Cut
the fat, up the fiber
The
ideal diabetes prevention diet should consist of 15% fat, 15% protein and 70% carbohydrates with the majority of those carbs coming from
fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
High fiber is the key because it makes you fell full more quickly and
helps you absorb calories more slowly.
Don’t
rely on supplements
New
research finds that whole foods (mainly fruits and vegetables) contain enzymes
that help activate the nutrients your body needs for weight and blood sugar
control.
Get
6 to 8 hours of sleep nightly
People
who slept less than five or six hours a night were 28% more likely to develop
diabetes than those who slept six to eight hours. Even though we’ve been told you can’t catch
up on sleep on the weekend, sleeping for 10 hours a night on the weekend will
greatly improve insulin sensitivity.
Calm
yourself
When
you’re stressed, your levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, go way up and
inflammatory chemicals called cytokines increase. Both of these cause insulin resistance which
can lead to diabetes. The ways in which
people combat stress – by consuming high-fat and high-sugar foods – only
compound the problem. Stress reduction
programs can help; they improve blood sugar control, too.
Stop
being a weekend warrior
To
keep diabetes at bay, you should be exercising 150 minutes a week. Just don’t do it all at once! Exercise helps the body become more sensitive
to insulin but the effects of this insulin sensitivity last just 36 hours. Ideally, you should be exercising every day
or every other day – not once on the weekend for several hours.
Exercise
in a cold gym
When
the temperature is at most 62 to 65 degrees, you have an even greater chance of
generating and activating so-called brown fat, which keeps your organs warm and
promotes lean muscle tissue and calorie burning. Preliminary research shows that brown fat may
also reduce insulin resistance and improve glucose control.
Ask
about new meds
The
latest class of diabetes medications blocks the kidneys from reabsorbing
glucose. So diabetes patients who take
these drugs end up getting rid of excess glucose through their urine. It is the glucose that does the most harm. So making this step a priority really aids in the fight.
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