Being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can lead to anxiety, fear, and a lot of confusion about what types of foods you should eat. It also usually comes with the harsh reality that you may face taking medication for the rest of your life. The good news, however, is that there are steps you can take in your diet and lifestyle that can help improve your overall health and potentially even reverse your type 2 diabetes.
Let we look in the top four tips for healthy living with diabetes…
1. Eliminate Processed Sugar. A big part of managing your blood sugar is watching your diet. A great way to improve your health is to swap out processed sugar for natural sweeteners like stevia or high-fiber fruits like raspberries. The less sugar you eat, the better you can balance your blood sugar levels.
2. Fight stress. During times of difficulty, your blood sugar levels spike, so here’s one more reason to make sure you’re managing your overall stress levels. Knowing how to best manage stress is essential when you feel completely overwhelmed, as this type of pressure can interfere with your overall health. Try to implement a handful of stress management techniques into your day, whether it’s…
- a yoga class,
- deep breath, or just
- take a few minutes to meditate before starting the day.
Taking time for a little stress reduction can make a big difference in how you feel and how well you balance your blood sugar levels.
3. Check with your doctor. After you’re diagnosed with unstable high blood sugar, you can easily become overwhelmed and forget to follow up with your routine doctor’s appointment. Following up with your doctor can help you with your diabetes management plan. Your doctor may perform blood tests to check your cholesterol and triglyceride levels and monitor your blood sugar level.
4. Exercise. Exercise is vital to your overall health and can help you better manage your type 2 diabetes. Being physically active can help lower your blood sugar and also help you maintain a healthy weight. Do whatever form of exercise you like, so you know you’ll keep it up!
While being diagnosed with diabetes in any form can be confusing, it doesn’t mean you can’t lead a healthy lifestyle. Making healthy changes can help you better control your diabetes by managing your blood sugar levels and may even help you reverse your type 2 diabetes over time.
