What Physical Activities Should I Do If I Have Diabetes
Most kinds of physical activity can help you take care of your diabetes. Certain activities may be unsafe for some people, such as those with low vision or nerve damage to their feet. Ask your health care team what physical activities are safe for you. Many people choose walking with friends or family members for their activity.
Doing different types of physical activity each week will give you the most health benefits. Mixing it up also helps reduce boredom and lower your chance of getting hurt. Try these options for physical activity.
Ten Little Tweaks To Transform Your Health From Eating Sauerkraut To Getting Off The Sofa
No need for a radical diet plan or exhausting exercise regimen, you can reverse creeping weight gain and protect yourself against any future diabetes diagnosis with a few simple changes.
Pepper your day with these super-easy tweaks and they’ll soon form life-changing new habits to secure a long and healthy future free of disease.
Is It Possible To Reverse Diabetes
Its possible to reverse both prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 and gestational diabetes are not reversible people with these conditions can only treat and manage them.
Most people with diabetes have insulin resistance, meaning their bodies dont use insulin well and glucose then stays in their blood and doesnt reach cells, eventually causing health problems. Other people with diabetes either dont make enough insulin or make none at all. There are a few common forms of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes is when the body doesnt make insulin. The immune system attacks and kills cells in the pancreas that create insulin. Healthcare providers usually diagnose this form of diabetes in young people, but it can develop at any age. Type 1 diabetes patients need to take insulin every day.
- Type 2 diabetes is when the body doesnt make or use insulin well. Its the most common form of diabetes. Although it can happen at any age, Type 2 diabetes most often develops in middle-aged and older adults.
- Gestational diabetes develops in pregnant women. It usually goes away after the baby is born but does raise the mothers risk of having Type 2 diabetes later on. Diabetes during pregnancy is also sometimes Type 2 diabetes.
Healthcare providers also diagnose people with prediabetes. This is when blood glucose levels are higher than usual but not high enough to be diabetes. Prediabetes raises the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and has many of the same causes.
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Make Work Home Grocery Stores And Restaurants Work For You
- Take the work out of eating at work.Bring a healthy lunch from home instead of eating out. Keep fruit and vegetables in the fridge at work for snacks. Package high-power snacks like nuts in small containers so you dont eat too much.
- Make home your healthy place.Cook while youre doing another enjoyable activity, such as listening to music or catching up on your favorite show. Keep a few healthy snacks on hand in case food cravings hit.
Who Can Help Me Reverse Diabetes
People with diabetes should start with their primary care provider for guidance on reversing the condition and diabetes care. Their provider may refer them to a Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support service. A DSMES healthcare team includes diabetes educators such as doctors, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers with special training and experience. The team helps diabetes patients to learn more about the condition and diabetes management.
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There Is No Cure But There Is A Way You Can Beat Type 2 Diabetes And Postpone Almost Indefinitely The Horrendous Consequences Of This Silent Disease
Type 2 diabetes will eventually damage your heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves, feet and hands it will increase your risk of heart attacks and blindness you could even end up having your feet amputated unless you learn how to control this sneaky disease.
To avoid these awful outcomes you have to control the levels of glucose floating around in your blood.
Most people try to control their blood glucose using medications only. They fail. Their diabetes gets progressively worse.
The result is a slow, messy, painful death at an early age a prospect that stared me in the face a few years ago.
Behind The Weight Loss Advice
In an earlier study, Taylor’s team assigned 149 patients to the strict weight loss program and another 149 to usual care such as treatment with medications. Most were diagnosed within the previous 6 years before the start of the study.
After a year, only 4% of the usual care patients had remission of the diabetes, but 46% of those on the weight loss program did. The more they lost, the higher the chances of reversal. While 7% of patients who lost less than 11 pounds went into remission, 86% of those who lost 33 pounds or more did, Taylor found.
In general, âremissionâ in diabetes means a personâs blood sugar levels remain normal. While some refer to this as a âcure,â diabetes is not a âone and done,â disease. That is, it could always return if the patient regains the weight or returns to unhealthy habits. In 2009, a group of diabetes experts wrote that âremissionâ is a term used when a person has normal blood sugar levels for one year without therapy or surgery.
In the latest study, Taylor took a closer look at some of those patients who reverse, and ”we have a clear physiological handle on what is happening,” he says.
