by I Dance With Diabetes | Aug 23, 2022 | Lifestyle
I tell you, it’s your lifestyle
You can scan the internet, search on Google, and watch videos on YouTube all about diabetes, and you will see it over and over again. type 2 diabetes is reversible. But you have to be willing to change your lifestyle. More and more research is pointing to the processed foods we eat and the environment we live in. It seems our bodies just don’t care to be existing with man-made stuff. It’s like smoking, you may enjoy that cigarette after dinner, but your lungs and heart are choking on the stuff in the smoke. One cigarette isn’t going to kill you, but years of it will.
It’s the same thing with the food and environment. One day doesn’t kill you, but the wear and tear of the chemical we breathe in and the things we eat stress our body’s systems to the point they start to break down. Now add to the mix a genetic condition that makes you a little more susceptible to the threshold of developing type 2 diabetes and you there quicker than others.
So let’s talk about what a healthy diet environment would look like. Remember each person reacts to the environment in their own unique way. The higher your glucose/blood sugar is (either can be used), the more you will have to focus on lifestyle. Hopefully, you’ll be able to get back to something of a normal blood sugar level through lifestyle. You may have to take a prescribed drug to help get things under control, but as you lower your glucose levels you may be able to discontinue taking it. Of course, you’ll work with your medical professional to make those decisions.
Let’s get started on looking at key lifestyle changes that are available to help.
In a recent study
It is understood that lifestyle intervention is strongly suggested as the first step at the beginning of treatment of diabetes for all ages, it has been shown to be more effective when started early in the course of type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle intervention to prevent type 2 diabetes includes making changes in your eating habits, physical activity, and weight. Losing weight, eating healthy foods, and being physically active can help you manage your blood sugar and improve your overall health.
A key word here is “overall”. It’s not just diabetes that is being addressed, it improves your system overall. Your type 2 diabetes condition is greatly reactionary to your environment.
You need some carbs
Carbs are good for you, it’s where you get them from and how many carbs you eat. Yep, you’re going to have to count carbs. However, you can get your carbs from many places. Here’s a list of good carbs:
- Whole grains include brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, millet, and amaranth
- Eating a baked sweet potato
- Of eating recipe food with whole gains made with a pinch of sugar (yes Virginia a pinch, not a hand full)
When growing up, did your mother tell you to eat your veggies? I’ll bet she did, I hated green beans. Well, it’s time to get back to your veggies. It’s hard to go wrong here. Most veggies are high in fiber and have little if any salt. I see you reaching for the salt shaker, put it down, and step away. Fiber helps slow down glucose entering the body. This helps control the sugar spikes after eating. A heads up here, frozen veggies are best vs canned veggies. Canned veggies will most likely have a lot more salt added.
Some really good veggies to eat are kale, spinach, and arugula. Iceberg ice lettuce is sort of like kissing your sister, no big deal. Iceberg lettuce doesn’t have a lot of nutrients in it. Oh, I said it’s hard to go wrong here, the part you can run into trouble is potatoes and corn. These have carbs, so you’ll have to take that into your carbs total when doing your meal planning. I confess I had corn on the cob and it was gooooood, but I had only one ear.
A good rule of thumb on veggies is to look for colors (dark red, green, orange, onions, nice white ones, and of course the purple eggplant.
A rule of thumb
Okay, let’s look at the fruit. There’s good news and bad news here. Fruit is on a whole good for you. You’ll get fiber, vitamins, and minerals. There’s low fat and sodium in most fruits. The bad news is there are carbs and controlling amounts will be important.
What about meats and protein? There’s a lot to choose from, here’s a list of items, starting with the best going to well, not as good as the first item.
- Number one on the list is plant-based foods like beans, seeds, nuts, and tofu (I can pass on tofu)
- Next is seafood and fish. (Remember seafood can have mercury)
- Chicken and poultry, love that skin from the chicken but it can fall into the bad group
- And wrapping up this list eggs and low-fat dairy foods
Cooking brings in oils and fats. You might even be guilty of adding something to sweeten things up a bit. These are necessary items, but use ones that are natural. Things like nuts, seeds, or avocados. They do have a lot of calories so go easy on them.
