Diabetes Diet, Eating, & Physical Activity
Nutrition and physical activity are important parts of a healthy lifestyle when you have diabetes. Along with other benefits, following a healthy meal plan and being active can help you keep your blood glucose level, also called blood sugar, in your target range. To manage your blood glucose, you need to balance what you eat and drink with physical activity and diabetes medicine, if you take any. What you choose to eat, how much you eat, and when you eat are all important in keeping your blood glucose level in the range that your health care team recommends. Becoming more active and making changes in what you eat and drink can seem challenging at first. You may find it easier to start with small changes and get help from your family, friends, and health care team. Eating well and being physically active most days of the week can help you keep your blood glucose level, blood pressure, and cholesterol in your target ranges prevent or delay diabetes problems feel good and have more energy What foods can I eat if I have diabetes? You may worry that having diabetes means going without foods you enjoy. The good news is that you can still eat your favorite foods, but you might need to eat smaller portions or enjoy them less often. Your health care team will help create a diabetes meal plan for you that meets your needs and likes. The key to eating with diabetes is to eat a variety of healthy foods from all food groups, in the amounts your meal plan outlines. The food groups are vegetables nonstarchy: includes broccoli, carrots, greens, peppers, and tomatoes starchy: includes potatoes, corn, and green peas fruits—includes oranges, melon, berries, apples, bananas, and grapes grains—at least half of your grains for the day should be whole grains includes wheat, rice, oats, co Continue reading >>
How To Beat Type 2 Diabetes With Diet And Lifestyle Changes
It's no secret that type 2 diabetes is on the rise in the United States and around the world. But if you've been diagnosed with diabetes, there's a lot you can do to improve your health — and the best place to start is likely by making some changes to your lifestyle. “Basic principles of good health like eating right, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight can be as effective as medicine in the management of type 2 diabetes for most people,” says Sue McLaughlin, RD, CDE, lead medical nutrition therapist at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha. That's backed up by the Look AHEAD study, a large clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The researchers found that over a four-year period, changes like eating a healthier diet and getting more exercise led to weight loss and improved diabetes control in 5,000 overweight or obese participants with type 2 diabetes. A December 2016 review in Diabetologia similarly found through 28 studies that participants who were able to achieve about 150 minutes per week of moderate activity lowered their risk of type 2 diabetes by 26 percent compared with nonactive participants. If you're ready to make positive changes to help control diabetes, here's how to get started. Improve Your Diet to Help You Treat Type 2 Diabetes Naturally Keeping close tabs on your diet is a major way to help manage type 2 diabetes. A healthy diet for people with type 2 diabetes includes fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables, whole grains, beans, lean meats, and low-fat or fat-free dairy. Focus on eating fruit and non-starchy vegetables, like broccoli, carrots, and lettuce, and having smaller portions of starchy foods, meats, and dairy products. Be especially careful about loading Continue reading >>
How To Control Your Blood Sugar: Diet And Exercise Tips
If you do eat something high on the index, balance it with low-GI side dishes. This can help keep your blood sugar on track. Count carbs. If you take insulin, you may find this easier to do. Youll add up the number of total carbs at each meal and adjust your insulin dose as needed. For a few days, track the food you eat and what your blood sugar level is 2 hours after you finish. It'll help you see how different meals affect you. Boost your fiber. It isnt broken down by your body, so it doesnt affect your blood sugar. (Although many foods with fiber contain sugars and starches that do.) Eating 25-30 grams of fiber (like you find in oatmeal) each day may help you better manage your blood sugar. Increase to this amount slowly, though. And drink lots of water so you dont get constipated. Keep a water bottle handy. Not having enough fluid in your body can wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels. Choose water to quench your thirst instead of juice or soda. Dont like the taste? Choose unsweetened teas. Make it part of your routine. Being active makes your body more sensitive to insulin. That helps your blood sugar stay steady. Once your doctor gives you the OK, try an aerobic workout that gets your heart pumping, like walking or biking. Your goal should be 30 minutes, 5 days a week. But even 5 minutes is a good start. When youre ready, add resistance training. This strengthens your muscles, where most blood glucose is stored. Choose the right time to break a sweat. Some people find that an early morning workout keeps their blood sugar low all day. Still, that might not be true for you. You may need to try working out a few different times during the day before you find a schedule that helps level off your blood sugar. Even once you do, be safe. Always carry glucose tablets or Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes: The Fitness You Need