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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
- nonstarchy: includes broccoli, carrots, greens, peppers, and tomatoes
- starchy: includes potatoes, corn, and green peas
Use oils when cooking food instead of butter, cream, shortening, lard, or stick margarine.
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 the rate at which people are developing obesity rises across all age groups.
Several factors contribute to type 2 diabetes. Being overweight or having obesity are the biggest risk factors.
Type 2 diabetes can be life-threatening. But if treated carefully, it can be managed or even reversed.
Healthline has partnered with Profile by Sanford to bring you more information about how to manage diabetes for better health through diet, exercise, and more.
Treatment for type 2 diabetes includes:
- monitoring your blood sugar levels
- 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 to treat or manage diabetes.
To help manage your diabetes try:
- eating a healthy, well-balanced diet
- losing excess weight
Weight loss is the primary factor in those who have experienced a reversal of type 2 diabetes, as excess fat in the body affects the production of insulin and how its used.
In a small 2011 study, 11 people with type 2 diabetes drastically reduced their caloric intake for 8 weeks, reversing the course of their condition. Researchers noted that this is a small sample, and the participants had lived with the condition for only a few years.
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Statistics About Type 2 Diabetes
The report the following statistics about diabetes in the United States:
- Over 30 million people have diabetes. Thats around 10 percent of the population.
- One in four people have no idea they have diabetes.
- Prediabetes affects 84.1 million adults, and 90 percent of them are unaware of it.
- Non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and Native American adults are to have diabetes as non-Hispanic white adults.
The ADA reports the following statistics:
- In 2017, diabetes cost the United States $327 billion in direct medical costs and reduced productivity.
- The average medical expenses for people with diabetes are about 2.3 times higher than they would be in the absence of diabetes.
- Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing cause of death.
Diabetes impact is widespread. It touches the lives of nearly half-a-billion of people around the world. View some infographics that shine a light on other diabetes statistics you should know.
Where Does This Idea Comes From
Type 2 diabetes triples the risk of heart attack and stroke, and is the leading cause of blindness, amputations and kidney failure. Treatment with modern drugs improves the outlook, but complications still develop and life expectancy is substantially reduced, especially for younger people. So beating it into remission is the ultimate goal of management.
If weight loss helps reach that goal, people need to know if its harder to achieve than without diabetes. From all the information out there you might think it is. In diabetes, the fat-burning mitochondria may be more sluggish and hunger hormones may be out of whack.
Read more:Explainer: what are mitochondria and how did we come to have them?
Then theres the insulin angle. In response to high levels of blood sugar , the pancreas pumps out insulin and packs glucose away into tissues like muscle to store or use for energy. Type 2 diabetes is characterised by insulin resistance, because the muscle cells are not sensitive to insulin. So glucose accumulates in the blood or is taken up into fat cells where it can be made into more fat.
Most people with type 2 diabetes are eventually given insulin to help control the disease, but this has been associated with weight gain. Other drugs that stimulate insulin production, such as sulfonylureas and thiazolidendiones, can both increase weight. And medications such as metformin can contribute to weight loss.
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Minimize The Intake Of Quick
Most of your carbs should come from whole-grain, high-fiber foods. If you go for quick-digesting carbs, combine them with other foods, like lean protein. This will help slow down their digestion and help you avoid blood sugar spikes.
Opt for wholegrains. Image: iStock.
Whole-grain food options:
- Quinoa, amaranth, and millet
Symptoms Of Type 2 Diabetes
In type 2 diabetes, your body isnt able to effectively use insulin to bring glucose into your cells. This causes your body to rely on alternative energy sources in your tissues, muscles, and organs. This is a chain reaction that can cause a variety of symptoms.
