Type II diabetes is a common condition that has no cure. It is a condition described as a state of high blood glucose levels because of insulin resistance. When you eat something, it is broken down into glucose that flows in streams of your blood. Your pancreas activates beta cells, which are responsible for producing insulin hormones, to turn them into fat cells to be used for energy later on.
When your body fails to produce any amount of insulin hormone or does not make enough of it, blood glucose cannot be sent to cells, and it keeps travelling in your bloodstream, causing life-threatening diseases like kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, and eye conditions.
If you are prone to diabetes or are already suffering from diabetes, you will have to look after your lifestyle. Both diet and mindfulness play a paramount role in living longer and healthier with diabetes.
What is a balanced diet?
First off, there is no specific diet that can prevent you from falling prey to diabetes or reverse diabetes if you have already. Still, there are specific ways to keep it at bay or improve your symptoms by choosing the right type of food.
The food you eat depends on your age, gender and how active you are. You will have to eat a combination of foods as no single food consists of all nutrients.
1. Fruits and vegetables
All vegetables are low in calories and packed with a lot of vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function efficiently. Fruits could be part of your diet but try to keep an eye on the impact on your blood glucose levels after eating them. As the metabolism of natural sugar found in fruits is the same as table sugar, you should watch for your choice.
Sweet fruits like bananas, apples, and grapes may not be healthier choices for your body, even if you are prediabetic. However, citrus fruits may be a healthier choice for you. Make sure you do not prefer fruit juice as they are simply empty calories and devoid of all nutrients. Smoothies are also not a good option as they also lack fibre and some nutrients.
Check the glycemic index of fruits or vegetables you want to eat. It is usually recommended to avoid those with high glycemic index. You can savour them, but once in a blue moon.
2. Starchy foods
Starchy foods scare you off when you are diabetic or pre-diabetic. Starchy foods are not rich in vitamins and minerals, yet they should make up a one-third portion of your diet as they provide fuel to your body. Well, you have a genuine reason to be scared of these foods as starch quickly spikes blood glucose levels, and it becomes harder to control your diabetes symptoms.
The best way to deal with this situation is to prefer whole-grain foods instead of white processed foods. They will have a slower effect on your blood glucose levels. You can include potatoes and rice in your diet. They are a healthier choice when potatoes are one of the ingredients of a recipe. Avoid eating a full platter of rice. Instead, I prefer a handful of rice and eating it with wheat chapatti.
3. Protein foods
Proteins are essential to keep your muscles healthy. They are normally found in beans, eggs, fish, nuts and meat. As you can include meat in your diet, it does not mean that you will eat red and processed meat. They are outrageously high in fat content and linked to certain types of cancers and heart attacks.
Oily fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, so you should incorporate it in your meals. Salmon, tuna and mackerel are the best choices for omega fatty acids that you cannot find in plant-based foods. Oily fish is also known to protect your heart.
All forms of chicken are healthy – roasted, grilled and stir-fried. If you do not take kindly to non-vegetarian food, you can cover the supply by consuming nuts, seeds, beans and pulses. If you eat eggs, you can cook it how you love. Whether it is a scrambled egg or poached, it does not matter.
4. Dairy products
Dairy products are essential for calcium. You will need this mineral to keep your bones, teeth and muscles healthy. They are high in saturated fats, and therefore, you will have to be a bit cautious of their intake. Since you are diabetic, it does not mean that you should stop consuming them. Instead of whole dairy, you should prefer low-fat alternatives.
Check for added sugar, especially in yoghurt. It is advisable to go with unsweetened options. You can add berries for sweet flavours. Soya milk and almond milk are better alternatives to cow milk. Bear in mind that daily consumption of dairy products – milk, cheese, yoghurt – can increase the risk of diabetes or make it harder to manage it. Keep tracking their impact on your body to understand how much you should consume them.
5. Oils and spreads
Saturated fats can increase the risk of cardiovascular health problems by increasing LDL (bad cholesterol levels). So, you should avoid palm oil, coconut oil, butter, lard, ghee and so on. A lump of butter once in a while should not raise alarm bells. Healthy options include canola oil, olive oil and peanut butter.
What is mindfulness?
Diabetes raises a lot of concerns among people. You may be scared, anxious, overwhelmed, stressed and guilty. This might stop you from enjoying food, and unnecessary stress and concerns will make it even harder to manage your diabetes.
Mindfulness is the best practice that can help manage your diabetes. This technique helps you become aware of your thoughts, emotions and physical sensations. Studies have proved that mindfulness has significant effects on your blood glucose control.
Mindfulness can break down the constant cycle of negative thoughts, anxiety and depression. You will more likely feel positive about your state and enjoy your lifestyle. However, it does not imply that it aims to change your focus from negative to positive emotions. Still, it rather encourages you to accept the way you are feeling.
Mind-body practices help whittle down the levels of stress. When stress abates, your body makes a relaxation response. This helps improve insulin resistance. Yoga, meditation and other training programmes are the best examples of mind-body practices.
You can handle your life challenges by being calmer by following these stress-fighting exercises. For instance, you can stop taking on unnecessary stress and worries about payments of unsecured personal loans for bad credit from a direct lender.
Bear in mind that your active participation will decide the results. It does not matter which mind-body practice you follow; it will undoubtedly have some positive effects on your thinking patterns, and you will be able to manage your diabetes.
The final word
Of course, no medical condition is favourable, and not all of them have a cure, but you can manage your diabetes symptoms with a balanced diet and mindfulness. Eat everything but moderately. Diabetes is linked to other medical conditions, so food choices should be healthier.
Practise mindfulness so you can prevent symptoms from going worse. The right food choices paired with mindfulness can delay the risk of diabetes among those who are prediabetic.