Deconstructing Diabetes

Deconstructing Diabetes Online nutrition consultancy service that simplifies dietary advice, without jargon, short term diets, restrictive plans and rigid rules.
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Create longterm habit and lifestyle choices - to make your food intake part of, not the focus of your life. Nutrition Consulting for Diabetes

It has been a very full couple of weeks in the diabetes world.I recently had the opportunity to be part of an ADIPS case...
01/09/2026

It has been a very full couple of weeks in the diabetes world.

I recently had the opportunity to be part of an ADIPS case study panel, discussing complex diabetes in pregnancy scenarios alongside other clinicians.

These complex case discussions are always a good reminder that diabetes care rarely fits neatly into a textbook case.

From a dietetic perspective, it’s about interpreting glucose data, changing insulin requirements, food intake, and providing dietary advice around meals and snacks to meet pregnancy requirements during pregnancy planning and care throughout pregnancy.

Grateful to contribute to the panel discussion with other Monash Health team members and other colleagues, and to keep learning from amazing researchers and clinicians working across diabetes and pregnancy care.

DiabetesDietitian DiabetesNutrition DiabetesEducation MonashHealth

What patients taught me this week: sometimes my usual advice needs rethinking.This week I worked with a patient who was ...
13/08/2026

What patients taught me this week: sometimes my usual advice needs rethinking.

This week I worked with a patient who was preparing for travel and long days on the road for work.

Normally, when I am helping someone plan for travel, I have a fairly familiar list of practical options.

Ready-to-heat meals.
Tuna and rice.
Chicken and salad options.
High-protein snacks.
Easy supermarket meals.

But this patient was on a GLP-1 medication and was a vegetarian.

What their doctor advised, and some of my usual “easy options” were not actually easy options for them.

That meant we had to slow down and build a different list together.

Vegetarian meals with enough protein.
Supermarket choices upgraded with alternatives.
Backup snacks for days when choices were limited.
Options that could work without a kitchen, without much time, and without relying on meat or fish.

It was a good reminder.

A list of healthy options is not the same as a useful plan.

Useful advice has to fit the person in front of you.

Sometimes I learn with the person in front of me.

And often, that is where the most useful strategies come from.

Hot chocolate is one of those winter drinks where the ingredients can make a big difference.A café-style or packet hot c...
06/08/2026

Hot chocolate is one of those winter drinks where the ingredients can make a big difference.

A café-style or packet hot chocolate may be made with full cream milk, cream, chocolate syrup, sweetened drinking chocolate, marshmallows or other toppings.

But it may be useful to have a lighter version.

This one was made with:

• unsweetened almond milk
• cacao
• stevia

It is much lower in added sugar and lower in calories from fat and carbohydrate, while still giving you that warm chocolate flavour.

Another example of a small upgrade.

Same idea.
Different ingredients.

Save this for your next winter hot chocolate.

There has been a lot of discussion online recently about whether bananas should be combined with berries because of the ...
03/08/2026

There has been a lot of discussion online recently about whether bananas should be combined with berries because of the possible effect on absorption of some polyphenols.

Interesting? Yes.

Something most people need to turn into another food rule? Probably not.

This was a cacao, berry and banana smoothie bowl I had in Bali after being in the water for around 3 hours.

I had worked up an appetite, and it tasted amazing.

Refuelled, caffeinated, and happy.

Polyphenol debate and all.

Sometimes nutrition detail matters.

But sometimes the bigger picture matters more.

And sometimes the most useful nutrition skill is knowing when not to overcomplicate things.

People with diabetes are often given enough food rules already.

Food does not need to become a constant optimisation project.

Especially when breakfast tastes this good.

For much of my life, a lot of my training has been hard.Bodybuilding.Powerlifting.Judo.Jiu-jitsu.Strength training.Freed...
02/08/2026

For much of my life, a lot of my training has been hard.

Bodybuilding.
Powerlifting.
Judo.
Jiu-jitsu.
Strength training.
Freediving.

I enjoy training hard, and I still value strength, and performance.

But yoga gives me something different.

It is a way to slow down, move with more awareness, work on balance, breathe better, stretch, and feel better in my body.

It also supports my freediving, where being relaxed, efficient and calm matters just as much as being fit.

Not every form of exercise needs to be about pushing harder, burning more, lifting heavier or doing more.

