The Glucose Never Lies®
The Glucose Never Lies® Podcast is brought to you by John Pemberton, together with Chad, his innovation partner who helps turn ideas into production. Behind the scenes, the creative team brings research, stories, and lived experiences of type 1 diabetes into an accessible format — combining science, storytelling, and strategy to help people live better with diabetes.
About Me
I’m John Pemberton — dad, husband, diabetes dietitian, researcher, and someone who’s lived with type 1 diabetes since 2008.
This podcast is my way of giving back. When my son Jude tested positive for type 1 diabetes antibodies, everything changed. I knew I had to act quickly and create a resource that was both comprehensive and easy to understand, so that anyone who might one day help manage his diabetes would feel supported. That’s how The Glucose Never Lies started — as an education platform to support my son’s future care.
Fortunately, his confirmatory test came back negative — but this doesn’t rule him, or my daughter, out. And since I was diagnosed at 27, I know just how real that risk can be.
The last two years have been the hardest of my life — battling depression, a functional motor disorder, and finally receiving an ADHD diagnosis. My journey back to health was made possible by the incredible support of my family, friends, and the wider diabetes community.
That experience taught me the power of giving. Written guides don’t work for everyone, but podcasts bring information to life in a real and relatable way. So that’s why I started this podcast — to make diabetes management engaging, practical, and fun.
I’ve been fortunate to work alongside some of the world’s leading researchers and thought leaders in type 1 diabetes, and I bring them onto the show to share their research, their stories, and their innovations.
You’ll also hear from people living with type 1 diabetes who are doing amazing things, and from advocates and clinicians shaping the future of diabetes care.
Here you’ll find guides, reflections, and conversations on everything from partying with T1D, continuous glucose monitoring and automated insulin delivery, to nutrition, exercise, insulin resistance, and childhood diabetes care.
Just to be clear — this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It’s not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare team before making any changes to your management.
I’m glad you’re here. Let’s get started.
The Glucose Never Lies®
8 - Activity Snacking to Increase Time in Range for T1D
Welcome to The Glucose Never Lies podcast
In today’s episode, we explore a game-changing approach to glucose control—activity snacking. If you’ve ever struggled with post-meal spikes, found insulin too slow to bring down highs, or wondered how movement could help stabilise your blood glucose, this episode is for you.
I’ll be sharing the latest research on how small, frequent movements can supercharge insulin, improve time in range, and reduce glucose highs without the need for extra insulin corrections. We will discuss practical strategies such as the “3 every 30” method, which involves moving for three minutes every 30 minutes to maintain stable glucose levels. We will also cover the benefits of walking before or after meals to prevent glucose spikes and introduce the “15 by 2” rule, a simple technique to lower high glucose levels faster than waiting for correction doses to take effect.
Stay tuned to the end to hear: 99 Problems, But High Glucose Ain't One
In addition to these strategies, I will break down groundbreaking studies that demonstrate the impact of movement on glucose regulation. Whether you are living with type 1 diabetes, supporting someone who is, or simply looking to optimise your health, this episode is packed with valuable insights that you can put into action immediately.
