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Understanding Diabetes
Plain-English guides to living well with diabetes — what the condition is, how insulin works, what your HbA1c really means, how to count carbs, and how to handle everyday life with confidence. Browse by topic below.
Browse by topic
Diabetes Basics
8 articles · If you or someone you love has just been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, this is the…
Insulin & Treatment
7 articles · Type 1 diabetes is always treated with insulin, because the body no longer makes its own…
Blood Sugar
8 articles · Blood glucose monitoring is the compass of daily Type 1 management. These guides explain…
Food & Carbs
3 articles · There are no forbidden foods with Type 1 diabetes and no special "diabetic" diet — just a…
Technology
2 articles · Continuous and flash glucose monitors have changed what daily Type 1 management looks…
Complications & Prevention
4 articles · One of the main aims of managing Type 1 diabetes is preventing the long-term…
Living Well
8 articles · Type 1 diabetes does not have to hold you back from anything — sport, travel, driving…
Diabetes Basics
What Is Type 1 Diabetes? A Clear Beginner's Guide
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition where the body stops making insulin. Learn what causes it, how it…
Insulin, Cortisol and the Hormones That Really Run Your Energy
A plain, patient explanation of how insulin, cortisol and the appetite hormones ghrelin, leptin and GLP-1…
What Actually Happens After You Eat a Meal, Minute by Minute
A calm, minute-by-minute walk through what your body does after a meal, from the first rise in blood sugar to…
How Type 2 Diabetes Actually Develops, Long Before Anyone Notices
Type 2 diabetes rarely arrives suddenly. A calm explanation of the years-long path from early insulin…
What Actually Raises Your Risk of Diabetes, and What You Can Do About It
A calm, honest look at what actually raises the risk of type 2 diabetes, family history, weight, sleep, age…
The Early Signs of Type 1 Diabetes (and What They Felt Like)
The warning signs of type 1 diabetes, told through what they actually feel like: constant thirst, endless…
Can Insulin Resistance Actually Be Reversed? The Honest Answer
Insulin resistance is where type 2 diabetes begins, and it is also the stage most open to being turned…
What Is Diabetes, Really? The Different Types Explained Simply
Diabetes is not one illness, and it is not just a high number on a meter. A calm, plain guide to type 1, type…
Insulin & Treatment
Why Insulin Is the Only Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes always needs insulin because the pancreas stops making it. Learn why insulin can't be a pill…
A Day on Basal-Bolus Insulin: How the Two Actually Work Together
A practical, plain-English walk through basal-bolus insulin, what a real day looks like, why both parts…
Rapid, Short, Intermediate or Long: What Your Insulin Actually Does
A plain guide to the four insulin action categories, rapid, short, intermediate and long-acting, with real…
Should You Try an Insulin Pump? How They Actually Work
A plain, honest guide to insulin pumps: how they actually work, when the flexibility genuinely helps, the…
How to Inject Insulin Properly: The Details That Actually Matter
A practical guide to injecting insulin well: the right layer of skin, the best sites, needle habits, and the…
Why Rotating Your Injection Sites Actually Matters
Injecting in the same spot causes lipohypertrophy, painless fatty lumps that make insulin absorption erratic…
Storing Insulin the Right Way: Fridge, Room and Travel
A practical guide to storing insulin safely: what belongs in the fridge, what can sit at room temperature…
Blood Sugar
HbA1c Explained: What Your Three-Month Number Actually Means
A plain explanation of HbA1c, what it actually measures, the normal, prediabetes and diabetes ranges, and how…
When HbA1c Can Be Wrong, and Why It Sometimes Lies to You
HbA1c is not always accurate. Anaemia, kidney problems, pregnancy and certain medicines can all distort the…
How Diabetes Is Actually Diagnosed and Monitored Over Time