Type 2 diabetes is not inevitable. Preventing and even reversing the onset of diabetes is entirely possible, but it takes commitment. Taking charge of your health involves a two-pronged approach: diet and exercise. Both are crucial for long-term success and optimal health. Diet and exercise Diet and exercise are both key components of a successful strategy to beat or manage diabetes. Studies show that diet and exercise can sharply lower the likelihood of diabetes, even in people who are at high risk of developing it. Learn about the risk factors for type 2 diabetes » Other studies also show that lifestyle interventions can improve insulin sensitivity and blood lipid profiles and help lower high blood sugar levels. Diet and exercise help lower body weight — and excess body weight is closely linked to the onset of diabetes. A major clinical study called the Diabetes Prevention Program studied people at risk for diabetes. It showed that lifestyle changes involving 150 minutes of exercise per week decreased the risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. Keep in mind that diet and exercise should go hand in hand. For instance, even if you regularly exercise, a diet with lots of sugar and fat and very little fiber or phytonutrients (beneficial plant compounds) could more than counteract those efforts. On the other hand, you can eat a healthful diet, but if you never get up and move, your cardiovascular health will almost certainly suffer. Cardiovascular health and diabetes are also intricately linked. Committing to a better diet and daily exercise promotes better blood sugar levels, blood lipid control, and mood. It also leads to higher energy levels, which makes it easier to exercise. Daily exercise helps keep blood vessels healthy, makes you feel better about Continue reading >>
Diabetes Management: How Lifestyle, Daily Routine Affect Blood Sugar
Diabetes management requires awareness. Know what makes your blood sugar level rise and fall — And how to control these day-to-day factors. Keeping your blood sugar levels within the range recommended by your doctor can be challenging. That's because many things make your blood sugar levels change, sometimes unexpectedly. Following are some factors that can affect your blood sugar levels. Food Healthy eating is a cornerstone of healthy living — with or without diabetes. But if you have diabetes, you need to know how foods affect your blood sugar levels. It's not only the type of food you eat but also how much you eat and the combinations of food types you eat. What to do: Learn about carbohydrate counting and portion sizes. A key to many diabetes management plans is learning how to count carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the foods that often have the biggest impact on your blood sugar levels. And for people taking mealtime insulin, it's crucial to know the amount of carbohydrates in your food, so you get the proper insulin dose. Learn what portion size is appropriate for each type of food. Simplify your meal planning by writing down portions for the foods you eat often. Use measuring cups or a scale to ensure proper portion size and an accurate carbohydrate count. Make every meal well-balanced. As much as possible, plan for every meal to have a good mix of starches, fruits and vegetables, proteins and fats. It's especially important to pay attention to the types of carbohydrates you choose. Some carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, are better for you than are others. These foods are low in carbohydrates and contain fiber that helps keep your blood sugar levels more stable. Talk to your doctor, nurse or dietitian about the best food choices and Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes And Diet: What You Should Know
Why does my diet matter? It’s no secret that diet is essential to managing type 2 diabetes. Although there isn’t a one-size-fits-all diet for diabetes management, certain dietary choices should act as the foundation for your individual diet plan. Your diet plan should work with your body — not against it — so it’s important that the food you eat won’t spike your blood sugar levels to high. According to the American Diabetes Association, the normal blood sugar range for people with diabetes is between 80 to 130 mg/dL before meals. It should be less than 180 mg/dL about two hours after you begin eating. Your doctor will provide you with personalized target blood sugar values. Keep reading to learn more about how what you eat can affect your blood sugar, as well as which foods you may want to pick up at the grocery store or toss out of your pantry. Check out: Type 1 diabetes diet » When someone with diabetes has low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), a spoonful of sugar or honey can help raise glucose levels. However, sugar is often considered the nemesis of diabetes because of how quickly it can spike blood glucose levels when eaten alone. If you have diabetes, you should closely monitor your consumption of foods with a high glycemic index (GI). The GI measures how quickly a particular food raises blood sugar. Those foods with a high GI can cause unwanted spikes. This is especially true of refined sugar and other forms of simple carbohydrates like white rice, bread, and pasta. Make sure that most of your carb choices are whole-grain, high-fiber options. For example, if you’d like to have a piece of chocolate cake with frosting, eat it immediately after eating a balanced meal with lean protein, healthy fats, vegetables, and high-fiber carb options such as beans. Ea Continue reading >>
10 Diet And Exercise Tricks To Control Diabetes
