By Accredited Practising Dietitian, Rebecca McPhee

We all know the benefits of staying hydrated, especially during the summer months, but drinking plain water every day can get boring. Supermarket fridges are stocked with colourful cans and bottles of water with added extras that promise to deliver your daily prebiotic fix, electrolytes and endless amounts of vitamins and minerals. While it is tempting to opt for something other than plain water, these drinks are often loaded with sugars and preservatives and don’t really offer any nutritional value, despite what the marketing may claim. If you are bored of plain water then here are some simple ways to jazz up your water without the extra sugar.

1. Add a burst of fruit flavour 
   Lemon, lime, or orange slices give water a refreshing, zesty flavour. Berries, kiwi, pineapple, or melon are also great additions.  

2. Try different herbs and vegetables 
   Add mint, basil, rosemary or ginger to your water. Cucumber slices also add flavour.  

3. Get creative with ice cubes 
   Make fancy ice cubes by freezing different ingredients such as a mint leaf, berries or chopped pineapple. You could also freeze fruit juice and add one cube to plain or sparkling water.  

4. Add some fizz 
   Sparkling mineral water adds some fun fizz without the extra sugar. Add a little fruit to a glass of sparkling water for a refreshing drink. 

5. Change the temperature 
   Try homemade iced tea in summer or a hot herbal infusion in winter. 

10 fruit infused water combos to try 

To make infused water fill a jug with water, wash and add your fruit and herbs, and leave to steep in the fridge. The longer you leave, the stronger the flavour. While you can drink the water immediately, most herbs will take an hour to release their flavour. Mint leaves can be gently rubbed to increase flavour. A general rule is to drink the infused water within 48 hours as the fruit can start to breakdown and some herbs will wilt. Lime slices can turn bitter after six to eight hours, so fish them out before then. Experiment with different flavour combinations and quantities of fruit. Enjoy! 

Cucumber + mint 

Pineapple + mint 

Orange + blueberry  

Watermelon + Basil  

Strawberry + mint 

Pineapple + mango  

Lemon + mint 

Apple + cinnamon  

As 2024 comes to a close, it’s interesting to pause and reflect on what has resonated deeply with our community over the past year. We’ve collated our top-read blog posts and news stories from the past 12 months, and it’s a collection that tells a story of its own. Continued uncertainty around the supply of certain medications, plus increasing concerns about cost of living pressures, dominated the year’s most popular articles. It’s a troubling but unsurprising reflection on what you have shared with us through our community consultations, surveys, and the Spark Change platform.

Taking out the number one spot by a huge margin was this story on the availability of a new weight loss medicine, Wegovy, in Australia.

Followed by a look at the causes of high blood glucose levels, and what you can do to avoid them.

In third place we return to the topic of medications and protections to give people living with diabetes priority in accessing certain drugs.

A close fourth was a news story from early in 2024, welcoming the announcement from the Government on cheaper access to diabetes medicines.

Coming in fifth place was an article on winter foods and warming snacks. While ideas for winter warmers might not be front of mind today, you will still find some helpful ideas for snacks that can be enjoyed whatever the weather.

Our next article looked at cost of living challenges and tips that can help you save costs on medications.

In seventh place we introduced our partnership with Defeat Diabetes that focuses on a low carb approach to improving type 2 diabetes management and a pathway for people wanting to attempt type 2 diabetes remission. 

Information we shared from the Therapeutic Goods Administration on concerns around the production of compounded versions of Ozempic, came in at eighth place.

While in ninth place was our news story and response to the 23 key recommendations made by the landmark Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes in Australia.

Rounding out our most-read stories of 2024 was this article with tips on how to measure your blood pressure at home and how to choose the best blood pressure monitor for you.

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day under the theme: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress.

By investing in women, we can spark change and speed the transition towards a healthier, safer, and more equal world for all.

Professor Gerty Cori

Today we acknowledge and celebrate pioneering women like Gerty Cori who overcame the gender discrimination and academic prejudice that prevented most women from studying medicine in the early 20th century to become the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1947. A prize she was awarded for research into how the body metabolises sugars, and which would later prove to be foundational in the treatment of diabetes.

Dr Danielle Longmore

We acknowledge and celebrate women like Dr Danielle Longmore (2024 RACP Diabetes Australia Research Establishment Fellowship) who are building on Gerty’s work, and whose research could significantly improve the lives of young people who are living with diabetes.

Jackie and Freya

We acknowledge and celebrate women like Jackie Goldston who care for loved ones living with diabetes, supporting them to thrive – just like her daughter Freya, an inspiring young woman living with type 1 diabetes who is destined to succeed with equal opportunities to earn, learn and lead.

We acknowledge and celebrate the many dedicated women working as health professionals to provide care and support for people living with diabetes.

And above all, we acknowledge and celebrate women of all ages living with diabetes who, on a daily basis, manage the challenges of their condition and inspire people with their resilience.

Perhaps unsurprisingly the top stories during 2023 were related to the availability, or otherwise, of medications. The nationwide shortage of Ozempic hit the headlines at the start of 2023, and concerns still remain high for those struggling to access a regular supply. Several months later the potential withdrawal of Fiasp from the PBS understandingly sparked angst and distress in the community. These two issues were a major driving force behind the launch of our Spark Change platform. We have committed to fight for change on these issues, plus others. We urge you to add your voice on topics that concern you here.

While Ozempic and Fiasp took out the top two spots for the most read articles on our website in 2023, the following eight articles were not far behind.

This World Diabetes Day, Diabetes Australia, together with the ADS and the ADEA, is launching the Diabetes Research Changes Lives campaign to highlight the impact of research transforming the lives of people living with diabetes, and call for more funding for diabetes research.

To change the trajectory of the diabetes epidemic, research must be at the forefront of our response. We have world-class researchers, undertaking world-class research, but this can’t be sustained if funding continues to decline.

Diabetes Australia Group CEO, Justine Cain, reached out to the Australian research community to communicate our plan to address this situation and affect change.

• In the coming months, Diabetes Australia and the ADS will host a number of roundtable discussions with leading researchers from across the country to develop a national strategic roadmap for research. It is critical we have a clear plan that outlines priorities for research and investment.

• Diabetes Australia has appointed a Director of Research (announcement of successful candidate in December 2023) to provide leadership as we collectively work with the research community to develop a national diabetes research strategy.

• Diabetes Australia has bolstered our fundraising and philanthropy efforts, with the appointment of a senior philanthropy leader to grow funding so that Diabetes Australia can continue to fund and provide research grants across Australia.

• We are stepping up our political engagement and advocacy efforts to lobby the Australian Government and other funders to increase investment in diabetes research.

“Funding for diabetes research has declined significantly over the past decade. Yet the number of people living with all types of diabetes continues to increase,” Justine Cain writes.

“Diabetes Australia shares the concerns of the diabetes research community, and we are committed to addressing the need for more research funding to improve the lives of people living with or at risk of diabetes”.

Diabetes research changes lives and creates hope for the future. Research is critical in our fight to drive change to prevent, treat and, ultimately, cure diabetes.

To get involved, you can go to our Spark Change platform and add your support, or share your views, to our petition to increase funding.