A plain walk through the tests used to diagnose diabetes, fasting glucose, the OGTT and HbA1c, how doctors…
Why Your Blood Sugar Is High When You Wake Up: The Dawn Phenomenon
A plain explanation of the dawn phenomenon, the natural early-morning rise in blood sugar, why it happens…
Checking Your Blood Sugar at Home Without Hating It
How home blood glucose testing works with type 1 diabetes, from someone who did it wrong first. Getting a…
DKA and Sick-Day Rules: The One Thing You Do Not Skip
Diabetic ketoacidosis is the emergency sick-day rules exist to prevent. What DKA is, the warning signs, and…
Treating a Hypo Properly: The 15-15 Rule Explained
A hypo, blood sugar under 4, needs fast acting sugar, not chocolate, and a recheck 15 minutes later. A calm…
Severe Hypos: What Your Family Needs to Know About Glucagon
A severe hypo can leave someone unable to treat themselves. A plain guide to the warning signs, what glucagon…
Food & Carbs
Type 1 or Type 2: Why Your Eating Strategy Should Not Be the Same
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes need genuinely different approaches to food. Why type 1 revolves around…
Carb Counting for Beginners: How I Learned to Stop Guessing
Carbohydrate counting for type 1 diabetes, explained by someone who found it baffling at first. What counts…
Which Foods Actually Contain Carbohydrate? A Real Answer
Before you can count carbs, you need to know where they actually hide. A plain guide to which everyday foods…
Technology
CGM for Type 1: A Gentle Guide to Continuous Glucose Monitoring
A calm, plain guide to continuous glucose monitoring in type 1 diabetes: how the sensor works, what the…
Flash Glucose Monitoring: How It Differs From a Full CGM
Flash glucose monitoring reads glucose with a scan rather than a constant stream. A plain guide to how it…
Complications & Prevention
Diabetic Eye Disease: Why the Annual Screen Actually Matters
Diabetic retinopathy can damage your sight without any warning symptoms. A calm explanation of what it is…
Diabetic Kidney Disease: The Quiet Complication Worth Testing For
Diabetic kidney disease develops silently for years before symptoms appear. A plain explanation of what it…
Diabetes and Your Feet: Why a Daily Look Actually Matters
Diabetes can quietly reduce feeling in the feet, so small injuries go unnoticed. A calm, practical guide to…
Diabetes and Your Heart: What Actually Raises the Risk
Diabetes raises the risk of heart attack and stroke over time. A plain explanation of why, what your blood…
Living Well
Living Well With Diabetes: The Things That Actually Move the Needle
Managing diabetes well is less about any single reading and more about patience with a handful of ordinary…
Coping With a Diabetes Diagnosis: What You Are Feeling Is Normal
Shock, anger, grief and denial are all normal reactions to a diabetes diagnosis. A compassionate guide to…
Exercise and Type 1: How Different Activities Actually Affect Your Sugar
Exercise can push blood sugar up or down depending on the type and intensity. A practical, honest guide to…
Alcohol and Type 1 Diabetes: What Actually Happens and How to Stay Safe
Alcohol raises the risk of hypos for hours afterward, including overnight. A practical, honest guide to…
Driving With Type 1 Diabetes: The Precautions That Actually Matter
Type 1 diabetes is not a barrier to driving, but hypo risk means specific precautions matter. A clear guide…
Travelling With Type 1 Diabetes: What Actually Needs Planning
Type 1 diabetes should not stop you travelling, but it needs proper planning. A practical checklist covering…
Planning a Pregnancy With Type 1 Diabetes: Getting an Early Start
Most women with type 1 diabetes have a healthy pregnancy, and planning ahead genuinely improves the odds…
Starting College or a New Job With Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes does not have to hold you back at college or work. A practical guide to disclosure, support…
Turn food decisions into confident ones with Flona
Flona is your daily companion for insulin decisions — basal, rapid-acting, mixed or meal-based — and for estimating carbs at a glance. It is guidance to support you day to day, not a replacement for advice from your physician or diabetes care team.