November is World Diabetes Awareness month... A time to raise awareness, but also educate the important role nutrition plays, in living a healthy life with this disease. The goal for this year is to reduce the risk for diabetes and to ensure that people with diabetes have access to quality care.
Type 2 diabetes is a silent epidemic and a growing concern, affecting millions of South Africans. Fifty percent of people are undiagnosed and not aware that they have diabetes. Personal lifestyle changes like regular exercise, limiting processed and sugary foods whilst consuming whole, nutritious food will have an overall positive impact long-term.
Kathryn Millar is a qualified health coach through the Health Coaches Academy UK, practicing at The Optimum Health Centre in Howick, Kzn. She is highly knowledgeable in plant-based foods and enjoys working with people who want to adopt this lifestyle. Much of her client experience is with type 2 diabetic patients or pre-diabetes.
"As a health coach, I am driven by guiding people in making sustainable changes and improvements in their health and personal lives.
From a young age my parents would find me snacking on the left over dinner veggies in the fridge instead of the dessert! In my adult years, I understand more about the critical role that a plant based whole foods diet could play in our long term health and wellness, and while I don’t advocate for a meat free approach for clients who are not vegetarian, I do promote ‘eating the rainbow’ and diversifying diets to improve the gut microbiome which ultimately leads to only good things both physically and mentally.
The link between our brains and our gut is undeniable, and the more we feed ourselves ‘useful’ food, the more every aspect of our lives improves – from our moods to our motions."
Kathryn enjoys an outdoor lifestyle and spends much of her free time in the Drakensberg mountains.
Optimum Health Centre can all be contacted via phone on: 079 472 5309 / 066 269 8229 or via email on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Author credit: Liza Williams - Freelance Wellness Blogger (Pictured here RHS) 
Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Liza has a deeply rooted love for all things wellness and her career as a Somatologist has taken her to various parts of the world. She enjoys connecting with people and her hobbies include travel and tourism, photography, music, and aesthetics. Liza lives with her family in Nottingham Road, Midlands, South Africa.
Liza says, “You can stay healthier longer and lower your risk of diabetes if you maintain a healthy weight, eat a balanced diet and live an active lifestyle.
The Optimum Health Centre welcomes anyone in South Africa or worldwide, and has convenient online meeting facilities available.
Addressing the root cause of the chronic health condition plus offering personalised and quality care is at the heart of The Optimum Health Centre's team of experienced health professionals.”