Eating home-cooked meals ensures that you don’t eat foods that are making your blood sugar worse.
What is prediabetes?
Prediabetes, as the name suggests, means you have blood sugar levels higher than the n Irma range. Prediabetes is a response to poor diet and lifestyle. You may be able to identify prediabetes through regular blood tests.
Prediabetes is a useful indicator to identify if you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Unlike type 2 diabetes, prediabetes is reversible. Through lifestyle changes, a healthy diet, and exercise, you can bring your blood sugar levels back to normal.
How can type 2 diabetes be prevented?
As mentioned above, prediabetes is an indicator and early sign of diabetes. If you’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes, you need to take conscious steps to lower your blood sugar levels.
Here are 18 lifestyle changes through which you can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes:
1. Exercise daily
Lack of routine exercise can cause insulin resistance. In the case of insulin resistance, our bodies have to produce even more insulin to remove sugar from our cells and blood.
2. Drink water instead of other beverages
Most beverages, whether hot or cold, packaged or fresh, are often made with a lot of added sugar. Opting for water as your beverage can help you avoid these sugary drinks.
3. Maintain a healthy weight
Being overweight greatly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Obesity can cause insulin resistance. Maintain a healthy weight by eating a healthy diet and exercising at least 5 times a week.
4. Eat well
This is not a surprise, but eating a healthy and nutritious diet has many benefits for our bodies, including reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Include plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, poultry, etc. in your diet.
5. Reduce carbohydrates
Our bodies have to break down carbohydrates into smaller sugar components in order to digest them. This increases our blood sugar levels.
6. Eat more vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to causing insulin resistance. Prolonged reduction in insulin sensitivity can lead to type 2 diabetes. You are encouraged to eat foods rich in vitamin D rather than taking supplements.
7. Be aware of the portion
When we eat, our blood sugar levels rise. Eating large portions of food at one time can cause your blood sugar to spike. Large portions also cause obesity which then leads to other chronic disorders.
8. Avoid red meat
Most red meats such as bacon, pork, lamb, etc. have been linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. You should also avoid highly processed meats.
9. Quit smoking
Smoking has several negative effects on our body. Smoking also caused insulin resistance, which increases blood sugar levels.
10. Don’t stay in one position for too long.
Poor heart health means a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Staying in the same positions for long hours affects blood circulation in the body.
11. Reduce alcohol consumption
Alcohol can also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes if not consumed in moderation. Alcohol causes obesity, increases blood sugar level, causes mood disorders, etc.
12. Manage high bp
As discussed above, poor heart health can lead to type 2 diabetes. High blood pressure is linked to the cause of type 2 diabetes. Avoid foods that increase blood pressure.
13. Manage your mental health
Poor mental health can affect our hormone levels. The change in our hormone levels can lower or raise our blood sugar level.
14. Eat healthy fats
You may be at risk for type 2 diabetes due to poor heart health. Healthy fats improve our overall heart health unlike unhealthy saturated fats.
15. Eat less salt
As mentioned above, high blood pressure can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. High salt (sodium) intake can increase blood pressure.
16. Eat more fiber
Soluble fibers are recommended for prediabetics. Soluble fibers absorb water and help slow down the absorption of food. This also helps prevent spikes in blood sugar levels after eating.
17. Avoid junk and ultra-processed food
Most junk and ultra-processed foods are high in salt and sugar, both of which have been shown to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
18. Eat at home
The best way to make sure you avoid preservatives, high-sugar and high-salt foods is to prepare foods from scratch.
What is the takeaway?
Simple but effective lifestyle changes can significantly reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes can act as a warning sign for you to improve your quality of life. Incorporating these lifestyle choices into your routine will ensure that your blood sugar levels return to the normal range. These habits improve your overall health and reduce your risk of many other chronic diseases.
Disclaimer: This content, including tips, provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV is not responsible for this information.
Source: www.ndtv.com