Diabetes: lifestyle disease epidemic

Diet and exercise  plays an important role in the treatment of diabetes. The diet plan of an individual is based on height, weight, age, sex, physical activity lifestyle and nature of the disease conditions & associated diseases . diabetes can be managed with diet and exercise  therapy . Need to be disciplined and to set a routine , fix your meal time , sleeping time , exercise time .  It is very important to never skip any meal. It is easier to keep blood sugars stable if you eat your meals at the same time everyday. Don't overeat at any time of the day.

Drink ample of water. Water is important for everybody every day , but especially for diabetics because dehydration can cause more serious problem . Introduce herbal tea at the place of traditional tea coffee . take low fat diet so you will not attract another lifestyle diseases in the form of heart diseases related to increased cholesterol.

Eat at least 3 -4  servings of fresh vegetables and fruits  daily. Vegetables that can be consumed in larger quantities by diabetics are spring onion , onion , cabbage, mint, spinach, bitter gourd, lady's finger, cauliflower, cucumber, carrots, radish, and pumpkin. Naturally occurring fruit sugar (fructose) is more slowly absorbed than sucrose, and raises the blood glucose to a lesser extent. Very sweet fruits (mango, banana, chikoo, grapes,  etc) can be taken in small portions, along with a meal to reduce the spike in blood glucose.
Avoid eating or drinking anything containing a lot of sugar  and fried or fatty foods. You can take dairy products like milk and yogurt but avoid fatty products like butter, cheese, ghee etc. It is better to use low fat milk or skimmed milk .Avoid eating large quantities of lots of rice, potatoes, bananas as these can raise your blood sugar level.

Exercise can help you improve your blood sugar control, as well as boost your overall fitness and reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.But diabetes and exercise create unique challenges, too. Keep in mind to check your blood sugar before, during and after exercise. It will help to monitor how body responds to exercise — and help you prevent dangerous blood sugar fluctuations.
100 to 250 mg/dL (5.6 to 13.9 mmol/L)  is a safe pre-exercise blood sugar range. You can do workout and if it is for longer time check your blood sugar every 30 mint.This may be difficult if you're participating in outdoor activities or sports. However, this precaution is necessary until you know how your blood sugar responds to changes in your exercise habits.

Stop exercising if: Your blood sugar is 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L) or lower ,you feel shaky, weak or confused. Eat or drink something to raise your blood sugar level, such as:

·        glucose tablets ( 3-4 )
·         1/2 cup  of fruit juice
·         1/2 cup of regular (not diet) soda
·          candy (2-3)