A quarter of the population of the US is considered to be at risk of diabetes. They have high blood sugar levels and are likely to develop the condition within the next decade. The scarier part is that only 4% of those people actually known that they have what is being called pre-diabetes. And even those who know, a majority of them don’t even bother changing their lifestyle to prevent the condition. Pre-diabetes can be reversed but diabetes can’t. So, you have to take action now.
There is a significant amount of information available on living with diabetes and how to manage the condition. However, having diabetes is no cakewalk. Once you have it, you need to change your lifestyle and take drastic measures to preserve your health and wellbeing. Otherwise, you will spend your life checking your blood sugar level all the time and also be at risk of other health problems, including heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
So, to make things easier for you, here are some steps you can take to prevent diabetes:
See the most comprehensive alternative health guide for diabetes
- The first area to work on is losing some weight. Believe it or not, losing 10 pounds can make all the difference. If you are overweight or obese, just losing 5% of your body weight can bring down your risk of diabetes by 70%, even though obesity is the foremost risk factor for the condition. So, get moving and shed a few pounds. Don’t forget, you will look better as well.
- So, you are having a hard time laying off the starchy foods which are part of your daily diet. Well, if you cannot control your meals, you can at least change the appetizers you are having. A research has shown that eating green vegetables before a meal, regardless of what you are eating later, can help control the change in blood sugar after the meal.
- If you don’t have the time to exercise, you need to get innovative. Working out doesn’t mean you have to spend a couple of hours at the gym every day. Instead, you can walk to work, if possible. Moreover, when you are going around the block or somewhere a couple of miles away, ditch the car. Now, walking might not be a favorable option for some people, so get a bicycle instead. It will also give you a great workout and you won’t be late either.
- Believe it or not, drinking more coffee can lower your risk of Type-2 diabetes significantly. A study conducted over a period of 18 years showed that people who drank 4 to 5 cups of coffee a day, without sugar of course, had a 30% to 55% lower risk of diabetes as compared to those who drank 1 to 3 cups a day. So, if you like coffee, this is all the more reason for you to drink more of it.
- Find a way to release your stress and relax, preferably every day. Yoga and meditation are two effective ways which have become extremely popular in this day and age. You can also listen to music, read, or watch a movie or TV show. In fact, anything which helps you unwind is good enough. The purpose is to lower stress so you don’t indulge in binge eating and/or emotional eating, both of which can lead to higher blood sugar levels.
See the most comprehensive alternative health guide for diabetes
These are some of the simplest ways you can change your lifestyle to prevent diabetes. Do keep in mind that these tips will work even if you have pre-diabetes. Just remember that you need to start making the changes as soon as possible!
