5 Best Healthy Tips for People Living with Type 2 Diabetes
You may have heard some people say their ‘sugar is a little high’ and thought diabetes isn’t a severe disease. Diabetes is a serious disease. But then, don’t panic if you’ve just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. It’s manageable, and you can live a healthy life. If you have diabetes, you have to maintain a healthy weight, make healthy food choices, exercise, and take your medicine religiously. Well, it isn’t easy, but you’ll live a healthy life.
Life doesn’t end with type 2 diabetes, and that’s why you should observe the following.
Start taking care of type 2 diabetes immediately after diagnosis.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common disease, but you shouldn’t ignore it. Start managing it immediately after diagnosis. It will benefit you now and in the long run. You may ignore it and still feel okay in the short term since there’s no pain, but over time, increased glucose level can damage your kidneys, eyes, nervous system, blood vessels, and heart. It is, therefore, crucial to begin managing blood glucose levels from the start, as well as other health risk factors such as weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Although there’s no cure for type 2 diabetes, advanced stem cell therapy can provide a respite from some of its symptoms and improve the quality of your life.
Maintain a healthy diet.
Well, everybody should maintain a healthy diet, but it’s extremely important for people with diabetes. Make a diabetes meal plan with the help of your health care team.
- Choose foods that are lower in saturated fat, calories, salt, sugar, and trans fat.
- Eat food with more fiber.
- Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grain, and cereals.
- Avoid sweetened drinks and regular soda. Instead, drink water.
Exercise!
Exercising is a free drug. It isn’t just good for the heart and losing weight. It also helps to reduce blood sugar levels by prompting the body to use insulin more effectively. Exercising will reduce the need for a lot of medications and insulin, among other therapies.
Find a diabetes educator.
A diabetes educator is a certified professional with knowledge in diabetes education and self-management. They will offer you real-life coaching, guidance, and support.
Understand that type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease.
If you’ve just been diagnosed with diabetes, most likely, you’ve lost more than 50% of your beta-cell function, and you’re insulin resistant as well. Your pancreas can’t utilize the insulin it makes effectively. A healthy eating plan and exercising can help you manage type 2 diabetes, but over time, beta-cell function reduces, making it challenging to regulate blood glucose levels. Medication will, therefore, be necessary to control blood glucose levels.
Type 2 diabetes is manageable. Eat healthy, exercise, seek medication, and remember to keep track of your blood sugar levels.