Finally, when it comes to things to drink, that can of soda may need to be cut back. Sugar is something you have to limit and soda is a lot of sugar. Better to drink water, with or without flavoring. Tea without sweeteners, love my coca tea. Surprisingly light beer and wine in moderation are something you can drink. If you drink coffee, good old black coffee is best. If you must add something, use low-fat milk and a sugar substitute.
Things to look out for
The first thing to look out for is processed foods. They put things in you don’t want to eat. Remember it’s the processing that’s where the bad stuff comes from. Natural is best. Avoid white bread, french fries, and veggies in a can. Other items to watch out for are fruity roll-up, and fruit in heavy syrup. Any fruit drink or punch. remember it’s the sugar we’re trying to cut back.
When cooking food remember to watch for things fried or deep-fried meats. Avoid lard and bacon (I love bacon) and whole dairy products. All of these make foods taste good, but your body will thank you. If it has trans fat just say no, you can add partially hydrogenated to the no list also. Check with your doctor about saturated fats. A large amount isn’t the best thing to have.
And finally
I tell you, it’s your lifestyle is more than diet and weight management. You also need to have an exercise program to burn the glucose in your blood. In the next article, we’ll look into the suggested exercise and the benefits that come with it. This is something you can do, your lifestyle can help you to a healthy life.
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Read more: MedWire, WebMD
by I Dance With Diabetes | Aug 23, 2022 | Lifestyle
Diabetic weight management
In our last article, we reviewed lifestyle and food types. Lifestyle is the manner in which you live. It encompasses everything in these two articles. It’s your willingness to make changes. If you can’t work at making changes, then you can forget about reversing type 2 diabetes. You’re going to have to eat differently, most likely lose weight, and work at the gym.
Today we will look at weight management. Even if you don’t have a form of diabetes, these are good practices for a healthy life. We have gotten so used to eating foods that don’t help us stay healthy. We are such an on-the-go society, we don’t take time to eat or get the exercise we need. How many times do you see someone driving and trying to wolf down something? I’m willing to bet it’s something from a fast food place.
Let’s take the pledge, raise your right hand, come on, get those hands up, and repeat after me, “I will work to find and eat food that is heart healthy and find a workout routine that will help lower your blood sugar levels. Make the commitment to being healthy. Begin to reverse your prediabetes and/or type 2 diabetes. Let’s get started!
Weight management goals
We talked about foods to look for in the last article, now let’s look at combining them into some meal planning. There are many diets out in the world today. The challenge is to look for a diet that was the correct balance of nutrients in it to provide you with the correct amounts of carbs, fats, protein, fiber, and calories. The recommended amounts for people with diabetes are:
- 60g of carbs per meal
- divide your weight by 2.777 and you will get the approximate amount of grams of protein to eat per day. Protein doesn’t play a major role in managing diabetes.
- ADA recommends at least 14 g / of fiber a / 1000 calories / day.
- 20 to 35% of your daily calories per should come from fat per day
With these numbers in mind, what are some good diabetic diets you should follow?
DASH diet
This is a new one to me. the diet DASH. It’s not just for diabetes. It addresses several other health areas. DASH discourages the consumption of foods that are high in saturated fat, including dairy products and tropical oils, as well as sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets.
This is because these products can contribute to a variety of health problems, such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. By avoiding these foods, you can help to improve your overall health and wellness. It’s a rule that followers will eventually lower to about 1,500 milligrams of salt from a high of 2300 milligrams of salt if they follow DASH. It is possible to keep a balanced DASH diet for a long time.
Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet isn’t really a specific diet. All the countries on the Mediterranean Sea have their own culinary specifics. There are similarities in the way they eat, which are diets low in the amount of red meat, sugar, and saturated fat. They also eat lots of fruits and veggies, nuts, grains, and green leafy foods.
