Diabetes nutrition, Diabetes Dietitian

Diabetes

Expert Diabetes Dietitians-
Eltham, Melbourne

Manage Diabetes with medical nutrition therapy (MNT) and improve your health without flipping your life upside down

Start your journey

Improve Your Diabetes Without Giving Up The Foods You Love!

Whether you are a health optimiser or just looking to improve your health, we're here to provide you expert support. 
People with Diabetes enjoying the foods they love and managing their blood glucose and blood sugar well

Reduce Health Stress

Increase Confidence

Improve Blood Sugar

Reduce Heart Attacks & Strokes

At REAL Health & Nutrition, we believe that managing your blood glucose shouldn’t come at the cost of your happiness. 

Our Accredited Practising Dietitians (APD) use evidence-based Medical Nutrition Therapy to help you stabilise your energy, protect your long-term healthspan, and feel in control of your body again.

Comprehensive Diabetes Nutrition Support

Realistic health and nutrition strategies that work towards your goals and fit into your life.
Image of BGL Lancet and measurement device

  • Type 2 Diabetes & Insulin Resistance

    Insulin resistance is often the driving force behind Type 2 Diabetes.

    Our goal is to improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin. We do this by focusing on body composition and muscle preservation.

    As Sports Dietitians and Nutritionists, we understand that muscle sucks up blood sugar like a sponge.

    Our health strategies are focused on more than just your nutrition. Our #1 goal is getting you to your goals

  • Pre-Diabetes

    You don’t have to wait for a diagnosis to take action.

    If your GP has mentioned that your blood sugars are "creeping up," nutrition is the most powerful tool you have to stop the progression to Type 2 Diabetes.

    Prediabetes is the last red flag you get before a Diabetes diagnosis.

    The chance of "curing" long-term Diabetes is below 15%

    This is your opportunity to prevent it from ever occurring.

  • Gestational Diabetes

    Being diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes can be stressful for expectant mums.

    We provide specialized support to keep both you and your baby safe.

    Our strategies focus on controlling blood glucose levels while ensuring you are getting all the essential nutrients for a healthy pregnancy, without the stress of extreme dieting.

Practitioners

Meet the team

Highly skilled and qualified Dietitians and Sport Nutritionists

  • Matthew Rigoni Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD), sport Nutritionist, Accredited Sport Dietitian (ASD)

    Matthew Rigoni

    Head Dietitian (APD) & Sports Nutritionist

    Matthew Rigoni is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist supporting clients across Eltham, Diamond Creek and Melbourne’s North-East. He specialises in weight management, chronic disease care, IBS/low-FODMAP nutrition, and sports-performance nutrition. His approach focuses on evidence-based, realistic strategies tailored to each client’s health goals. Matthew also brings experience in strength training and rehabilitation, helping clients build long-term, sustainable habits.

  • Max Dennehy Dietitian, body building coach

    Max Dennehy

    Dietitian and Bodybuilding Coach

    Max Dennehy is a qualified Dietitian with strong expertise in sports nutrition, weight loss, muscle gain and body recomposition. He has more than seven years of hands-on experience in bodybuilding and strength training, blending clinical nutrition with practical performance coaching. Max supports clients managing chronic conditions, improving metabolic health, and achieving body-composition goals. His coaching style is structured and supportive, helping clients stay consistent and confident.

  • Emma Westlake Accredited Sports Nutritionist

    Emma Westlake

    Accredited Sports Nutritionist

    Emma Westlake is a Nutritionist and Accredited Sports Nutritionist with experience in athletic performance, endurance nutrition, injury recovery and rehabilitation. She brings a strong background in Biomedical Science and works with clients to improve energy, health and long-term wellbeing. Emma has supported athletes across AFL/AFLW, triathlon and running communities, offering clear and practical guidance. Her passion lies in helping active individuals optimise performance through personalised, evidence-based nutrition.

Learn more about our practitioners

Qualifcations, profesional interests and why they're unique!

Take the First Step Today

Whether you prefer to book online or speak directly, we make it simple to get started.

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Happy family eating a nutricious meal after Dietitian consultation

An in-depth look

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic condition involving the body’s inability to manage and regulate blood sugar (glucose). 
When blood glucose is too high, this can lead to damage to the body

How is Diabetes Diagnosed?

Step 1, talk with your GP

To officially diagnose diabetes, your GP will arrange a simple blood test. Unless you are experiencing severe symptoms (like extreme thirst, frequent urination, or unexplained weight loss), your doctor will usually need to see positive results on two separate days to confirm the diagnosis.

Method 1: The HbA1c Test

  • What it is: This is the most common and convenient blood test because you do not need to fast. It measures how much glucose (sugar) is attached to your red blood cells, giving your doctor an average of your blood sugar levels over the past 2 to 3 months.

  • The Result: An HbA1c level of 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or higher indicates diabetes. A result between 6.0% and 6.4% indicates pre-diabetes.

