Four Steps for Preventing Diabetes

Receiving a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is a life-changing moment, but taking a few moments to learn about lifestyle changes can put you and your health on a new path to prevention. In fact, approximately 90% of diabetes cases can be prevented by making relatively simple lifestyle modifications. By making adjustments to your diet, activity level and approach to self-care, you can effectively lower blood sugar and your glucose level to prevent diabetes without medication. Here’s how.

1. Target your weight.  First things first. With nearly all people diagnosed as pre-diabetic, being overweight or obese is a major culprit that puts you at risk. When you lose weight, you reduce your risk for diabetes. Depending on how overweight you are, your physician can advise you on how much weight you should lose.

Studies have shown that a weight loss of at least 7% of body weight can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes. Additional weight loss resulted in even better outcomes. This is because when you are overweight, your body requires more insulin, which is produced by your pancreas. At higher weights, your pancreas has to work harder and eventually cannot produce enough insulin – but when you lose weight, the pancreas is able to function effectively to bring down blood sugar levels.

2. Shakeup your diet. Aside from modifying your diet for the purpose of weight loss, you should also make some healthful diet changes that can help you prevent diabetes. This includes incorporating healthy fats and plant-based foods into your meal plan.

Cut out or limit fats from meat and dairy sources while incorporating more healthy fats and omega-3 fatty acids such as olive oil, canola oil and sunflower oil. Healthy fats can be found in nuts, such as almonds and peanuts, seeds such as pumpkin seeds, and fatty fish, like tuna, cod and salmon. Avocado is also a great source of healthy fats.

Ensure your meal plan incorporates plenty of fruits and vegetables, which are a great source of carbohydrates and fiber. Leafy greens, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, legumes and other fruits and vegetables should fill half your plate.

When choosing grains, whole wheat pastas and breads, brown rice and grains like quinoa help you pack in fiber without having to worry about the increase in glucose level that can come from consuming simple carbohydrates like white bread.

3. Exercise for better health. Getting more physically active does more than help you lose weight. It helps you lower your blood sugar and helps your body better process insulin to keep blood sugar levels in check and prevent type 2 diabetes.

Set aside 30 minutes five days a week for physical activity to help prevent diabetes. Your exercise routine should include both aerobic exercise like walking, biking or swimming – plus resistance exercise like weightlifting, calisthenics and even yoga. It’s also important to get up and moving throughout periods of inactivity. Simply stretching, walking around or completing a few light chores can help you keep in motion periodically throughout the day.

4. Work with your doctor. When you have a good working relationship with a primary care physician and seek regular checkups, your doctor is able to catch health issues before they become chronic conditions. Especially if you are overweight, age 45 or older, or have previously been diagnosed with prediabetes or gestational diabetes, it’s critical to establish an ongoing care relationship with a doctor to help you prevent diabetes.

The bottom line

A diabetes diagnosis means more than a life of injecting insulin and taking other medication. People with type 2 diabetes are at greater risk of heart attack and kidney failure along with other diabetic emergencies like diabetic ketoacidosis. For this reason, what’s most important is that you view these modifications as permanent lifestyle changes. Taking these four steps to prevent diabetes can help you live a fuller, richer, more active and healthier lifestyle – and help prevent unnecessary trips to Laredo Emergency Room.

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