In order to maintain a healthy weight, you need to figure out how many calories you should be eating every day. This will vary depending on your activity level, but it’s important to make sure that you’re getting enough nutrients and staying active. There are a lot of ways to do this, and it’s not always about following a specific diet. Sometimes, making small changes in your lifestyle can make a big difference.
The Mediterranean diet pyramid will help you start your journey to a healthier lifestyle. In addition to the foods at the base of the pyramid, which is encouraged to be eaten daily, poultry, eggs, cheese, and yogurt are also encouraged to be consumed in moderation. Sweets and red meat should be eaten only a couple of times a week. By following this diet, you can improve your overall health and well-being.
Don’t forget to stay physically active and you’re set. If your doctor tells you that two glasses a day for women and one for men is okay, that’s fine. Resveratrol, a compound that has been shown to potentially extend life, is found in red wine. However, in order to see any significant effects, you would need to drink hundreds or even thousands of glasses of red wine. While this may sound like fun for some, it’s probably not the best idea from a health perspective.
Vegan diet
Of course, in this day and age, we have to mention something about Vegan diets. Research does point to many benefits of a vegan or plant-based diet. I don’t mind eating vegan once in a while, but I do like my meat, so vegan is something I would do occasionally. I did have a great vegan dinner in Sucre, Bolivia once, but that’s for another time.
First, let’s define what we mean by vegan. Vegans differ from vegetarians, vegans don’t eat anything that has animal products. They won’t eat anything dairy or eggs. You have a lot of freedom when it comes to veganism. You can tailor your diet to fit your needs and preferences. There are no hard and fast rules about what you can and cannot eat. You can experiment with different foods and find what works best for you.
A healthy diet contains a variety of food groups and nutrients. For example, you’ll want to aim for six grams of grains, five grams of nuts, and four grams of plant-based milk, as well as two to four cups of fruit, and two to three grams of healthy fat. This combination provides your body with the energy it needs to function properly and maintain good health. This would include but is not limited to, sesame oil, avocado, and coconut according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics guide.
The next step
There are many other diets we could propose. Over time we will review other diets. For now, these diets are amount some of the best known, and more easily accepted diets around. A quick study of these three diets will give you the main points to keep in mind when you start to diet. Do what makes sense in starting a diet. Unless you are in an extreme diabetic condition, and your doctors say you must do this and this, feel free to try different diet combinations of food, and if necessary monitor your blood sugar levels to see how you are reacting to the food you have tried.
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Read more: USNews
by I Dance With Diabetes | Aug 23, 2022 | Lifestyle
Is your lifestyle killing you?
Our blog page is dedicated to providing guidance on living with prediabetes and, diabetes and especially type 2 diabetes. Diabetes and lifestyle are becoming something to pay attention to. Yet as I traverse this journey with prediabetes, it’s amazing to see how lifestyle can affect so many conditions that plague us. Some of the more common lifestyle diseases are atherosclerosis, heart disease, stroke, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and several cancers.
All of this got me thinking when we say lifestyle just what do we mean? So, if you go to your online dictionary and type in lifestyle, you’ll get something like this, “the way in which a person or group lives.” Or maybe the definition that is more telling, is “denoting advertising or products designed to appeal to a consumer by association with a desirable lifestyle.
I think the keyword in the above definition is desirable. Who’s defining the word desirable? In this case, I do believe it is the advertising arm of some company that wants you to purchase their product. Of course, their first responsibility is to the investors supporting the company.
Sales are up and so are the investor’s dividends. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should not allow companies to make money. Until we come up with a better economic solution, profits are one-way companies stay in business. But we as consumers need to put pressure on companies to create products that are healthy for us.
