Diabetes! Yes,the one word that makes your mind wander in so many directions. You find yourself asking questions like: Will this last for ever? Will I ever get better? How can I overcome this? Well, these are smart questions that anyone should ask. And, yes. You can and will get better. You just make a few tweaks in your lifestyle and you should be just fine. Some of the symptoms and pointers of diabetes ware pointed out below:-
While it may seem like an insurmountable hurdle. A wall that cannot be breached, there are thousands of diabetics with good testimonies. Aged people who have lived with diabetes so much so that they sometimes forget that they have diabetes. How can this be your testimony? Well, the pointers below show some of the things you can do to kickstart your own journey to overcome diabetes.
Yes! These tips will get your campaign against Diabets underway and you will begin to see a big difference in no time at all. Of course it’s not going to be easy to let go of all your favorite meals. But, no one is saying you have to get rid of them all at once. You’ve just got to be smart about it.
Do not make diabetes “complex.” Make eating “complex” to keep diabetes “simple.” Just as in everything else, a lot of effort has to go into your overall lifestyle if you are to conquer diabetes. Just be conscious and you’ll make headway. To eliminate diabetes, take a step towards improving your eating habits and you’ll feel a lot better generally.
SOME DIETARY CHANGES YOU NEED TO MAKE
1.Eat Complex To Live Simple: Eating complex doesn’t mean you have to stop eating everything. It simply means make your carbs complex over simple ones, as these are the best type of carbohydrates for diabetics. Complex carbohydrates digest slowly in the body and maintain steady glucose levels in the body.
2. Make fiber important part of your diet: Fiber refers to plant-based food that slows down the breaking of carbohydrates and keeps you feeling full for longer periods of time. Yes, fiber can go a long way in improving your situation.And it all gets better. You don’t have to go over and under in search of fiber rich foods. You can get your fiber fix by following these simple tips:
- Do not sieve the flour
- Eat whole fruits over a glass of juice
- Choose whole grains and whole pulses
- Eat more vegetables
- Do not peel the edible portion of the fruit for example -apple,guava,pear ,peaches
- Make soups and salads your best friends
3. Choose healthier versions of your favorite food
| Instead of these | Choose these |
| White bread | Brown bread |
| Normal roti | Bran roti/multigrain roti |
| Meat | Fish |
| Normal rice/parboiled rice | Brown rice |
| Sugary or flavored cornflakes | Plain cornflakes/oats |
| Sugar | Jaggery/honey |
| Mayonnaise veg sandwich | Hungcurd vegetable sandwich |
| Normal chocolate | Dark chocolate |
| Creamy cheesy dip | Salsa dip |
| Whole milk | Skimmed milk |
| Salted nuts | Unsalted nuts |
| Soda | Salted fresh lime |
| Potato sticks | Raw veggie sticks |
| Fried chicken | Grilled chicken |
| White pasta | Whole wheat pasta |
| Fruit juices | Whole fruits |
It surely can be very difficult to do away with all your favorite meals. Instead of doing away totally, you can instead opt for close alternatives as shown above. Choose the healthier version of your favorite meals and you’ll thank yourself for it.
4. Say “NEVER AGAIN” to Trans-fat: Trans-fat is basically obtained chemically by the hydrogenation of oils. It will make your condition worse!
To avoid trans-fats, avoid these; Chips, Cookies, Pasteries, Margarine.
Incorporate healthy fats by following these simple methods
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Introduce olive oil,rice bran over butter or ghee
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Chicken lovers dont forget to remove the skin of it
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Prefer healthy ways of cooking such as grilling,baking and roasting over fried
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Enhance flavour of food by using more of herbs and spices instead of oil,that will not only give you good taste but also prevent you from consuming extra oil as well as provide you benefits of antioxidants
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Prefer fish over red meat as it is full of good fat
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Serve fish 2 or 3 times week instead of red meat.
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Use hung curd as dressing over mayonnaise
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Prefer baked chips over fried
5. Choose Low-glycemic index foods
Glycemic Index – Glycemic index refers to the rate at which a particular food raises our blood glucose levels. Foods with high GI spike our blood glucose level and vice-a-versa. Again, fiber is your hero! Fiber rich foods have lower glycemic index – another reason why you should take them.
Low GI Sources- Whole nuts , whole cereals, cherries, oatmeal, apple,vermicelli,whole dals,prunes, yoghurt plain, soymilk,whole milk,peaches,channa dal,peanuts.
6. Eat small but frequently – The logic here is, heavy meals spike our glucose levels. So small frequent meals will keep our metabolism high, while maintaining glucose levels.
7.Walk and Exercise are your best friends
Exercise is important as it helps to maintain IBW which is very important for diabetics. Exercising helps your weight loss efforts, and is especially important in maintaining IBW.
8.Limit only high caloric fruits
Except for some fruits like mango,banana,chikoo; one can eat any fruit but in prescribed amounts only.
9. Use functional foods in the diet– These foods provide “extra benefits” to your diet. Apart from nutrition, it provides you a number of benefits. Functional foods are full of antioxidants, unsaturated fatty acids and are also rich in fiber. So do not forget to include them in your diet. Foods like mustard seeds, flax seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, cinamion,cloves, chia seeds.
10. Before sleeping ask yourself the following questions:
| Am I taking too much of alcohol? If the answer is no, then you are okay. |
| Am I taking medication properly? If yes, give yourself a pat on the back |
| My feet are clean? No? Then rush to the bathroom! |
| Am I feeling stressed? If your answer is yes? Chill with music and take deep breaths. Remember nothing comes at the cost of your health and ensure you feel some relief. |
| Have I checked my weight? |
| Did I walk for 45 minutestoday? If yes, you’ve done well. Feel good about it because you are on track to eliminate your diabetes |
| Now,time for sleep… Proper timing is essential. Get good sleep. |
You can gain control over diabetes by living healthy. Eating in moderation and eating healthy can go a long way in really giving you good results.
Excellent. Very good information. I surely will try these eating habits.
Thanks a lot for the good advice.