Diabetes continues to affect so many people, who continue to struggle to contain and manage it. Meenu Agarwal, a clinical dietician and nutritionist based in Singapore shares tips on how to prevent diabetes.
There are two stages where if detected, diabetes can be brought to control more easily:
- Pre-Diabetes and
- Gestational Diabetes
Pre-diabetes: It means that the cells in your body are becoming resistant to insulin or your pancreas is not producing as much insulin as required. Your blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be called diabetes. It is a warning of a future development of diabetes but is also your chance of preventing development of Type 2 diabetes through proper diet and exercise.
Gestational diabetes: A form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy, has the same symptoms as for other forms of diabetes. Sometimes the symptoms may not be noticeable, which is why women are tested for gestational diabetes between weeks 24 and 28 of their pregnancy. Gestational diabetes develops in about 3 to 5% of all pregnancies. It usually appears during the second trimester and disappears after the birth of the baby. If not controlled, complications can affect both the mother and the baby. Gestational diabetes also increases the risk of developing it again during future pregnancies and that of of Type 2 diabetes later in life.
Related Reading: How to Control Diabetes During Pregnancy
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Preventive measures against diabetes:
- Reduce the intake of refined carbs like refined flour, white sugar, etc. and include more complex carbs like whole grains in your diet that take longer to digest, releasing slow but continuous energy for a long duration.
- Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits & beans.
- Reduce your sugar intake from drinks like coffee, tea, milk etc.etc.
- Nuts are a must for a pre diabetec as it helps in reducing it.
- Get enough physical exercise in a day, either in the form of walking or running for a short while or playing a sport or a recreational activity involving physical movement. Just don’t sit stagnant for hours!
- Get quality rest. Sleep for a good 6-8 hours and make sure it is deep sleep.
- Keep stress out of your life. When in stress, the body releases a stress hormone called ‘cortisol’, which is antagonistic to insulin activity. The stress hormones make your blood sugar go up.
- Have meals on time. Sure, work and business makes us put timely meals on a backseat, but at least starting the day with a hearty breakfast and ending it with a light, early dinner ensures that most of the damage has been controlled.
However, once diagnosed with diabetes, professional scrutiny and medication should be sought immediately to keep a check on further development.