It is time to change
More and more reports are coming out showing the link between fast food and processed food. Looking at the labels of food, you see things that are added to create longer shelf life. Sweeteners added salt, red dye # whatever, we can do better. Alright, I’ll get off my soap box and get on with the things we can do to change our lifestyle.
OK, so what can we do to start making lifestyle changes? The first thing we can do is learn to read labels on the packages/containers of food we are purchasing, don’t get back on the soap box, don’t get back on the soap box 😊 if you Google “looking at labels for carbs” you’ll get a variety of links from well-known sources on what to look for on labels.
These articles will walk you through the process of deciphering the words used to describe what is in the package/container. It does take a bit of practice to sort through the label information and understand what it really means.
You might what to read through several of the label reading articles. Each has its own point of view. It will also help support what are the key points to look for.
Let’s work at bringing that weight down
OK, what’s next on the lifestyle change list? How about weight control? In a way, you have already started to manage your weight if you’re reading labels. You are realizing the number of carbs you’re eating this is a good start.
Going along with eating is when to eat. There are many thoughts and opinions on this. Once again Googling something like “best diets for diabetes” will give you tips on recipes, various diet plans, and differences on how to fast. The challenge here is there is not just one way of doing all this.
Depending on how high your blood sugar is, it will dictate how you may have to adjust your diet. This is where having a good dietician that is knowledgeable in diabetes can be a big help. They have the experience and training to quickly look at and suggest what would work best for you.
One of the more controversial practices people have tried is fasting. This has been a topic of discussion for several decades. There are pros and cons. Fasting can work for some people. You do have to dedicate yourself to following the diet regiment. Bottom line you can’t cheat.
Before starting a fasting regiment read up on the various dieting programs. What type of foods can you eat? How often do you need to eat? If you’re working will your job let you eat at the time you are supposed to eat? If not look for another diet.
Of course, just like planning a diet, take time to discuss fasting with a qualified professional. What makes sense to you, your dietitian may point out some cons you were not aware of.
Time to sweat
And now the point most people would rather avoid is exercise. Let’s get up and go get sweaty. Those are not words most people want to hear. For those who like to get a good sweaty workout go for it. We’ll be over here watching the sweaty fly😊.
Exercise offers numerous benefits for people with diabetes, which is not an exaggeration. Lowering blood pressure, lowering harmful LDL cholesterol levels, raising healthy cholesterol, strengthening muscles and bones, and improving one’s general well-being are just a few of the benefits commonly associated with regular exercise.
There are major health benefits associated with exercise and diabetes, specifically because exercise reduces blood glucose levels and raises one’s body’s recognition of insulin. This can greatly counter the effects of insulin resistance and lead to a more stable insulin level.
The key point to remember is going for simple walks after eating. Moving is burning energy and that’s what we want to do. You should monitor your blood sugars after a workout to see how you handle the workout. It will vary from person to person. After a period of time, you should see consistent results.
It’s more than diabetes
Diabetes is a challenge that you will have to be disciplined to manage. The great thing about what you have to do with diabetes and lifestyle is also much the same with a number of other disease-like symptoms. With the world the way it has evolved in recent years, we have gotten away from taking the time to measure the benefit of the foods and environment we live in. We are now beginning to recognize where we have gone wrong and start to correct the problem. It’s not about just profit, but creating a world we can live in harmony with.
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Read more: UCSF, endocrineweb, Harvard health
by I Dance With Diabetes | Aug 23, 2022 | Lifestyle
Lifestyle steps to manage diabetes
If you are looking into living with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, you definitely want to know these diabetes lifestyle tips. If you have been looking around at various sites and Facebook groups you know lifestyle is key. However, it is such an important point that it bares repeating.
Diabetes is caused by how your body processes the sugar in the blood. Diabetes can lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease and blindness. Because of this, it is imperative that you speak with your doctor and make sure you are properly managing your diabetic condition. But with careful management, you can keep your diabetes under control and live a long and healthy life. Some helpful strategies which have been found to be effective in managing diabetes include following a balanced diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and using your medication correctly.