Small goals make a big difference When it comes to type 2 diabetes, you need diet and exercise goals that encourage you to succeed—not ones that set you up to fail, says Ann Goebel-Fabbri, PhD, a psychologist and investigator at the Joslin Diabetes Center, in Boston. "I think goals have to be small and well spelled out for people. Everyone has the experience of going to a health practitioner and being told something vague: 'You know, you really ought to lose weight.' What does that mean? Goals need to be broken down into small nuts and bolts," she says. First step: See where you stand now Margaret Savoca, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, suggests that you stop and look at your eating and exercise habits, and figure out what will be the easiest changes to make, rather than making huge changes that are tough to sustain. "Diabetes is a marathon, not a sprint," says Elizabeth Hardy, 47, a Dallas resident who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2005. For Hardy it was easiest to make changes in her life one step at a time. Here are 10 ways to start. Bring your own lunch Avoid eating lunch at restaurants or fast-food joints. Restaurant meals "can go out of control easily," Savoca says. They tend to have large portions, lots of calories, and high amounts of fat. Research has found an association between eating out more and having a higher body weight. When you make your own lunch, you control the ingredients and your portion sizes. If making your own lunch every day is too much, you might want to try twice a week to start. Use a pedometer These handy devices—available for less than $20 at sporting goods stores—clip on to your waistband and record the number of steps you take. Use one to estimat Continue reading >>
Diet And Exercise Better Than Drugs At Controlling Type 2 Diabetes? Researchers Believe So.
An inexpensive, 16-week Scottish lifestyle programme aimed atpatients with type 2 diabetes can help to treat the disease. Have you heard of the Queenslandgovernment's lifestyle change program A new study led by the University of Glasgow and publishedinDiabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, has shown how effectivethe NHS (National Health Service) Greater Glasgow and Clyde Glasgowand Clyde Weight Management Service lifestyle program was atreducing the need for diabetic medication or insulin over athree-year period. Researchers found that patients who successfully completed theprogram had no increase in their oral diabetes medication, and werehalf as likely to progress to insulin as those who didn't completethe program and those who did not lose weight. As type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition, patients who werenot referred, or did not successfully complete the program,required increased amounts of oral diabetes medications over thesubsequent three years. The study also found that patients who successfully completedthe program went on to maintain that greater weight loss over athree-year period, than either those who didn't complete theprogram or those not referred to it. In light of the findings researchers believe that this kind oflifestyle program may be even more effective than somepharmacological alternatives in treating type 2 diabetes. The study examined records from the NHS 16-week lifestyleprogram, which included a regime of diet, exercise and behaviourchange. The program consists of nine fortnightly classes. Researchersdefined 'success' as losing 5kg in that nine-week timeframe.Patients could then choose to stay on for further weight loss andmaintenance classes (one per month) over the next year. Patients with type 2 diabetes had to have a body mass index of30 o Continue reading >>
8 Easy Health Tips For People With Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body can no longer control the amount of sugar in your blood. It can lead to a number of complications, if it's not managed properly, including heart disease, sight loss and nerve damage. The number of people diagnosed with the condition has risen by 54% in last decade. And experts are warning that type 2 diabetes is fast becoming one of the biggest health crises of our time – with 12 million people at risk of developing the condition. If you've been recently diagnosed, it's easy to feel daunted. But help is at hand. We asked pharmacist Anshu Bhimbat LloydsPharmacy about the best ways to work with your doctor to manage your type 2 diabetes (and even 'reverse' the condition in some cases). He says: "There are a few things that you can do to help manage diabetes and make it a part of your day to day life. Small lifestyle changes can make living with type 2 diabetes easier, delay the progression and support a healthier lifestyle. In some cases, dietary changes and weight loss can even help reverse the insulin sensitivity that people with type 2 diabetes experience." Here are the tips he gives to patients: 1. Cut down on carbohydrates Carbs aren't the enemy – we all need them to survive. But the type and amount you consume can make a difference to your condition. Diabetes UK suggests these ways of including good carbohydrates in your diet, for instance: Choose wholegrain breads and cereals. Have fruit whole, rather than as a juice. Eating an apple with the skin on, for example, will provide more fibre than drinking a glass of apple juice. Try quinoa and couscous as an alternative to pasta. Bhimbat says: "A low carbohydrate diet is highly recommended for people living with type 2 diabetes as it will lower the amount of insulin that the bo Continue reading >>
Treating Diabetes With Diet And Exercise
Recently, I was reading some of the readers’ postings on this Web site. Some of these postings expressed fairly strong opinions about how one should best manage his or her diabetes. Of course, one of the many good things about living in the United States is our right to freedom of speech, and postings such as these certainly get people thinking. However, it’s all too common for misconceptions about diabetes to abound. Whether it’s the belief that eating sugar causes diabetes, or that starting on insulin can make you go blind, or that having to start taking diabetes pills or insulin means that you’re a “bad diabetic,” as a dietitian and diabetes educator, I feel compelled to set the record straight whenever I can. So, what’s the best way to control diabetes? When it comes to Type 1 diabetes, which accounts for 5% to 10% of all diabetes cases, that’s a no-brainer. A person with Type 1 diabetes must take insulin to survive. His pancreas has—to put it simply—”pooped out,” meaning that it no longer makes enough insulin. Of course, a person with Type 1 diabetes has choices as to how he takes insulin. The choices nowadays range from the traditional vial and syringe to an insulin pen to an insulin pump to an inhaler. The future holds more possibilities for insulin delivery as well. People with Type 1 diabetes must still incorporate meal planning and physical activity into their daily management. About 90% to 95% of people with diabetes have Type 2. But Type 2 diabetes is a little less clear-cut in terms of how it’s best managed. The reason is that Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition. When someone is first diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the cornerstones of management are often, initially, what many health-care professionals term “diet and exer Continue reading >>
