Someone somewhere has been diagnosed with prediabetes this month.
It might come as a shock. After all, who really thinks about it, until the Dr forces us to.
This is not the hereditary kind that is not preventable and requires insulin to control.
Prediabetes leads to Type 2 diabetes, sometimes called Onset Diabetes, and is a disease that’s becoming more common but unnecessarily so. There are lifestyle choices that affect the onset of type 2 diabetes, so it is also called a lifestyle disease. Chances are you know someone who has this type of diabetes. Especially if you are over 50.
It’s of interest to me because I know that this disease can be prevented and reversed with some simple habit changes. My mother had it and she was poking herself all the time to test her blood sugar. She also got glaucoma, an eye disease that’s associated with diabetes. She suffered more from that, I think.
The choices you make now can influence whether you will be dealing with this disease in the future. It’s easy to ignore what we don’t have to face every day, until we do.
So I hope this is helpful for you.
An interesting fact: As obesity rates continue to rise, so do rates of Type 2 diabetes. You can prevent and treat both issues at the same time.
Here are a few tips if you need to re-focus on your health.
- Move more daily.
Walk every morning and after dinner. An after-dinner walk is especially helpful to control blood sugar levels.
- Eat well.
Eat enough. But eat the good stuff, nutritionally. Use food as fuel, not as your anti-depressant, stress-fix, or boredom buster. There are healthier ways to deal with that.
- Focus on Fiber
By slowing down the digestive process, fiber helps lower blood sugar levels, and therefore, insulin levels, helping to prevent and treat excess fat storage and Type 2 diabetes.
Good sources of fiber: Lentils and other dry beans and legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, edamame, sweet potato, apples and berries of all kinds.
- Swap the calorie-rich Carbohydrate foods for Nutrient-rich Carbohydrate foods
Healthy sources of carbohydrates in the diet include essential nutrients and fiber. However, many people eat far too many foods that lack the nutrition and fiber but elevate their carbohydrate intake - examples would include any foods with added sugar and those made with flour (ya, that’s bread, guys). Healthy sources of carbohydrates are also good sources of fiber - fruits and vegetables, legumes and dry beans, quinoa, and unrefined grains as some examples.
Education is power, but not if you don’t take action.
Maybe you could have that check-up you’ve been putting off for a while.
Or re-stock your pantry with healthier options.
Plan ahead for your next grocery shop.
Now, let’s go get that walk in!