Despite the fact that diabetes can be a complex condition to manage, there are certain changes in lifestyle that can make things a little easier – and these changes can also improve your overall health. Not only that, but these changes are also easy enough to implement so they have become the lifestyle of choice for many people who have been diagnosed with diabetes. For example, by finding a way to build your physical activity levels, you can greatly improve your blood.
Exercise
If you want to start working out on a regular basis, aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise at least five days per week. If you really want to benefit from your activity, you can take three 10-minute spurts of high-intensity exercise during the day. Some of the best exercises for people with diabetes include walking, swimming, and cycling.
Walking is a fantastic exercise as it doesn’t require any special equipment, can be done anywhere and at any time, and can help people who are living with diabetes maintain their weight. Swimming is another great exercise that provides many benefits to people living with diabetes. The water supports their weight which means that they don’t have to worry about any injuries.
Follow a healthy diet
What you eat has a significant impact on your diabetes, so it is important to make smart decisions when it comes to your diet. If you have diabetes, you should be aiming for a diet that consists of high amounts of healthy fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low amounts of saturated fats, salt, and sugar.
It is also important for people with diabetes to make sure that they eat regular meals and have plenty of snacks throughout the day. Eating these healthy foods will help keep blood sugar levels under control and drinking plenty of water is essential for people with diabetes.
If you’re looking for a diet that can help you lose control of your blood sugar levels, the keto diet may be a good option for you. This low-carb, high-protein diet is based on the principle that by eating fewer carbs, your body will be forced to burn fat for energy instead. This can help regulate your blood sugar levels and may lead to weight loss as well.
Control stress levels
This makes perfect sense. If you are stressed, then your body needs to run at a high level. Diabetes does not allow your body to get the fuel (glucose) it needs. High insulin levels are causing inflammation in the blood vessels. The stress you’re placing on top of your body’s systems further pushes you to, and possibly beyond unhealthy limits. This is what is known as the flight or fight response.
Your body releases various hormones into your body to deal with the stress, and to prepare the body for the stress. The problem is the body, the body is not running at top performance. Insulin isn’t getting the required glucose into the cells. The body’s reaction to stress is throttled since the cells aren’t working at peak performance. Think of it like a race car that is mistuned. It just won’t run as it should. If you keep running in this state the engine will become damaged and never run like it was designed to run.
Quit Smoking
I come from a family where both my parents and sister smoked and they all died young. While I cannot say for certain that smoking was what killed them, it seems likely given that both my parents died from cancer and my sister died at 49 from heart disease. It is possible that they would have still died young even if they had not smoked, but it is also possible that their smoking shortened their lives significantly. In any case, their deaths have served as a warning to me about the dangers of smoking and I have never taken up the habit myself.
Let’s think about this. Diabetes keeps your cells from getting the fuel (glucose) they need to run at a high level. As we said above your body’s systems aren’t running at peak efficiencies. Now smoking lowers the amount of oxygen in your blood. So not only are the cells not getting enough fuel, smoking lowers the amount of oxygen available to the cells.
What part of this is hard to understand? Yes, smoking is an addiction, but there are programs available that can help you quit. But you have to want to quit. Quitting can only help make you feel better. Here’s another point to consider, think of all the money you’ll save by quitting. What’s a pack of cigarettes cost these days? Just do it, quit smoking
In summary
If you have diabetes type 1 you’re most likely on medication to help manage your blood sugar (glucose). The above points will help you to be more healthy. If you are prediabetic or type 2 diabetes you need to pay attention to this article and start to reverse your diabetic condition. Your diabetic condition won’t go away, but you can bring your body back to positive homeostasis. Once there it should be easier to manage your condition. Your body will be healthier for it and thank you. To learn more about steps to take in living with your diabetes go over this link for more information on steps to help you manage your diabetes. These diabetes lifestyle tips are key to your health.
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Read more: TheKatyNews, Healthline
