and our customers just love the taste of our ready-made meals but this week we thought we'd see how they went as pie fillings (yes we bought a new piemaker!)

As our ready meals are already cooked, they have the perfect texture for a pie (which we have just found out). We used already rolled puff pastry (check the carbs) and simply added in 1/3 of a meal to each case.

And they were absolutely delicious! The texture was perfect and the taste was amazing. We tried 4 different versions:

Chicken and Leek

Butter Chicken

Tender Beef and Veg

And this is what they looked like.

Taste = fantastic

Ease of making = just need a pie maker to make them really easy

Fun factor = lots!

Note: 1 ready meal made 3 pies (single serving size) but you could use 1 ready meal for a family size pie if you wanted - just add in extra veggies to make it a big 4 person serving.

And we tried them cold the next day - yum!

Can eating cold carbs improve your BGL?

Here's some interesting information from our friend Nikki (who manages her own T1 and is a dietitian):

Driving and type 1 diabetes

This week we share an article from the wonderful JDRF foundation. Managing t1 diabetes and getting and renewing your license means jumping through a few more hoops than others. Here is some information that may be helpful:

Just as wearing a seatbelt and driving within the speed limit are the law, there are laws about driving with T1D. Yes, you absolutely can get a driver’s licence if you have T1D. Keep in mind though, there are rules and restrictions in place and these rules need to be adhered to. With T1D, there is a risk that concentration and action could be impaired. As any driver will know, a moment’s inattention can have devastating outcomes.

The main concern of the licensing authorities is the possibility of a person with T1D having hypoglycaemia (a hypo) while driving. T1D complications like eye problems are also a concern. All states and territories use the national guidelines of medical fitness to assess people with T1D who wish to begin or continue driving. These guidelines are intended to protect your safety and the safety of the community. They attempt to balance the safety of all and any unfairness against you.

If you have been diagnosed with T1D, you should immediately inform your local licensing authority. If you don’t do this and continue to drive and have an accident, you could be charged with driving offences. There may also be problems with insurance claims if you haven’t reported your T1D. Once you have notified your licensing authority they will forward you a report form for your doctor to complete to say you are fit to drive. A medical review must be completed at least every two years and annually if you hold a commercial driver’s licence. Planning ahead for your medical review is important, such as having an eye check beforehand, and taking along other results including records of your recent home blood glucose results.

Read the rest of the article here.

Managing type 2 diabetes

This month we share an article published in WA's Diabetes Matters magazine.

Zara says that being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two years ago was a huge wake-up call that made her realise how quickly life can change.

I had been suffering from thrush that wouldn't go away. It became so painful that I decided to see a doctor. I found that when I ate anything high in sugar the thrush would flare up, and when I told my doctor this, he asked if anyone in my family had diabetes. I confirmed they did.

I was overdue for my regular diabetes check, which is usually clear, so I didn't think anything of it when she ran the blood tests. I was certain I wasn't going to develope diabetes, but this time my results came back positive for type 2. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach and winded me. It was a huge wake up call.

My diagnosis has made me more aware of the importance of looking after myself - eating healthily, exercising and having regular medical checks. I've lost a lot of weight which has helped to bring my glucose levels down to a healthy range and my eating habits have improved. I also feel like my moods are much more level and I'm happier than I was before my diagnosis.

My advice to people is that if you have a loved one, or know someone, who has diabetes, read up n what it is and speak with that person about how you can best support them. Knowing that they have the support of family and friends is absolutely critical to them managing the condition effectively.

Diabetes Matters is a quarterly magazine costing $6.95 and is packed with personal stories and information. You can find out more here.

We've moved to a larger facility to give you even better service.

It's been an exciting and hectic week for us at Diabetes Meals Online and we're thrilled with our new, much larger home which means our customer service is now second to none!

We can now despatch your orders faster (often same day) and we'll never be out of stock again as we have everything in one place - whew.

We've employed more people to help with getting your orders out asap and they are as passionate about quality and customer service as we are - we're a very happy committed team that's growing!

We're also busy tasting new meals, and devising new snacks and desserts. Our range will be changing seasonally and we'll be adding in new meals on a regular basis keeping your menu fresh and updated :)

We've also started updating everything with our new fresh green logo and you'll see this on your packaging and across social media sites.

Our diabetes meals are home delivered, and we'll soon be taking them to supermarkets and speciality stores so stay tuned to find your local stockist.

Our new Chocolate flavoured meal replacements are flying off the shelf and soon we'll be introducing new yummy flavours. Customers are loving the chocolate milkshake taste with the low calories, and the vitamins and minerals.

Thanks for helping us grow! We are 100% committed to making meal time easier (and delicious!).

All things Gluten Free

Are you constantly looking for recipes that are egg free/dairy free/gluten free/ nut free.... and the list goes on? You might be filling up lunch boxes for children with allergies, or needing to make special snacks and desserts for others (or yourself) with allergies.

We've come across a terrific recipe book called Abundance by best selling author Tania Hubbarb (we know Tania and she's passionate about this). 

Packed with 50 recipes that are simple to make, you'll find a range of different options depending on the allergy you need to work around.

Tania delivers world wide.

Check it out here.

Your relationship with Food

We just love Renza S (a fantastic blogger who talks about all things diabetes and manages her own type 1) and it turns out she loves Nigella Lawson. So do we! Here's a fun piece of her blog on Nigella and our relationship with food.

Over the weekend, my mum and I took ourselves to see Nigella Lawson in conversation with Gary Mehigan. We were sitting in the first few rows which meant that we would have been within spitting distance of the Domestic Goddess if she were the spitting type. She is not.

Anyone who knows me would be aware that I have a massive crush on Nigella. I love everything about her and, truth be told, I want to be her, or be best friends with her. It’s tragic, but I’m owning it. I fell in love with her because of the way she talks about food with such abandon and passion. I completely understand getting excited at a farmers’ market when it’s suddenly cherry season, or when beautiful fresh asparagus spears are readily available in the supermarket at the start of spring. I get the idea of swooning at the smell and delightful crunch of the crust of a freshly-baked loaf of sourdough, and the desire to immediately slather it in slabs of salted butter.

Her recipe books on the shelf in our kitchen are well used, dog-eared and splattered with whatever ingredients a recipe calls for – the sign of a book that is frequently used and much loved. Her recipes are simple, always turn out as she promises and inevitably taste delicious. Plus, the little blurb she writes to introduce each recipe is always so eloquent and evocative that I can almost taste what I am about to create.

In recent years, I have really come to appreciate that Nigella has stuck to her guns as a food writer and cook, and not swayed into the world of wellness or pseudo-science dietetics. It would be very easy for her to have done that – she would make a killing! After all, who wouldn’t follow – and buy – everything she said if there was a promise of becoming just like Nigella?! She has remained honest to simply cooking food that is unpretentious, delicious and laden with all the things that make food taste good.

On Saturday night, Nigella’s commitment to enjoying food and seeing it as something to be celebrated was clear. She spoke about how food can trigger memories and be the thing that brings family and friends together. She told stories of family recipes and reminisced about where they came from. She spoke of her love of wooden spoons and the stories they can tell.

Read the rest of Renza's post here.