Prachi Agarwal
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Written By: Prachi Agarwal | Updated : May 21, 2014 12:37 PM IST
November 14 is World Diabetes Day.
Living with diabetes is not hard at all. All you have to do is change your lifestyle habits, exercise and eat right. Prachi Agarwal, the CEO and co-founder of Fitho an online weight loss diet plan service and the author of 'Losing It: Make Weight Loss Simple' gives diabetics some simple tips to manage their condition.
Diabetes is a condition where your body can't manage the blood sugar/glucose levels. Due to lack of control over their blood glucose levels, diabetics tend to vary between a hyperglycaemic state (high blood sugar) and a hypoglycaemic state low blood sugar. The key to controlling type 2 diabetes is to manage your lifestyle. Various studies have shown that the main reasons for type 2 diabetes in India are a sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activity, obesity, stress and a diet rich in simple carbs. The New England Journal of Medicine stated that dietary changes, coupled with an increase in physical activity, can reduce the risk diabetes by more than half. The main problem for most type 2 diabetics is their weight. The excess weight decreases the number of insulin receptors in the body, thus aggravating the condition further.
Dietary amendments for type 2 diabetics
It's not just what you eat that affects your blood sugar levels, but how much you eat and when you eat it. Eat small, frequent meals instead of large ones. Also, include more complex carbohydrates (low/medium glycaemic index foods) in your diet. This will help keep your blood sugar levels steady. Diabetics should eat more foods like fruits, vegetables, seeds, oats and whole-grain products which improve glucose tolerance.
Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.
Focus on exercise
Most people just focus on diet to manage diabetes which is wrong. An all-round approach with focus on exercise is also needed. Studies have shown that glucose is metabolised better in the body when you exercise. More glucose is forced out of the blood stream and into the cells where it is used for producing more energy. Exercise increases the body's efficiency because it increases the tissue sensitivity to insulin in patients suffering from type 2 diabetes. When you are exercising, your muscles are in use, so they use up more blood glucose, helping to reduce blood sugar levels. Also, you lose calories when you exercise which helps in weight loss, and helps improve insulin sensitivity.
So just follow a proper diet and exercise regime to live a healthy life!
Prachi Agarwal is the CEO and co-founder of the company Fitho an online weight loss diet plan service company and the author of 'Losing It: Make Weight Loss Simple.' If you want to check out Fitho's diet plan, check out their website.
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