Category Archives: Diabetes

No doubt, you need proper medication to fight with a specific disease. If you are suffering from type 2 diabetes, then you need to visit your doctor and take prescribed medicines regularly. Along with this, following a proper diet plan and doing exercise is also recommended by medical experts. You have to add healthiest foods in your diet plan and stick to it. A diet plan for type 2 diabetes includes food items that contain low calories and fat and high amounts of nutrients. Important food items are whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Every individual can follow this diet plan to live a healthy life.

This article contains a diet plan and the best exercises for type 2 diabetes. Though before following any of them, you have to ask your doctor about it.

Recommended Foods

Healthy carbohydrates, fiber-rich foods, heart-healthy fish, and good fats.

• Healthy Carbohydrates

Add healthy carbohydrates in your diet as they help in digestion. They include;

• Low-fat dairy products (cheese & milk)
• Legumes (peas & beans)
• Whole grains
• Vegetables
• Fruits

Processed drinks and food items are not good to go carbohydrates.

• Fiber-Rich Foods

All parts of the plant foods are involved in the dietary fiber are not easily digested by the body. Fiber helps in moderating the number of such ingredients to make the digestion process easy. Also, it helps in maintaining blood sugar levels. You may add following fiber-rich foods in your diet plan.

• Buts
• Fruits
• Whole grains
• Legumes
• Vegetables

• Heart-Healthy Fish

Include heart-healthy fish for 2 times in your diet. Food items including Omega-3 fatty acids are helpful in preventing heart disease. These foods include tuna, mackerel, sardines, salmon, and other fish.

Fish with high levels of mercury and fried fish are not recommended.

• Good Fats

You have to differentiate which fats are good for your body and which are bad. Eating good fats is necessary for maintaining a healthy body. Foods including polyunsaturated and monounsaturated assist in lowering the levels of cholesterol. Such food items include;

• Peanut, olive, and canola oils
• Nuts
• Avocados

A moderate amount of these food items are recommended.

Foods To Avoid

When you are suffering from type 2 diabetes, it increases the risks of having cardiovascular diseases. Following are the food items that you should avoid to combat the risk.

• Cholesterol – Foods including organ meats, liver, egg yolks, high-fat animal proteins, and high-fat dairy products are rich in cholesterol. So, you should avoid excessive use.
• Trans Fats – Processed foods include trans fats that you should avoid.
• Saturated Fats – Butter, sausage, hot dogs, bacon, and beef are the food items which include high-fat, so avoid them.
• Sodium – Make it your aim to induce less than 2300 mg sodium in a day.

Exercise For Type 2 Diabetes

Three types of exercises are highly recommended to cure type 2 diabetes. They include flexibility work, strength training, and aerobic. You may use a combination of exercises to get the best results.

Aerobic Exercises

Aerobic exercises include;

• Biking
• Swimming
• Basketball
• Walking
• Running or jogging
• Zumba or dancing
• Tennis

Strength Training

Following are some of the most used strength training exercises.

• Squat
• Push-ups
• Planks
• Lunge
• Jumping jack
• Weight lifting

Flexibility Training

Flexibility training helps in improving your joints and muscles work. Stretching before starting the exercise and after completing it helps in relaxing your muscles. Following is a list of them!

• Shoulder rolls
• Extended angle side bend
• Lower back mobilizer
• Standing hamstring stretch
• Chest mobilizer
• Neck-and-shoulder release
• The cat stretch
• Palm squeeze
• Up and over

Create A Routine And Stick With It

If you want to get benefit from your exercise, then it is necessary to add it in your routine. You should be committed to your exercise and make it your priority. Make your goals and use different techniques to achieve them. Taking medicines, following a healthy diet plan, and doing regular exercise side by side would be helpful for you in increasing your quality of life. In this way, you can combat the risks of adverse effects of the disease.

Note: Getting your doctor’s recommendation before following any kind of diet plan or exercise routine is highly-recommended.