Type 2 diabetes can develop slowly. The symptoms may be mild and easy to dismiss at first. The early symptoms may include:
- foot pain
- feelings of numbness in your extremities, or neuropathy
If you have two or more of these symptoms, you should see your doctor. Without treatment, diabetes can become life-threatening. Discover other symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
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The Science Of Diabetes Reversal
In 2019, the American Diabetes Association stated that reducing carbohydrate intake was the most effective nutritional strategy for improving blood sugar control in those with diabetes.18
Research shows that low-carb diets are a safe and effective option for treating type 2 diabetes. This body of evidence includes systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials .19
A meta-analysis from 2017 found that low-carb diets reduced the need for diabetes medication and also improved certain bio-markers in people with type 2 diabetes. This included reductions in hemoglobin A1c , triglycerides, and blood pressure and increases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, sometimes called the good cholesterol.20
Additionally, in a non-randomized trial from Virta Health, the intervention group of subjects with type 2 diabetes followed a very low-carb diet and received remote monitoring by physicians and health coaches. After one year, 94% of those in the low-carb group had reduced or stopped their insulin use. Furthermore, 25% had an HgbA1c in the normal range without needing any medications, suggesting their disease was in remission, and an additional 35% did the same with only metformin.21
At the two-year mark, a high proportion of subjects continued to demonstrate sustained improvements in glycemic control.22
This evidence suggests that type 2 diabetes does not have to be a progressive and irreversible disease. It is clearly a treatable disease.
Find A Plan That Works For You
But rapid weight loss is not suitable for everyone. So what can you do if you prefer a slower and steadier approach or, having lost the weight, want advice on how to keep it off for good?
That’s where my brilliant new series, starting today and continuing all next week, can help. I will be sharing what I have learnt over the past nine years, often from some of the world’s leading experts, about simple steps you can take that will not only help you get trim and stay that way but also improve your fitness, gut health, sleep and mental health.
And because I believe passionately that what we eat really matters, Clare will be providing delicious and filling recipes, some taken from her recent book The Fast 800 Easy. I hope you enjoy the series. It could be life changing.
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Diet And Lifestyle Changes Can Beat Type 2 Diabetes
The best way to treat type 2 diabetes is by practicing healthy habits on a regular basis in many cases, you might be able to get off the pill. A particularly good way to treat diabetes naturally is by eating foods that are good for diabetes, exercising regularly, and maintain a healthy weight. It is no secret that type 2 diabetes is on the rise in the United States. There is a multitude of things you can do to change your lifestyle and improve your health.
In a large clinical trial, Look AHEAD Study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control Prevention found that over a four-year period, making a change to healthier eating habits, and getting more exercise led to weight loss and improved diabetes control in 5,000 overweight or obese participants with type 2 diabetes.
It probably goes without saying that eating fast food is not a good idea except as a special occasion because they contain trans fats, refined carbohydrates, and loads of sodium, which compounds insult with injury to the diabetics heart and overall health. If you must stop for fast food attempt not to purchase anything that is deep-fried. Remember this should not be a meal it should only be utilized to tide you over until you can get to a healthy meal later.
Adopting A Diabetes Diet Plan For Long
It may ease your mind to know you will be able to incorporate your favorite foods into a healthy diet while being mindful of your diabetes diet goals . Check out our type 2 diabetes diet sheet for an idea of the variety of delicious and balanced meals that can fit into a diabetic meal plan. For many people, at least initially, this may seem harder than it should be and thats understandable after all, it can seem very, very challenging to change current eating habits and find the right food rhythm to fit your lifestyle.
You don’t have to go it aloneSeek advice from a registered dietitian or certified diabetes educator who has the right training to help you come up with an individualized meal plan that will help you meet your self-management goals, get the nutrition you need, and show you how you can incorporate some of your favorite foods into your diet so that you continue to enjoy eating. Hopefully, your doctor has someone on the team, but if not, call your health insurer to ask for the names of a few in-network RD/CDEs.
There are also virtual coaching programs that appear very effective this means you can get individualized dietary guidance at home or at work. Most health insurance companies will cover the cost of diabetic diet counseling so ask your doctor for a prescription so cost doesnt hold you back.
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How Do You Reverse Diabetes
The strongest evidence we have at the moment suggests that type 2 diabetes is mainly put into remission by weight loss. Remission is more likely if you lose weight as soon as possible after your diabetes diagnosis. However, we do know of people who have put their diabetes into remission 25 years after diagnosis.
If you have obesity, your diabetes is more likely to go into remission if you lose a substantial amount of weight 15kg as quickly and safely as possible following diagnosis.
Its important to know that not everyone who loses this much weight will be able to put their diabetes into remission. But losing 15kg comes with a lot of health benefits, even if you dont lead to remission. Research shows that getting support to lose just 5% of your body weight can have huge benefits for your health. Losing extra weight can lead to:
fewer medications