Diabetes is one of the most common endocrinological diseases in both developed and underdeveloped countries. The body stores excess glucose in the form of glycogen in the liver and muscle cells. The glucose level in the body is influenced by our food intake and insulin. The carbohydrates we eat are digested and broken down into smaller molecules called glucose. The body utilizes this glucose for vital metabolic processes in the body; the excess glucose is stored in the form of glycogen.Diabetes is characterized by excessive glucose in the blood (Hyperglycemia). The body converts all the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats ingested into glucose, peptide, and fatty acid. The excess nutrients can be utilized during physical activities and exercises. However, most people live a sedentary lifestyle and do not burn the excess calorie ingested from our diet.
The body has its physiological mechanism of regulating the sugar level in the body; the hormone called insulin assists in lowering glucose level in the body, thereby, preventing hyperglycemia and diabetes. Alteration in the structure and function of insulin is the primary etiology of diabetes. There are 2 types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes mellitus is caused by reduced or absence of insulin production in the body, contrary to it another counterpart, in type 2 diabetes mellitus, the body’s receptors fail to respond to insulin leading to hyperglycemia and diabetes. Diabetes is responsible for most mid-life and old age crises in most people. It is responsible for ruining people’s life and health due to its complications.
Ways to prevent Diabetes from ruining your Health
There are different ways diabetes ruins people’s life, especially if left untreated or poorly managed for a prolonged period. Diabetes is a progressive disease that doesn’t develop overnight, eliminating and preventing it also requires consistent healthy diet and training regimen. The mechanism of action that leads to diabetes is hyperglycemia ( excess glucose in the body), this could result from excessive glucose production, a or reduced calories burnt daily. Eating more calories than you burn, or living a sedentary lifestyle coupled with a bad diet is the fastest way to diabetes. Can these diseases be prevented from escalating or ruining your life? The answer is yes, below are some few tips that could help you:
- Portion Size: There is a general saying, that the size of your plate is directly proportional to the length of your waist (fat level). One of the primary ways to combat obesity and hyperglycemia is to reduce carbohydrates intake; this can be achieved by reducing your portion It seems natural, but it is the most challenging thing by most fitness enthusiasts and models. All you have to do is change your plate to smaller ones; this would encourage you to eat less and sometimes more frequently.
- There are some few tips that help in making portion control more comfortable and efficient. You can practice drinking water 10 minutes before eating that bowl of pasta or cereals. This helps you to feel full and reduced your appetite and quantity of food you would eat. Increase the protein quantity on your plate, to make your dish look fuller and make you eat fewer carbohydrates. Adding salads to your menu helps to fill up your plate up and drastically reduces your total calorie intake. Eat slowly, because it takes about 20 minutes for the satiety centers of your brain to be activated. It is advisable to eat while listening to music and avoid binging with your favorite TV program; most people eat more when they are watching TV. A healthy meal often consists of 1/4 protein, 1/4 grains, 1/2 vegetables and fruit, dairy (low-fat or skim milk).
- Move More: The magic word to prevent diabetes from ruining your life is to keep moving. Increased physical activity and participating in different sporting activities can help in burning more calories and preventing diabetes. Most people are not gym freak or are too busy to create time for a grueling workout session. However, you can do other training activities like walking, swimming, dancing, and yoga. You can perform the different exercise while doing what you love; most people give the excuses of having a lot of kids to cater for as the etiology of been overweight, however, you can turn up the jam and teach your kids your childhood dance steps and vice versa.
House chores are typical duties of most mothers, what if, you can dance while doing your house chores? Getting a dual benefit from a single action. No one would say no to that, I guess.
- Change in Lifestyle: making some little tweaks in your lifestyle and daily decisions, this can avoid diabetes ruined life. You can decide to take the stairs instead of the lift or drop a bus stop away from your house so that you can walk home. You can choose to hang out or catch up with your favorite friends instead of talking to them on phone; there is nothing as exciting as having fun with your friend’s in-person.
- Healthy Food Choice: Your diet plays a vital role in the development and progression of diabetes, eating healthy food rich in fruits and vegetables can help to shed off the excess weight and prevent diabetes from ruining your health. Avoid fatty foods, and you can change your pizza Spinach and broccoli are healthy pizza toppings to help you avoid excess weight. Try to be adventurous with foreign foods; most foreign foods are rich in veggies. Avoid snacking while cooking in the kitchen; those are the source of most calories that are unaccounted for in our diet. Make healthy orders when you are testing out with your friends and loved ones, you can request for salads instead of ice cream, you can even share your main dish with a friend.
Diabetes is a prevalent disease and can ruin lives if left untreated for a prolonged period. The tips above can help in prevention and management of this medical condition, Control your blood sugar level today; You are in charge of how you look.
References
10 tips to help prevent type 2 diabetes. Betterhealth.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 7 February 2018, from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ten-tips/10-tips-to-help-prevent-type-2-diabetes
Asif, M. (2014). The prevention and control the type-2 diabetes by changing lifestyle and dietary pattern. Journal Of Education And Health Promotion, 3(1), 1. http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/2277-9531.127541
Choose More than 50 Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes | NIDDK. (2014). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved 7 February 2018, from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-type-2-diabetes/50-ways
