Diabetes can be a life-threatening chronic disease if not taken care of well. It occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. A person with diabetes needs to adapt a healthy lifestyle to maintain glucose levels in the body. Replacing simple carb with complex ones, adding good fats in your diet and replacing artificial sweeteners with natural sweeteners are some of the mandatory precautions everyone should follow to get rid of diabetes. Diabetes patients should be extremely careful when it comes to eating food and choosing their lifestyle. Below, we have listed down some of the most essential health tips for diabetic people to follow. Check them out.
1. Include fibre in your meal: Fibre helps lower down LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. You must include at least 8 grams of fibre in all your meals of the day, especially when you eat carbohydrate-rich foods. This helps you maintain blood sugar levels in the body, keeps you fuller throughout the day and maintain healthy heart health. Some of the fibre rich foods include peas, beans, oats, barley, fruits such as pears, citrus, apple, berries and vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli and beets.
2. Eat appropriate amount of carbs: Carbs act as fuel to the body. However, it is essential to eat appropriate amount of carbohydrates since it affects the blood sugar levels in the body. There are mainly two types of carbs- simple and complex carbs. The difference between both can be understood with their digestion and absorption complexities along with their chemical structures. For an adult, a typical plan includes two to four carb servings at each meal, and one to two as snacks.
Nutrients suggest having complex carbs over simple carbs as they take longer to break down. Some these include whole grain foods and starchy vegetables.
3. Indulge in physical activities: Diabetes can be the reason for serious health diseases. Indulging in little physical exercise everyday can improve your heart health. A regular routine of exercise and physical activities increase insulin sensitivity in our bodies which is helpful in controlling all types of diabetes, especially the type 2. Even 20 minutes of walk or 15 minutes of press up/aerobic activity at home can help! Apart from that, regular workout makes you more active and energetic to do your daily activities.
4. Drink alcohol in moderation: Alcohol is high in calories and can increase the blood sugar levels and risk of obesity. If you have diabetes, you must consume alcohol in moderation, which is defined as maximum of 14 units per week. If you take insulin or any other diabetes medication, you should avoid consuming alcohol in empty stomach. This is because alcohol can inflict hypos
5. Include more fruits in your diet: Having fruits in between your meals help you intake essential vitamins, minerals and fibre your body needs every day to keep you healthy. However, fruits have a myth attached to it. It is believed that fruits have high sugar content which can increase your blood sugar levels. But it is not true. Consuming whole fruit is a healthy practice as it contains natural glucose and fibre which are essential nutrients for everyone.
Additional tip: You should avoid all types of artificial sugar substances or sweeteners. They have adverse effects on your body (you can read more about them in our previous blogs), instead, switch to healthier options like fruits and natural sweeteners. Stevia-based sweeteners are considered as one of the healthiest and safe sugar substitutes as they are extracted from the leaves of the stevia plant and are absolutely natural. .
Swee10, a stevia-based sweetener can help you curb your sweet tooth without adversely affecting your health. It is one of the best diabetic sweeteners in India and considered healthy for everyone.