Sometimes movement is valuable because it helps you recover.
Sometimes it helps you feel calmer.
Sometimes it helps you reconnect with your body.
Sometimes it helps you keep doing the other things you love.

What type of movement helps you feel better, not just fitter.

Dry July does not have to be about proving you can be “good” for 31 days.Taking a break can create space to notice a few...
29/07/2026

Dry July does not have to be about proving you can be “good” for 31 days.

Taking a break can create space to notice a few things.

Maybe you slept better.
Maybe your energy changed.
Maybe your appetite was different.
Maybe your glucose levels were steadier.
Maybe you noticed less evening snacking.
Maybe you realised how often alcohol appears after work, with stress, at dinner, or in social situations.

That information is useful.

Because awareness gives you choice.

At the end of Dry July, the question does not have to be:

“Did I do the month without alcohol?”

A better question might be:

“What did I learn, and what do I want to carry forward?”

That might be drinking less often.
Choosing alcohol-free options sometimes.
Keeping alcohol away from weeknights.
Being more intentional with social drinking.
Or simply understanding your habits a little better.

You do not need to make it all-or-nothing.

What is one thing you have noticed during Dry July?

Sushi is one of those foods that often gets labelled as a “healthy choice”.And in many ways, it can be.It is convenient,...
22/07/2026

Sushi is one of those foods that often gets labelled as a “healthy choice”.

And in many ways, it can be.

It is convenient, fresh, easy to grab, and often feels like a lighter option compared with many other takeaway meals.

But something I see quite often in clinic is that people are surprised when their glucose levels rise afterwards.

That does not mean sushi is off the menu.

Many sushi meals are quite heavy on rice, while being lighter in protein and fibre than people realise.

A simple upgrade might be:

• 1 sushi roll plus sashimi
• extra salmon, tuna, tofu or edamame
• seaweed salad or greens on the side
• choosing sushi as part of a more balanced meal, rather than relying on rolls alone.

Small upgrades can make a big difference.

One of the hardest parts of diabetes and eating is the constant decision-making.Every meal can start to feel like a test...
15/07/2026

One of the hardest parts of diabetes and eating is the constant decision-making.

Every meal can start to feel like a test.

Will this spike me?
Did I choose the right thing?
Did I eat the right amount?
Should I have done something differently?

And over time, that can become exhausting.

This is why diabetes nutrition should not just be about giving people more food rules.

More rules can sometimes create more pressure.

Good diabetes nutrition should help people understand their options, make adjustments, and feel more confident in real life.

My goal as a dietitian is to help clients to not think about food every minute of the day.

It is to build their confidence that food decisions feel less overwhelming.

Because diabetes is already a lot to manage.

Nutrition education should reduce the mental load, not add to it.

14/07/2026

I wish more people with type 2 diabetes knew that they do not need to eat perfectly every day.

So many people feel like they are either doing well or failing based on one meal, one snack, one higher glucose reading, or one weekend that did not go to plan.

That is a heavy way to live.

Diabetes is a long-term condition, and for that we need a long-term approach.

Long-term progress is not built on perfect days.

It is built on habits you can return to.
On flexible thinking.
On making a better choice at the next opportunity, rather than giving up because things were not perfect.

What matters most is not what happens occasionally.

It is what happens most of the time.

This National Diabetes Week, the campaign is asking people to share what they wish others knew about living with diabete...
13/07/2026

This National Diabetes Week, the campaign is asking people to share what they wish others knew about living with diabetes.

As a diabetes dietitian, one thing I wish people knew is this:

There is not one perfect way to eat with diabetes.

Some people do well with more structure.
Some people need more flexibility.
Most people need a bit of both at different stages.

A way of eating that works for diabetes also needs to work around real life.

Work. Family. Culture. Appetite. Budget. Medications. Stress. Social events. Tiredness. The days when cooking is not going to happen.

I wish people with diabetes could let go of the idea that they have to get food “perfect” every day.

Because long-term diabetes management is not about perfection.

It is about building the skills to make confident food choices, more often.

This week I’ll be sharing a few things I wish more people knew about food, diabetes and the pressure many people carry.

At Deconstructing Diabetes, we’re proud to support National Diabetes Week 2026. This year’s Living Out Loud campaign gives a platform to the real, lived experiences of 2 million Australians, and we’re committed to listening, learning, and doing more.

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