Diabetes is a condition where the sugar levels are high in the blood. If you are diabetic, your doctor may prescribe medication, such as insulin, to help lower high blood sugar. Your doctor may also recommend several lifestyle treatments in combination with insulin (or alone if you don’t require insulin) to control your condition. The following lifestyle tips can help you manage type 2 diabetes effectively:
1. Diet
Diet plays a vital role in controlling diabetes. A balanced diet will keep the blood glucose level at nominal levels. Choosing appropriate food is the key factor. For example, consumption of wheat, oatmeal, plenty of vegetables and fruits, beans, lentils, and brown rice will help in controlling blood sugar levels.
2. Low sugar diet for insulin-resistant diabetes
Some people may not respond to both medications and injections as they stop responding to insulin. Insulin-resistant diabetics should have enough green leafy vegetables, broccoli, lean meat, proteins, citrus fruits, and berries. They should choose foods that are less in sugar and carbohydrates, as both have a high glycemic index.
3. Foods that have a low glycemic index
Foods that are high in dietary fiber like millets, oats, whole cereals, nuts, broccoli, spinach, green leafy vegetables, and citrus fruits have a low glycemic index.
5. Lifestyle modifications
Diabetes is high in people who have a sedentary lifestyle. Exercise regularly. Walking, jogging, yoga, and swimming do help in getting blood sugar under control. Physical activity is known to use up energy in the form of glucose and stimulates the pancreas to secrete more insulin.
6. Other non-invasive lifestyle approaches
Some of the noninvasive approaches in the treatment for diabetes are:
- Exercise
You can indulge in exercise in any form: weightlifting, aerobic exercises, walking on a treadmill, or even walking for 45 minutes every day. This acts as a great treatment for diabetes. - Stress
One of the reasons for a high sugar level is stress. Stress hormones do spike up the sugar level in the body and have to be curbed in a pre-diabetic or in a person who is already suffering from diabetes to prevent the sugars from going higher up. - Sleep
In today’s fast-paced world, it is assumed that 4-5 hours of sleep is enough. To stabilize the sugar levels, 8 hours of sleep every night is mandatory and will help the cells of the body, especially the liver and muscle cells to absorb insulin and make use of it when there is a surge in the blood sugar. The body has a mechanism of working at certain hours and for the metabolism to happen, the body must be perfectly rested. - Weight loss
Gaining weight rapidly due to poor eating habits like drinking sweetened beverages, eating a lot of carbohydrates, and junk food are some of the main reasons for high glucose levels in the blood. Even losing as little as 5-10 pounds is shown to significantly impact glucose values. Weight loss scales down the sugar and it can be done through regular physical activity.
