In Mzansi, living with diabetes comes with more than just managing your health; there’s judgment too.
People often throw comments like, “You shouldn’t be eating that,” the moment someone with diabetes enjoys a bit of something sweet.
Imagine being at a celebration, enjoying yourself, and someone decides to remind you about your condition. That’s the reality for many people living with diabetes. Even during happy times, they’re made to feel like they need to explain or defend their choices.
We share stories of people living with diabetes, and how they enjoy their favourite desserts; carefully, in moderation, and without shame.
It’s all about knowledge and balance
For Nontsikelelo Mosoluli from the Cape Flats in Cape Town, sugary treats are a thing of the past.
Since being diagnosed with diabetes in 2024, she was told that changing her nutrition would be essential to managing her condition.
“For example, if I am eating fruit, I do not take a whole pear; I take half. Even with grapes, I have to count how many I am eating, usually no more than six at a time.”
Nontsikelelo Mosoluli
Mosoluli explains that she avoids most desserts and fizzy drinks. “What works for me is plain yoghurt with small portions of different fruits. It gives me colour and value.”
Her go-to replacement for dessert is jelly. “I do not take it in winter, but its sugar content makes more sense for me, and it has actually been recommended.”
Meanwhile, Sane Mazibuko, based in Cape Town’s city centre, has been living with diabetes for 29 years and says the journey has taught her a lot.
Back then, she says, the belief was simple: diabetics do not eat sugar. That was the only truth people knew.
“At school, birthdays meant classmates brought party packs and cake, but I was not catered for. I would quietly pack my share into my bag and give it to my brother when I got home.”
Sane Mazibuko
Twenty years later, with more knowledge and understanding, she bumped into a colleague at the office coffee shop.
“I told her I was looking for a croissant, and her first question was, ‘Are you allowed to eat that?’ “The short answer is yes. But I also have a responsibility to make sure I am okay in the long run.”
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Living a guilt-free life
Mazibuko says she enjoys sweet treats. “But I do it with knowledge, responsibility and intention, because this is my life, and I deserve to live it fully and joyfully.”
Bridget McNulty, the co-founder of Sweet Life Diabetes Community, tells Health For Mzansi that one of the things we do not talk about enough is how we can train our taste buds.
“When you are eating a lot of sweet food, you crave a lot of sweet food,” she says. “When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I had to train my taste buds to enjoy foods that were not as sweet.”
That does not mean she does not still enjoy a sweet treat.
“Dark chocolate has very little effect on blood sugar, and I eat it often. I also love ice cream in small portions, and I inject insulin whenever I have it.”
Bridget McNulty
She explains that because diabetes is a chronic condition, you have to find a way to make it a sustainable way of life, and eating. Joy in small treats is part of that for her.
Clearing the confusion
It is not true that a person living with diabetes can never enjoy a sweet treat ever again, explains Nasreen Jaffer, a Cape Town-based registered dietitian.
What is of greater importance, she says, is how much and how often these foods are eaten, and making sure that there is a balance of the food groups in a meal or snack.
“A dietitian is able to guide people living with diabetes on how to incorporate some treats, in moderation, of course, while still managing their blood sugar levels.”
Jaffer adds, “They can also help to identify healthier alternatives that may well become favourite go-to treats.”
Johannesburg-based registered dietitian Ria Catsicas explains that people living with diabetes should not avoid fruits altogether.
She says all types of fruit contain fibre and have a low glycaemic load, a term that refers to the type and quantity of carbohydrate that is eaten.
“A low glycaemic load means that if you eat any fruit in moderation, you will not experience a high blood sugar response.”
She explains that it is the amount of fruit you eat that matters. Therefore, it is best to get your dietitian to check how much fruit you can consume, as this is an individual recommendation.
Maria van der Merwe, the president of the Association for Dietetics in South Africa (Adsa), says, “There’s a lot of confusion and misinformation around diabetes and about how this diagnosis can change one’s life – especially when it comes to making dietary changes.
“This can be a significant barrier to being tested for diabetes, and therefore it is important for South Africans to understand that managing diabetes through medical treatment, healthy eating and physical activity is achievable.”
Furthermore, she says a diabetes diagnosis has impacts on the family, so it is important that loved ones have a solid understanding of the condition so that they can support a person who is either pre-diabetic or living with diabetes.
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