People who develop type 2 diabetes often have pre-diabetes, a condition in which people have high levels of glucose in their blood but not so high that they are diagnosed with diabetes. There are ways to prevent diabetes, read on if you are prone to getting it.
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7 steps to follow to prevent diabetes.
The action to avoid getting diabetes consists of the habits that you have. You must begin to get rid of all the bad habits that could risk your health as a start towards better health.
Being prediabetic does not mean that you will get diabetes, it means that you still have time to straighten out the path by changing some habits; That can improve blood glucose levels and completely stop your chances of going straight to type 2 diabetes.
Do not forget that if you have already been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, there is still an opportune time to reverse it more easily. The following are 7 things that you should consider doing immediately after this diagnosis to stop the possibility of reaching a more advanced stage of this condition.
1. Get physical.
Being active by doing physical activities is one of the biggest changes you can make in preventing type 2 diabetes. If you already have a lot from not exercising, you can start with light exercise, then gradually increase the intensity. Perhaps, if you use an elevator, opt for the stairs better, and if it is not a very far section, choose to go shopping at the store on foot, instead of getting into the car.
Incorporating physical exercise will benefit in the attempt to balance blood sugar levels and also will help you reduce body fat if you are in excess of that.
2. Lose weight to prevent diabetes.
Being obese is one of the reasons for type 2 diabetes, yet you don’t need to lose a ton of pounds to make a difference with diabetes. If you are overweight, just reducing 7% of your total weight will help reduce your risk of diabetes to 58%.
Losing weight improves your health, and as your health improves, your blood sugar levels do too. Take into account that you should not overdo weight loss, always regulate that with a specialist.
3. Improve sleep habits.
Getting adequate hours of sleep always makes insulin use more efficiently. People who do not get optimal sleep often have problems losing weight, therefore, insulin will not be used efficiently.
You should adopt sleep habits that benefit you, for example, going to sleep and getting up at the same time each day; Do not use electronic devices once you are lying down and try to do some activity to relax before turning off the lights. Don’t consume caffeine either.
4. Find a support group.
Doing all this set of things to improve your health and prevent diabetes, for example, lose weight, eat a healthy diet and start exercising, you can do better together with people who are doing the same thing as you. This helps to avoid the mental and physical breaking point since they all help each other to continue with the goal.
5. Improve your diet.
Start by adding more foods with dietary fiber to your diet, and choose whole or whole grains instead of refined and processed, such as whole wheat instead of white and refined flours, brown rice, instead of white rice, it is in other words, avoid the famous “ white poisons ” that we usually eat and that are refined and bleached foods and always choose organic.
Go for green leafy vegetables like broccoli, spinach, lettuce, eat lots of carrots, green beans, and cabbage, and avoid those that contain starch. Avoid dairy, or at least those that have a lot of fat and are not from free-range animals, that is, choose organic low-fat, but if possible, it is better to completely eliminate dairy from the diet.
With regard to fruits, the consumption of them has always been a concern for both pre-diabetics and diabetics, due to its high sugar content, however the American Diabetes Association says that fruit is recommended when used the glycemic index as a guide to food choices.
6. Visit your doctor regularly.
It is always recommended that you follow your doctor’s recommendations closely if you have already been diagnosed with diabetes. Seeing it every 3 and 6 months is of great importance because, if your situation has improved, always reaffirm with your doctor that you are on the right track, it helps enormously and will give more value to your work achieved, but if your situation is still in process of improvement, the support of your doctor so that you can resume again and support you with some other recommendation that you may have overlooked, will help you to continue with your goal.
7. Make a commitment.
Commitment to change your lifestyle is the most important key to the success of the process. You get to understand the fact that you are not going to make the changes perfectly every day, but you are committing to doing the best you can most of the time.
There is nothing like the will to commit yourself on this path to health. The success of your process will depend on that. It does not mean that you should do everything perfectly, but steps that are done with intention, even if they are small, are good. The challenges will come and also the crises in this process, but that will make you know yourself even more and make the appropriate changes. Remember that you are your own experiment. Do it with respect for your life.