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War on diabetes newsletter 17th September 2025

Welcome to the fourteenth War on Diabetes newsletter - your weekly tips and ideas from someone who has had diabetes for five years and learned a lot about it. It's a practical and actionable guide to details your doctor probably won't have time to tell you about.

My largest daily step count of 26,828 took us past Elton Reservoir on a walk to Bury.

This week I've completed the one million step challenge for Diabetes UK and raised £120. Thanks to everyone who has sponsored me so far. There's still time to make donations up to the end of September.

I've really enjoyed finding new places that I didn't realise were so close to where I live. I've found a local supplier for eggs and goat's milk, new walkable pathways to visit my parents, my new gym, as well as loads of great spots for foraging leaves and berries. I'm glad I've managed to get the challenge finished 16 days early just before the stormy weather arrived this week. I'm hoping to keep my steps up to around at least 10,000 per day over winter but might end up having to run up and down the stairs on rainy days.

Blackberry leaves washed and dried ready for freezing. Just need to top up on dandelion leaves now for my BDNF-boosting tea supplies over winter.

Progress Update

This week has been another lesson in what not to do. I've had food control issues with pub meals and too many legumes in a chilli recipe. The good news is that I've lost enough weight to start enjoying clothes shopping again.

What I learned this week

Epicatechin in chocolate is another dietary tool to help combat type 2 diabetes. This week, I've been exploring ways to consume more of it without resorting to supplements.

Steak with mushroom & cream sauce

My best dinner option this week was steak with mushroom and cream sauce with cheddar cheese and vegetables. Adding a splash of brandy while cooking the steak can give more depth to the flavour. Add cream with plenty of black pepper after removing the steak from the pan to rest. I also like to add grated cheddar to thicken the sauce up and make it more decadent.

This is a good example of portions for carrots and roast potatoes that provide enough carbs to help regulate cortisol and sleep without causing a large glucose spike.

Heck 97% pork sausages with cherry tomatoes and sugar snaps

I had so many problems with glucose spikes from sausages on the previous week, I was glad to get back to these Heck sausages with 0.3g of sugar per 100g. A former butcher friend of mine told me butchers don't add sugar to sausages but my continuous glucose monitor was definitely claiming otherwise. This was a post-gym, protein-boosting lunch that actually helped my glucose levels to come down. I'm going to try eggs before the gym next week as having them after seemed to be spiking me a bit more than I'd like.

Don't do what I did and burn sugar snaps in the oven. I normally wrap them in foil with butter, salt, pepper and parsley but clean forgot this time 😅

Cocoa

I've been working on something of an epicatechin extraction method, as much as a recipe, for getting all the nutritional benefits from dark chocolate without the usual UPF nasties.

Grinding raw cacao nibs and soaking in hot water seems to be the best method, even if it is a bit messy.

Did you know that Bolton has been making shoes for Olympic athletes for over 100 years? In 1961, Norman Walsh left J W Foster & Sons (the precursor of Reebok), to boldly establish his own brand. You can still buy performance footwear designed and made in Bolton from Walsh today.

Shop normanwalsh.com

Released in 1981 for harriers competing in the New York Marathon, the Ensign quickly became known for its durable performance and minimalist design. While many brands were experimenting with new technological materials, Norman Walsh stuck to his “less is more” approach. Featuring a Vibram Moreflex outsole with a thick wedge in the midsole for a cushioned heel strike, the Ensign provided both comfort and flexibility. The lightweight upper offered full-foot support, making it ideal for marathon training and races.