5 Ways to Prevent Diabetes
In a population of 138 crores, approximately 15 crores people suffer from diabetes in India. Not only that, the prevalence of diabetic patients has been increasing progressively. In addition, the incidence of diabetes is rising among the youth too. Childhood obesity, lethargic lifestyle, and unhealthy intake of calories are the risk factors behind this growth.
The good news is that type II diabetes is preventable by adopting lifestyle changes, proper food intake, and exercising. However, type 1 diabetes is genetically inherited from generation to generation. Here we will look at five excellent ways to prevent diabetes. For more information on the best ways to manage or prevent the symptoms of diabetes check out diabetesstrong.com.
Choose the right food
A healthy diet is one of the principles behind managing patients suffering. One must consume the foods that prevent diabetes.
- Reduce your calories: Controlling weight might seem complicated, but it must become your priority. One must reduce the number of calories in their eating plan. That will help prevent weight gain, which would further avert any complications.
- Cut down on your carbs: Carbohydrates are complex molecules of sugar. Once it enters your bloodstream, the body breaks it down into small sugar molecules to digest. It will result in a spike in blood sugar (glucose) levels that only insulin hormone can decrease. A diabetic patient is either resistant to this hormone insulin or does not have sufficient amounts to counter glucose rise. Add high-fiber carbs, like oatmeal, whole-grain rice, whole-grain bread, and non-starchy vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower, leafy greens, mushrooms, etc. Avoid excess potatoes. These are some of the best foods to prevent diabetes.
Adopting the correct diet plan may sometimes become a hassle. Your diabetes prevention diet plan should be scientifically correct and yield results in the long term.
Avoid carbonated drinks
Drinks that have a solid link to diabetes are sodas, canned products, carbonated drinks, and liquor. If statistics interest you, people who consume carbonated drinks every day are at a 26% higher risk than those who don’t.
Excessive carbonated drinks, iced tea, and sodas get deposited in the body in the form of fat. It will advance into obesity and unwanted fat depositions. As you know, being overweight and obese are serious risk factors for type II.
Before moving on to the importance of exercising, let us know about the glycemic index (GI). It is an index that calculates how much blood sugar will increase upon consuming a particular food product. Sodas and drinks have a very high GI that also contributes to the development of diabetes.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise to prevent diabetes. Patients who have diabetes are always advised to move their bodies for continuous 30 minutes without rest. It can be brisk walking, a proper workout, or simply running. Regular exercise will help you control weight, keep your organs healthy, and as a result, make insulin.
Research has shown that strength training, HIIT, and aerobic exercises help prevent insulin resistance. HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. However, these are intense workouts that are not mandatory for a person trying to prevent diabetes.
Immediately after exercise, try to avoid high sugary beverages. A glass of warm water with some high-fibre fruits is good to replenish the energy. If you are inconsistent with exercising, adopt changes like:
- Get up to turn on the television instead of asking someone.
- Walk to the kitchen to get yourself some water. You might set alarms for that.
- Try not to take any vehicle for short distances. Youngsters and even middle-aged people can adopt cycling habits or simply walk.
Quit smoking
No step would work alone. Preventing diabetes is not a one-day task; it is a lifestyle modification. Smokers are at a higher risk of suffering from diabetes than those who do not. Quitting smoking is not an instant action. Instead, heavy smokers should try giving up on half of the amount they smoke per day. Slowly, give up half of that amount, and successively you will see the results. You can instead save up the money for essential items. Eat citric products (lemons, oranges) and chew on nicotine gums if the urge increases. Cardamoms (elaichi) have also proved beneficial.
Cut down the consumption of liquor
Liquor like beer and wine increases the number of carbs in the body, which further may spike blood glucose levels. All kinds of liquor are loaded up with calories. Not only that, excessive liquor consumption beyond the safe limit may result in increased hunger. The person might overeat and lose control of their weight. Alcohol might also affect the efficiency of drugs the diabetic patients are using. A high fat content and blood pressure will make you prone to develop diabetes faster.
Then what should a person do?
- If you are an alcohol consumer, do not drink more than two drinks if you are a man, and not more than one drink if you are a woman. Avoid sugary drinks or sweet wines.
- If you are not an alcohol consumer, you are one step ahead of preventing diabetes.
Conclusion
The bottom line of today’s article is that there are hundreds of ways to prevent any disease from impacting you. But, these five ways to prevent diabetes are the essential principles of modifying your lifestyle and avoiding diabetes.
Why are we focussing so much on How to prevent of diabetes? Diabetes, once affected, is manageable but not curable. Thus, it is better to prevent it before you get diagnosed. Eating the right and healthy diet is key to preventing increased blood sugar in the body. Try to avoid indulging in keto diets and paleo diets. They might commit weight loss, but there is still little research. It is possible to make healthier choices with commonly available food items. Exercising, quitting smoking, and cutting down on liquor intake will benefit a person. A sedentary lifestyle is key to chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses. Exercise will increase the sensitivity toward insulin and prevent the disease.
The options to prevent diabetes are a lot easier and can be easily incorporated into a day-to-day lifestyle. These lifestyle choices will help delay and prevent diabetes, but you will also get other health benefits.
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