Managing Type 2
In type 2 diabetes, your pancreas is still working but not as effectively as it needs to. This means your body is building insulin resistance and is unable to effectively convert glucose into energy leaving too much glucose in the blood. Type 2 diabetes can sometimes initially be managed through lifestyle modification including a healthy diet, regular exercise and monitoring your blood glucose levels. Eating well helps manage your blood glucose levels and your body weight Exercising helps the insulin work more effectively, lowers your blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease. Regular blood glucose monitoring tests whether the treatment being followed is adequately controlling blood glucose levels or whether you need to adjust your treatment. The aim of diabetes management is to keep blood glucose levels as close to the target range between 4 to 6 mmol/L (fasting), this will help prevent both short-term and long-term complications. Your healthcare team including your doctor, specialist, dietician and Credential Diabetes Educator, can help you with blood glucose monitoring, healthy eating and physical activity. However, sometimes healthy eating and exercise is not enough to keep the blood glucose levels down. Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition. As time progresses, the insulin becomes more resistant and the pancreas is less effective converting glucose into energy. To help the pancreas convert glucose into energy, people with type 2 diabetes are often prescribed tablets to control their blood glucose levels. Eventually it may be necessary to start taking insulin to control blood glucose levels. This is when your body is no longer producing enough insulin of its own. Sometimes tablets may be continued in addition to insulin. If you require medication as Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes Faqs
Common questions about type 2 diabetes: How do you treat type 2 diabetes? When you have type 2 diabetes, you first need to eat a healthy diet, stay physically active and lose any extra weight. If these lifestyle changes cannot control your blood sugar, you also may need to take pills and other injected medication, including insulin. Eating a healthy diet, being physically active, and losing any extra weight is the first line of therapy. “Diet and exercise“ is the foundation of all diabetes management because it makes your body’s cells respond better to insulin (in other words, it decreases insulin resistance) and lowers blood sugar levels. If you cannot normalize or control the blood sugars with diet, weight loss and exercise, the next treatment phase is taking medicine either orally or by injection. Diabetes pills work in different ways – some lower insulin resistance, others slow the digestion of food or increase insulin levels in the blood stream. The non-insulin injected medications for type 2 diabetes have a complicated action but basically lower blood glucose after eating. Insulin therapy simply increases insulin in the circulation. Don’t be surprised if you have to use multiple medications to control the blood sugar. Multiple medications, also known as combination therapy is common in the treatment of diabetes! If one medication is not enough, you medical provider may give you two or three or more different types of pills. Insulin or other injected medications also may be prescribed. Or, depending on your medical condition, you may be treated only with insulin or injected medication therapy. Many people with type 2 diabetes have elevated blood fats (high triglycerides and cholesterol) and blood pressure, so you may be given medications for these problem Continue reading >>
Control Or Reverse Diabetes Naturally
Can you control diabetes? Reverse it? Absolutely. We can beat diabetes. The disease process associated with diabetes (which leads to heart attacks, strokes, and other crippling illnesses) can be slowed and even partially reversed by controlling blood glucose and other cardiovascular disease risk factors. Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce and/or properly use insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas. When there are troubles with insulin, glucose builds up in the blood. A fasting glucose level below 100 is considered normal. A fasting glucose between 100 and 125 signals pre-diabetes. A fasting glucose of 126 or higher means you have diabetes. Though “silent,” at least at first, diabetes can turn into a horrible disease. It can greatly increase our risk of heart attacks, strokes, peripheral arterial disease, erectile dysfunction, blindness, diabetes neuropathy, poor wound healing, and kidney failure. There are two main types of diabetes – Type 1 and Type 2. At least 90% of diabetics in America have Type 2 diabetes. Studying the evolution and lifestyle habits of humankind, we can confidently assert that Type 2 diabetes is virtually entirely preventable. Worldwide, many populations are now suffering epidemic rates of Type 2 diabetes because many populations live in a “food toxic” environment and exercise little or not at all. All this suffering, all this early death, is preventable. It is the direct result of the way we live – by our sedentary habits and our Western-style diets, bereft of whole, fiber-rich foods and full of fast foods and other calorie-dense junk. Type 2 diabetes usually starts after the age of 40. But because of America’s childhood obesity epidemic, more and more of our youth are being diagnosed with the disease, including Continue reading >>
Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible?
