Adjusting your lifestyle is often a first step in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. And that is not always easy. These 8 tips will help you live a healthy life with type 2 diabetes.
Choose a healthy eating pattern that suits you
There is no one-size-fits-all diet for people with type 2 diabetes. Take into account factors such as age, habits, medication regimens or how active you are. You don't necessarily have to eat much less. By eating differently, you often achieve very good results. However, some do benefit from reduced carbohydrate intake. Discuss this with your dietician.
Don't follow a crash diet
Strict diets in which you avoid entire food groups or where you count calories are often extreme and difficult to maintain in the long term. In addition, they strongly affect your blood sugar level and can, for example, cause hypoglycemia.
Eat healthy and varied
No strict diet, but a healthy, varied and unprocessed diet is preferred. The nutritional triangle guidelines form the starting point for advice for type 2 diabetes.
Plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, kernels and vegetable oils form the basis of your diet. You can supplement them to a lesser extent with animal products such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy.
Change your diet in small steps
You don't have to suddenly change your entire diet. Focus on small adjustments that are feasible and that you can maintain every day. This appears to be the most effective in the long term. Ask yourself what you can easily change.
• use sweetener instead of sugar
• eat an extra portion of vegetables with your lunch
• take flavored water instead of soda
Set concrete and realistic goals
It helps to set very concrete and realistic goals for yourself.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator at work.
• Eat one piece of fruit every day for breakfast.
Limit favorite 'sins', but don't ban them completely
Foods from the 'rest group' mainly contain a lot of fast sugars, unhealthy fats and salt. They actually contribute nothing to our health. Enjoy them only to a limited extent, but don't ban them completely. This way you can maintain a healthier diet for longer. Ask yourself which foods you want to continue eating and why they are important to you to treat your type 2 diabetic.
Exercise enough
Regular exercise has always a positive effect on type 2 diabetes because it ensures that cells respond better to insulin. You also lower cholesterol and blood pressure and prevent obesity. Don't just choose activities based on weight loss or better glycemia levels, but choose activities that you really enjoy.
Keep eating fruit
Fruit is an important source of fiber, vitamins and minerals and is therefore recommended daily. Due to the fiber content, glycemia does not rise as quickly as sugar from a sweet.
All types of fruit are allowed, even for people with diabetes. Some varieties such as bananas, grapes and mango contain more carbohydrates than others. So adjust your portion for these fruits. You should be careful with fruit juices, smoothies and dried fruit because they are often a source of concentrated sugars.
Misty Jhones