Blood glucose levels will change throughout the day - for example, they are higher after meals and lower first thing in the morning. Many health professionals advise you to keep a blood glucose diary, so you can test your levels at different times of the day and work out what your typical patterns are; this is the first step to controlling your glucose levels. You can also record what you eat, and what exercise you take to help you find connections between your diet, lifestyle and your glucose levels. To make it easier, you can download diaries here and use them as you like.

The main way to control your blood glucose is through your diet. Your doctor will advise you about this and there are a lot of specialist diabetic products now, so this is much easier than it used to be. Generally, the principle is balance: you need a variety of foods, with restricted intake of certain high-sugar products. This sheet is a good place to start getting information.