World Diabetes Day 2014

The Lo Cal Heroes - Promoting healthy lifestyles

As part of its ongoing support for World Diabetes Day (WDD), the ISA is addressing the importance of healthy eating and lifestyle choices by injecting fun and flavour into WDD, with the release of a specially developed animation, as well as a series of healthy breakfast recipes from across Europe, and a live Twitter chat co-hosted by specialists in the area, Dr Aimilia Papakonstantinou, dietician and lecturer in Nutrition and Metabolism at the Agricultural University of Athens, and Dr Duane Mellor, Assistant Professor in Dietetics, University of Nottingham, UK, all on the 14th November 2014.

 

The animation is the third in a series of videos developed by the ISA for WDD, and promotes this year’s themes of healthy eating, make healthier choices and the importance of breakfast. This 2-minute animation brings four “Lo Cal Heroes” to life in a town overcast with unhealthy dietary habits and lifestyles. As they dart around the city, each one of our heroes, who represent different health issues, showcase the benefits of small changes and smart swaps, including the use of low calorie sweeteners, to help the town folk lead healthier everyday lives. This animation is being released on 14th November, at 10.00 am CET.

Live twitter hour:

Co-hosted by specialists in the area, Dr Aimilia Papakonstantinou, dietician and lecturer in Nutrition and Metabolism at the Agricultural University of Athens, and Dr Duane Mellor, Assistant Professor in Dietetics, University of Nottingham, this live Twitter Hour touched on the importance of healthy eating and lifestyle choices, with a focus on diabetes.

This chat addressed, among others, the following questions and topics:

  • What is the one food you wouldn’t want to give up?
  • Does having diabetes mean you should give up sweet foods?
  • Can low calorie sweeteners (LCSs) play a positive role in the management of diabetes?
  • Is there a role for low calorie sweeteners in weight management, in preventing diabetes and other lifestyle conditions?
  • What are the truths and myths on low calorie sweeteners?
  • If a food is sugar free, does it make it healthy?

If you missed the conversation, the story of this chat has been collated via Storify and is available by clicking here.

For more information, please follow @SweetenersAndU #ISAforWDD.

Healthy breakfast recipes

Additionally, with the support of diabetes and nutrition experts from across Europe, the ISA has pulled together a variety of low sugar breakfast recipes to help people, including those with diabetes, incorporate the messages from the animation into their everyday lives. These recipes show how by reducing or swapping sugar with low calories sweeteners, anyone can create delicious meals that enable them to enjoy sweetness at breakfast, without excess calories.