Type 2 diabetes refers to a chronic disease in which the activity of your body disrupts while metabolizing glucose (sugar). Glucose serves as the crucial source that works as a fuel to the body. The body of a person suffering from type 2 diabetes stops producing enough insulin or resists its effects. As a result, the body cannot manage glucose levels.

The rate of people suffering from type 2 diabetes is increasing not only in the United States but also among other areas of the world. Nowadays, childhood obesity is rising and more children are being diagnosed with this disease.

According to medical experts, type 2 diabetes doesn’t have any cure but it is manageable. You can manage it through managing your diet and regular exercise. If the change in the lifestyle doesn’t help you enough, then you should consult your doctor for getting recommended medicines.

Symptoms

Usually, the symptoms and signs of the disease develop slowly. In fact, it can happen that you are suffering from this disease for years without knowing. Following is a list of the symptoms that you can look into your body!

• Fatigue
• Frequent infections
• Blurred vision
• Frequent urination
• Weight loss
• Increased thirst
• Increased hunger
• Slow-healing sores
• Darkness in the skin (neck and armpits)

When to visit a doctor?

If you notice more than 3 symptoms of the above-mentioned list, then you should visit your doctor to get your examination.

Causes

The resistance of the body towards insulin is the main cause of this disease. Also, the inability of the production of enough insulin in the body is another reason. How it happens is still unknown. However, some other causes include environmental factors, genetics, inactivity, obesity, and other related factors.

Insulin doesn’t work properly when a person is suffering from this disease.

Risk Factors

A number of risk factors may contribute to the onset of type 2 diabetes. Following is a list of these contributing factors. Have a look!

• Inactivity – You should indulge yourself into different activities. If you don’t become active, then it will increase the risks of this disease.
• Race – The main reason behind it is not known, but the individual with some specific races (Asian-American, American Indian, Hispanic, and black) tend to get this disease more usually as compared to the people with other race.
• Fat distribution – Fat distribution is necessary equally in all body parts. However, having extra fat deposits in other areas of the body except abdomen is not a high risk for this disease. On the other hand, if you are having extra fat deposits in your abdomen, then it is a greater risk for you to adopt type 2 diabetes.
• Weight – Are you overweight? Keep in mind that obesity is one of the main risk factors for the onset of this chronic disease.
• Family history – If any of your siblings or parents have this disease, then you also become prone to it.
• Age – When you get older, the risk of getting this disease increases. Specifically, the risk increases after 45 years. However, youngsters and children are also suffering from it.
• PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome) – Women with PCOS are more prone to this disease as compared to other women. The risks of an increase in weight increase in these women.
• Prediabetes – If you don’t get proper treatment of prediabetes, then it may lead to this disease. Prediabetes is basically a condition in which the level of your blood sugar increases than usual.
• Areas of darkened skin – The darkness of some specific body areas depicts insulin resistance which is the sign of diabetes.
• Gestational diabetes – The risk of having type 2 diabetes increases when you develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

Prevention

Adopting a healthy lifestyle can be the best prevention for this disease. If you are already diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or any of your family members are suffering from it, then you should use preventive measures to keep yourself safe from getting things worse. Following are the lifestyle changes that can assist you in this regard.

• Physical Activity – Physical activities are highly recommended to make your lifestyle better. Such activities assist in controlling your weight and managing the level of glucose. When you indulge yourself into physical activities, it helps in managing your weight. In this way, you combat one of the main risk factors of type 2 diabetes.
• Eating Healthy Foods – Another habit that you should adopt is to eat healthy foods. Try to select foods higher in fiber and have less amount of calories and fat. You should include whole grains, vegetables, and fruits in your diet.
• Lose Your Weight – If you are overweight or have stubborn fat, try to lose your weight. You can get the assistance of an expert to achieve this goal.

When you need medication?

Sometimes, you need proper medication along with life-changing habits. We recommend you to visit your doctor to know your condition so that if you need treatment or medication, then you can get the prescription. Medications help in reducing the onset of type 2 diabetes and managing your oral health, as well. No wonder, even if you are using prescribed medicines, still positive change in lifestyle is crucial.