Type 2 diabetes is a serious, long-term medical condition. It develops mostly in adults but is becoming more common in children as obesity rates rise across all age groups. Several factors contribute to type 2 diabetes. Being overweight or obese is the biggest risk factor. Type 2 diabetes can be life-threatening. But if treated carefully, it can be managed or even reversed. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin. When your blood sugar (glucose) levels rise, the pancreas releases insulin. This causes sugar to move from your blood to your cells, where it can be used as an energy source. As glucose levels in your blood go back down, your pancreas stops releasing insulin. Type 2 diabetes impacts how you metabolize sugar. Either your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin or your body has become resistant to its effects. This causes glucose to build up in the blood. This is called hyperglycemia. There are several symptoms of untreated type 2 diabetes, including: excessive thirst and urination fatigue increased hunger weight loss, in spite of eating more infections that heal slowly blurry vision dark patches on the skin Treatment for type 2 diabetes includes monitoring your blood sugar levels and using medications or insulin when needed. Doctors also recommend losing weight through diet and exercise. Some diabetes medications have weight loss as a side effect, which can also help reverse diabetes. If you start eating healthier, get more exercise, and lose weight, you can reduce your symptoms. Research shows that these lifestyle changes, especially physical activity, can even reverse the course of the condition. Studies that show the reversal of type 2 diabetes include participants who have lived with the condition for only a few years. Weight loss is the primary fact Continue reading >>
3 Food Strategies Guide You To Doable Diabetes Diet - Three Diet Strategies To Help Anyone Diagnosed With Prediabetes Or Type 2 Diabetes Become Wiser About Controlling Your Blood Sugar, Reduce Common Complications, And Achieve A Healthy Weight.
Diabetes Diet: The Best Way to Eat for Type 2 Diabetes Three diet strategies to help anyone diagnosed with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes become wiser about controlling your blood sugar, reduce common complications, and achieve a healthy weight. Written by Susan McQuillan MS, RDN, CDN | Reviewed by Caroline Apovian MD, FACP, FACN A diagnosis of type 2 diabetesor even prediabetesusually means the doctor has suggested that you make some changes to your diet or the diet of someone you care for. This is a good time to become wiser about how you are eating on a regular basis. Fortunately, following a diabetes diet doesnt mean giving up the joy of eating or avoiding your favorite foods and special family meals. You can still enjoy pizza night, celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, and partake in holiday meals and vacation dining. This is more about your routine daily food choices and meal planning. Use the four sections of a plate as a guide when planning healthy meals for someone with diabetes. Photo: 123RF Eating to beat diabetes is much more about making wise food adjustments than it is about denial and deprivation. A better way to look at a diet when you have diabetes is one that helps you establish a new normal when it comes to your eating habits and food choices.1 What Should You Eat If You Have Diabetes? In truth, a diet aimed at reducing the risks of diabetes is really nothing more than a nutritionally-balanced meal plan aimed at supporting maintaining blood sugar levels within range and supporting a healthy weight. For those with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, the main focus of a diabetes-focused diet is being attentive to your weight.2 That said, a diabetic diet is simply an eating approach that works to keep you healthy, and so is not reserved only for people wi Continue reading >>
