War on Diabetes newsletter 1st May 2026

The unpredictable April weather has had me chomping at the bit, trying to get out on long walks, but feeling trapped in the house. I'm setting myself a new challenge for this year to motivate me to get out more.

Progress update

I've had a bit of a setback in April as my weight has crept up again. My problem is that whenever I get some good progress, I then feel like I'm all good to take my foot off the pedal for a bit. Too much red wine over a few sunny days so I know exactly what I've done wrong. I'm giving my head a wobble and hoping to get down to 13 stone by the end of summer.

I've also joined the Public Health Collaboration (PHC) as an Associate volunteer and am very excited to be attending the 2026 conference on 16th and 17th May at The Light in London. There are still in-person tickets available and you can also view the livestream if you're interested but can't make it in person.

Trying out the Syai Ultra CGM

Following up on last month's Big CGM Review, I was contacted by Spencer Martin at Glucose Evolution. He's sent me a Syai Ultra CGM to try out. I hadn't heard of this one before so it wasn't included in the same stress tests that I did on the Dexcom, Libre and Yuwell CGMs, but the accuracy seems to be similar to the Yuwell CT-3. It has some very impressive additional features that none of the others have such as AI integration, more detailed statistics, and easier logging options where you can use either voice or image recognition. Logging food and exercise can be a real hassle, especially when out in public, so this is a big help. It's also so tiny that I've found myself forgetting it's there.

The Cholesterol Code launches on Amazon Prime Video

New on Prime Video is The Cholesterol Code. Moving to a ketogenic or even just low-carbohydrate diet can be daunting in the face of conflicting opinions. The truth is that no causal link to increased dietary saturated fat and increased heart disease risk has ever been proven and some recent evidence seems to show that higher LDL cholesterol can sometimes be associated with increased longevity. I've been looking forward to this breakthrough documentary from David Feldman and Dr. Nick Norwitz. David is like me, in that he came from a technical (engineering) background and figured out how to reverse his pre-diabetes by following a low-carb diet and obsessively analysing his response to different foods. Both he and Dr. Nick have a rare metabolic phenotype that means that their LDL cholesterol becomes much higher than most people on a ketogenic diet which they call 'Lean Mass Hyper-Responders'. They have conducted a crowd-funded study which monitored coronary artery calcium (CAC) scans to measure levels of atherosclerotic plaque build-up (the generally acknowledged cause of heart disease that results in heart attack and stroke). Their conclusions suggest that there is no increased cardiovascular disease risk for lean and metabolically healthy people from the LDL increase alone and that further studies are needed to look at the absolute risk profile for this group of people. The documentary also includes a very moving interview with Richard K. Bernstein, the first person to monitor their own glucose levels at home to manage their type 1 diabetes. He managed to keep his insulin doses low by following a low carbohydrate diet and lived longer than any of his doctors thought possible.

John o' Groats to Lands' End walking challenge

Last year, I completed the One Million Step Challenge for Diabetes UK which took place over three months. Starting today, I'm taking on a bit more of a challenge and walking the equivalent total distance of the length of the UK over five months. This is roughly 870 miles and works out at around 1.8 million steps.

I'm fundraising for PHC because I feel that their low-carb approach is a real game-changer for people who want to put type 2 diabetes into remission and their work will lead to changes needed to give future generations the option of remission instead of just management.

Food devils

Flapjack

Wait... what... why would you even eat this? I've sworn off oats as a lifestyle choice since the first day I wore a CGM and saw my glucose spike from a 'healthy' rolled oat porridge breakfast. So, my partner is into baking and normally uses almond flour to make things more diabetic-friendly for me so I didn't think to ask what the ingredients were before trying this oat-filled carbohydrate overload.

Doner kebab (with bread)

Okay, sometimes this still happens when I want something spicy and can't be bothered cooking. I've started getting it on a wrap instead of naan bread which is a little better but still a very bad choice. I normally don't eat any of the bread but I had a weak moment leading to sky-high glucose levels all night.

Food heroes

Cheese

My general wine-induced snack of choice is decent quality cheese. This can be high in protein so it's best to avoid overdoing it but I generally don't have large glucose spikes from this. Harder, longer fermented, and grass-fed cheeses are generally best as they contain higher levels of C-15 fatty acid which has been associated with improved insulin resistance and keeping blood glucose low.

Tea/Coffee with cream

Okay, bear with me on this... I ran out of milk one day and decided to try a mug of tea with double cream instead. It takes a bit of getting used to but it's not unpleasant. As someone who regularly drinks 5-6 mugs of tea per day, I find myself microdosing glucose from the milk. Each mug isn't a huge amount at around 1-2 grams of net carbs per brew but it all adds up. Having double cream instead takes each brew to around 0.2 grams of net carbs so I'm sticking with the cream for most of my brews. If you want to take it further, you could try 'bulletproof coffee' which is coffee mixed with butter and MCT oil instead of milk or cream - I haven't tried this one yet.

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Bitter melon & cinnamon tea

I'm back to trying one-day fast per week and herbal (or at least no dairy) teas help to relieve hunger niggles without breaking a water fast. A friend on the PHC course recommended bitter melon for help with glucose control so I decided to try this Nutra Glycemia tea and it's my new favourite for when I can't be bothered with the preparation steps for my BDNF-boosting tea with its multiple ingredients. The cinnamon and fenugreek form a well balanced sweet and earthiness. This one is now part of my daily routine whether I'm having a fasting day or not.

Shirataki noodles

Shirataki noodles (not to be confused with shitake mushrooms) are super-low-carb noodles. They are made from konjac root (no, not the brandy - it's Southeast Asian elephant yam root). I add them to my regular pork ramen and they work well with a chicken curry as well.

Norman Walsh

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.

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.