Hello my name is Laura and I am a reformed cakeoholic. I absolutely adore cake. Homemade, sticky, stodgy, sweet, delicious, naughty, full of raisins lardy cake has always been an deep guilty pleasure. It takes great willpower to stay away from the cake counter in tea shops and for me to utter the words 'Just a herbal tea for me please'.
And I am not alone. We are a nation of cakeoholics and its becoming a real problem. Figures now show that there are now 2.8million diabetes sufferers in the UK, that's an increase of 50% in just 6 years.
In type 1 diabetes, the body is unable to produce any insulin. It usually starts in childhood or young adulthood. In type 2 diabetes, not enough insulin is produced or the insulin that is made by the body doesn't work properly. Those at risk of type 2 are usually overweight, large of waist and physically inactive. Type 2 is the fastest growing diabetes and can be prevented or avoided if caught early.
Barbara Young, chief executive of the Diabetes UK charity, said: 'We face the real possibility of diabetes bankrupting the NHS within a generation. We need a government-funded awareness-raising campaign on the risk factors and symptoms of Type 2 diabetes and we need to get much better at identifying people at high risk.'
I agree this problem needs to be addressed. I disagree that an awareness campaign is the answer.
We all know that eating rubbish and sitting on the sofa is bad for us. We don't need to be told or patronised that this is a cause of diabetes. What we need is real solutions and here are some of my suggestions as a professional health practitioner
- Overeating is often an emotional response. Sufferers need support dealing with the underlying reasons they overeat such as low self-esteem, self-love and need for comfort. Instead of investing money in more drugs, lets invest in counselling, hypnotherapy and kinesiology
- Researching the option of supporting the body through diet and supplementation. Licorice Root is a natural sweetener that supports the pancreas and helps the body overcome sweet cravings. We have lots of success in the clinic helping chocoholics and diabetes sufferers with this incredible herb. We recommend Natures Sunshine Licorice Root.
- Restrict advertising and promotion of junk food. I was shocked to see the lead sponsors of the Olympic Games were Coca Cola, Cadbury and McDonalds. What was all that about??
- Make nutrition and healthy cooking mandatory on the school curriculum. All children need to be taught the basic calculation of 'what goes in = what you get out'. I would love to see children learning how to keep their wonderful bodies healthy.
I still enjoy cake. But not like the old days. It tends to be wheat-free, dairy-free and sugar-free if possible. I have made it my lifes work to find healthy cake, pudding and dessert so I am able to enjoy the sweet things in life without upsetting my body. Booja Booja Ice-cream is to die for and here are a few of my favourite recipes - Strawberry Pudding and Chocolate Mousse - sweet!