My Reason & The Story behind Diabeat&Co
If you’d told me when I was eight that one day I’d be making my own honey gels, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But so much of why I started Diabeat&Co comes back to being that little girl at school, trying to manage type 1 diabetes and wishing I didn’t have to think about it. I’m Georgia, and I’ve had type 1 diabetes since I was eight. Diabeat&Co grew out of my own experiences, an interest in ingredients, and wanting to create something I would have loved to have growing up.
Growing up with hypo anxiety
School was probably where I felt the most anxious about hypos. There was always that worry in the back of my mind about going low and having to stop what I was doing to treat it.
I didn’t like feeling different from everyone else. When you’re little, you just want to join in with your friends. Having to think about your blood sugars and carry treatments around can feel like a lot, especially when nobody else seems to have to do it.
And honestly, I hated having to carry so much stuff! Diabetes already comes with plenty of things to remember, and I wanted my bag to be full of the same things as everyone else’s.
I often think about how much I would have liked having these gels at school. Something small to pop in my bag, in bright packaging, with flavours I actually wanted to try. It wouldn’t have made the anxiety disappear, but I think it would have helped me feel happier about what I was carrying. That’s something I’ve kept in mind throughout creating Hypo-Go.
How I became more interested in ingredients
As I got older, I went through other health problems and started taking more of an interest in my health. I wanted to understand more about what I was eating and the ingredients in the products I used.
Doing a functional nutrition course made me even more curious. I started reading labels, researching ingredients and paying more attention to what I was putting into my body.
Naturally, that included my hypo treatments. They were something I used regularly, but I didn’t particularly enjoy them. I started wondering whether I could create an option that suited my own preferences a bit better.
That’s where the idea of using honey came in, and gradually the idea for Hypo-Go started to feel like something I could actually make happen. Then my niece was diagnosed,
when my niece was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just two years old, it made the idea feel much more personal.
I knew what growing up with diabetes had been like for me, and now someone I loved was starting that experience even younger. It got me thinking about the choices available for children. I wanted an option with ingredients I felt happy choosing, but I also wanted it to be something a child might actually like the look and taste of.
Anyone who’s tried to get a little one to have something they don’t want knows how difficult that can be. When it’s a hypo treatment, it can be especially worrying because you need them to take it.
I kept thinking: why do the things we have to carry and use every day have to feel so boring? Could we make them a bit more fun?
Making something I would have wanted myself
The bright colours and flavours are a big part of Diabeat&Co for that reason. I wanted the gels to have some personality and to be something you feel good about putting in your bag. And that goes for adults too. I might be older now, but I still appreciate having a choice I enjoy!
I know a gel can’t take away everything that comes with diabetes. But when you’re managing it every single day, the small things matter. Having something convenient to carry, a flavour you like and packaging that makes you smile can make a difference to how you feel about it.
That’s why I created Diabeat&Co. I wanted to make something for my niece, for other people living with diabetes, and for the little girl I was at school.
There’s a real person behind this business who knows what those worries feel like. So when you message me, share your experiences or tell me you’ve packed our gels in your child’s school bag, it means a lot.
Thank you for supporting something that’s so personal to me. I’m really happy you’re here.
Georgia x