Method 2: Fasting Blood Glucose Test

  • What it is: For this test, you cannot eat or drink anything (except water) for 8 to 10 hours overnight. Your blood is then drawn first thing in the morning to see your baseline sugar levels without food in your system.

  • The Result: A fasting blood glucose level of 7.0 mmol/L or higher indicates diabetes.

Method 3: Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)

  • What it is: This is a two-hour test often used to diagnose gestational diabetes or clarify uncertain results. You will have a fasting blood test first, drink a very sweet glucose liquid, and then have your blood tested again two hours later to see exactly how your body processes the sugar load.

  • The Result: A blood glucose level of 11.1 mmol/L or higher at the two-hour mark indicates diabetes.

Method 4: Random Blood Glucose Test

  • What it is: A blood test taken at a random time of the day, regardless of when you last ate a meal.

  • The Result: A level of 11.1 mmol/L or higher—especially if you have classic symptoms—suggests diabetes and will usually be followed up with a fasting test or HbA1c to confirm.

Diabetes statistics Australia

National Prevalence & Diagnoses (Australia)

  • Total Diagnosed: Approximately 1.5 million Australians are currently diagnosed with diabetes and registered with the NDSS.

  • Undiagnosed Cases: An estimated 500,000 Australians are living with silent, undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes. This brings the true total to roughly 2 million people.

  • Daily Diagnoses: Over 300 Australians are diagnosed with diabetes every single day.

  • Growth Trend: Between 2013 and 2023, the number of Australians living with all types of diabetes increased by 32%.

Breakdown by Diabetes Type

Based on active NDSS registrations:

  • Type 2 Diabetes: ~86.7% (approx. 1.25 million people)

  • Type 1 Diabetes: ~9.4% (approx. 135,000 people)

  • Gestational Diabetes: ~3.1% (approx. 44,500 active registrants)

  • Other diabetes is 0.8%

Victoria & Melbourne Specifics

  • General Victorian Burden: In Victoria, approximately 1 in 20 adults are living with the condition.

  • Hospitalisations: In 2021–2022, diabetes was associated with just over 1.2 million hospitalisations nationwide, accounting for 10% of all hospital admissions, a burden heavily felt across Melbourne’s major hospital networks.

Why we need sugar (glucose) in our blood to live.

Our body is amazing at tightly controlling the amount of glucose in our blood. In the average person has around 5 litres of blood in them and in all of that fluid, there is only 4-5 grams or 1 teaspoon of sugar (glucose).

 

BGL’s Too low is dangerous

If the total blood glucose amount drops too much, our body can run out of energy (including our heart and brain), which can lead to emergency situations. This is called hypoglycaemia or a “hypo”

 

BGL’s Too high is also deadly

If the total amount is too high (2.9 teaspoons or ~13.3mmol/L) or higher, our risk for ketoacidosis (elevated ketones leading to acidification of our blood) and coma dramatically increases. This is called hyperglycaemia.

This is measured most commonly by mmol/L for immediate measurements or HbA1C for the average of the past ~120 days.

How does our body control this? Think of your body like a car and food like petrol.

How does Diabetes work?

The car funnel Diabetes model

1. The Gas (Glucose): You have plenty of gas to run your car.

2. The Tank (Cells): The gas needs to get inside the fuel tank to make the car go.

3. The Funnel (Insulin): You need a funnel to get the gas into the tank.

In Diabetes, the funnel doesn’t work well

The funnel model of Diabetes management. Optimal blood glucose and blood sugar control with funnel analogy (funnel damaged, leading to fuel not providing support and damaging surrounding tissues)

How does high blood glucose damage your body?

There are multiple mechanisms that influence the damage that blood glucose can do to our body.

1. Oxidative stress (total inflammation)

2. Biochemical (Polyol pathway, (AGEs), Protein Kinase C

Activation & Hexosamine Pathway)

3. Endothelial Dysfunction (blood vessel damage)

The more damage, the worse our ability to manage blood sugar gets, leading to even more damage and even higher levels. And the loop repeats.

What we can do

Can you cure Diabetes?

There currently is no cure for type 1 Diabetes, however it can be managed well with minimal impact on someone’s health.

While it is possible to cure type 2 Diabetes, it is very rare and incredibly difficult to do.

Diabetes (type 2) is a disease that usually occurs after multiple years of poor nutrition and physical activity. This often means that strong habitual routines have already been established that work against making meaningful changes and decrease the likelihood of treating diabetes well.

To clarify, there are two concepts that are critical to understand curing type 2 Diabetes.

Remission: When an individual reduces their HbA1C (3-4 month average blood glucose indicator) below 6.5%

Cure: When an individual reduces their HbA1C to below 5.5% and insulin below 5mu/L with the presence of moderate GI carbohydrates in the diet.

How is Diabetes treated?

There are multiple strategies to improve blood glucose and Diabetes.

