Young Entrepreneurs - Giles Peters

Suffolk teenager Giles Peters was looking for a gift for his diabetic uncle, and discovered there was a hole in the market. Nobody was supplying gift hampers containing foods suitable for diabetics.

Obviously Giles had an entrepreneurial mind, because instead of complaining about the problem, Giles set out to solve it.

"Most of my family are Type 2 Diabetic and I know that it is difficult to find appetising foods that are suitable for a diabetic diet," he says. "I wanted to see if something could be done about that."

"When you go to the supermarket you have to go through all the labels and you find there is so much saturated sugar in products. I couldn't find anything suitable anywhere that was really healthy for diabetics. You really had to ask around."

Giles raised the money to start his business by selling books and clothes on Amazon and eBay.

He sourced products from a range of suppliers, had them checked by dieticians, and launched his business in the summer of 2007. Initially, he is selling the hampers through a catalogue and online, and he is in talks already to find other channels to market.

In November, 2007, Giles was awarded a National Enterprise Award, and a 1000 UK pound prize.

Speaking at the presentations, Chancellor Alistair Darling said: "At a time when the world is undergoing extremely rapid economic change, with massive growth taking place in China and India, we must remember in this country we have a tremendous reservoir of talent and ability. When we have success, we need to shout about it an awful lot more."

Diabetic Diet Guidelines

Limit fats. Avoid saturated fats (found in animal products) and trans-fatty acids (hard margarines, commercial products, fast foods). In selecting fats or oils, prefer monounsaturated fats (virgin olive oil, canola oil), although also include polyunsaturated oils as well (sunflower, rapeseed). Of note, a 2001 report suggested that trans-fatty acids were a risk factor for diabetes type 2 while polyunsaturated were protective.

Limit dietary cholesterol.

Consume plenty of fiber-rich foods in the form of whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. Includes a daily choice of nuts, seeds, or legumes.

When choosing foods with sugar, choose fresh fruits, but do so in moderation.

Limit protein. In selecting proteins, eat in moderation and prefer fish or soy protein to poultry or meat. (Avoid, in any case, high-fat meats.)

Reduce salt.

(based on US dietary guidelines)