Here at REAL, we focus on the highest return on effort investment items (from highest to lowest) being:

1. Low Glycaemic Index (GI) Carbohydrates and Low Glycaemic Load (GL)

2. Improving insulin sensitivity with hypertrophy

3. Specific fats & micronutrient optimisation

Glycaemic Index (GI)

Glycaemic index is how fast (and high) 50g of food can raise our blood glucose (sugar) levels. Glycaemic index is a number give to a food from 0-100 and is typically classed into low-moderate-high categories. The scale goes to 100 as 50g of straight glucose syrup will have a GI of 100 and we compare all other foods to this.

We disagree with this 3 class system. A 4th class of “very low” is required for optimal diabetes management.

The following page has some common foods split into the 4 different categories. The lower the number is, generally the better it is for diabetes.

Do you want to learn more about Glyceamic Index?

Discover the GI's of common Australian foods

Find a list of common curated foods that we commonly see in our consultations. From Weetabix to table sugar to watermelon, understand glycaemic index better!

Use our free GI searchable databse with over 3200 foods!

We have created a fully searchable database with over 3200 foods for you to search through. If you are looking to take your glycaemic index and blood sugar knowledge to the next level, look no further. 

Diabetes and high blood glucose levels mechanisms of action and damage pathways including oxidative stress, biochemical pathways and endothelial dysfunction

Certifications & Associations

Maintaining Excellence in Nutrition Care

This commitment ensures you always receive the most current, evidence-based nutrition guidance available.

Frequently Asked Diabetes Questions

Have another question? Contact us, obligation free! 

We’re here to help!

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    Yes! Carbohydrates are an important energy source. We teach you which types to choose (low GI), the best portion sizes for your body, and what to pair them with to ensure your blood sugars remain stable.

    While we cannot prescribe or recommend reductions in medications, we work closely with your GP and Endocrinologist.

    Many of our clients find that as their nutrition and lifestyle improve, their doctors are able to reduce their medication dosage over time.

    Meal plans can be a double-edged sword.

    Most often, we do not recommend meal plans; they may not be what you actually need.

    At an additional cost, we ensure our nutrition plans are high quality, satisfying, personalised and nutritionally sufficient with both macro and micronutrients being accounted for.

    Meal plans can be useful in certain circumstances, but like all tools, it’s probably not a good idea to start the equivalent of cutting a piece of paper with a chainsaw if all we need are some scissors.

    At REAL Health & Nutrition, you are in charge of your health journey. If you decide a meal plan is appropriate for you, we offer an additional service for personalised meal plans designed to your preferences and goals.

    Yes. As much as we try to fight the stereotype, Dietitians absolutely help with weight loss. Weight loss makes up ~20% of our clientele at the time of writing, and we commonly support people with this goal.

    A REAL Dietitian can help with identifying what has and has not worked for you in the past and tailor a specific strategy to fit into your life (without flipping it upside down). We focus on the highest return on health outcomes with the smallest mental load investment choices first.

    We don’t promise miracles. What we focus on is making the hard parts of health easy

    At REAL, we view Ozempic/Mounjaro/ Weygovy and other GLP-1 agonists as a tool that has pros and cons depending on the individual.

    The current evidence states that people use these drugs on average for only 1 year.

    We worry when they are prescribed without dietary and activity support, as they can have similar outcomes as just another yoyo or fad diet with evidence now supporting that there is long-term metabolic damage that can occur after excessive yoyo-ing with weight (potentially reducing your metabolism).

    We view these drugs as a tool that are not often used to their fullest potential and that you can often get much more out of your health with a combination approach.

    Yes. If you have a chronic condition like Type 2 Diabetes, your GP can provide a Chronic Disease Management (CDM) plan, which gives you a Medicare rebate of $61.80 per session for up to 5 visits per year.

    An Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) provides personalised Medical Nutrition Therapy to help you manage blood glucose levels, reduce HbA1c, and prevent long-term complications.

    Unlike a general meal plan, we look at your unique pathology, medication, and lifestyle to create a sustainable strategy that allows you to enjoy food while maintaining stable blood sugar.

    While “cure” isn’t an official clinical term, many individuals can achieve Type 2 Diabetes remission.

    We believe that with a hyper-optimised approach through our Dietitians, we can achieve a similar state to a “cure”.

    This is defined as maintaining an HbA1c below 6.5% for at least three months without glucose-lowering medication. Through evidence-based nutritional interventions, weight management, and metabolic health strategies, our Melbourne dietitians support clients in significantly improving insulin sensitivity and potentially reaching remission.

    No, you do not strictly need a referral to book a private consultation at REAL Health & Nutrition.

    However, if you have a chronic condition, you may be eligible for a Chronic Disease Management (CDM) plan from your GP. This allows you to claim a Medicare rebate for up to five sessions per year.

    We also accept all major private health funds, and many covers include dietetic consultations under “extras.”