Seven Tips For Preventing, Controlling And Reversing Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is sometimes referred to as non-insulin dependent diabetes because insulin production is not impaired in this type of diabetes as it is in type 1 diabetes.   It is largely a lifestyle dependent disease.  It usually begins with insulin resistance, a condition in which your cells do not respond to insulin normally.  This condition is usually associated with being overweight.  Insulin resistance can lead to prediabetes, defined as having impaired glucose tolerance, with fasting blood glucose levels in the 100-125 mg/dl range. 

According to the CDC, at least 57 million American adults had prediabetes in 2007, but “progression to diabetes among those with prediabetes is not inevitable.  Studies suggest that weight loss and increased physical activity among people with prediabetes prevent or delay diabetes and may return blood glucose levels to normal.” 

Lifestyle changes that result in weight loss are the most important changes you can make.  Many type 2 diabetics can be virtually cured by losing to their ideal weight.  Here are 7 of the most important lifestyle changes you can make to avoid the devastating complications of this crippling disease.

1. Lose weight if you are overweight.  In most cases, achieving ideal body weight corrects abnormal blood sugars.  Follow my “Tips for Permanent Weight loss” series at AskDrLeah.wordpress.com for help.
2. Stop eating the SOD (Standard American Diet), rich in junk food, fast food, refined food, sugar and salt.  Instead, eat a health-promoting diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods including lots of whole fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
3. Eat lots of low glycemic foods, which includes whole foods, especially legumes (beans and peas), oats, nuts and seeds, and vegetables.  Low glycemic foods are foods that don’t raise your blood sugar levels as much after a meal as high glycemic foods such as refined sugar, white flour and other refined foods.  Adding protein, fiber and healthy fats to a meal lowers the glycemic effect of the whole meal.  By avoiding spikes in blood sugars, which are followed by spikes in insulin levels, you can avoid “crashes” or low blood sugars later in the day, which can cause carbohydrate cravings.
4. Make sure you are getting plenty of vitamins and minerals, which may require a high quality supplement if you are not eating a high quality diet.  A high quality diet is full of foods with a high nutrient density, that is, foods with a lot of essential nutrients for each calorie.  Due to new methods of farming, our food supply is lower in a number of nutrients than it was 50 years ago.  One of the most important minerals for prevention of diabetics is chromium.  Chromium plays an essential roll in insulin action.  Make sure you are getting 200 to 400 micrograms of chromium daily.  Vanadium is another mineral that may impact insulin sensitivity.  B vitamins are also essential for glucose metabolism.
5. Get most of your daily fats from olive oil (monounsaturated fatty acids) and fish oils (omega-3 fatty acids) to maintain cardiovascular healthy, reducing your risk of heart and kidney damage, which are major complications of diabetes.  Other good sources of healthy oils include avocados, nuts (esp. almonds and walnuts) and seeds (esp. flax seed). 
6. Exercise at least 30 minutes most days of the week.  Exercise not only burns excess calories, lowering blood sugar levels, it also helps improve insulin resistance.  It has the added benefit of helping to relieve insomnia, anxiety and depression.
7. Find productive ways to deal with stress. Stress affects hormone levels that can have a harmful effect on the way your metabolism works.

Summary: Type 2 diabetes can be prevented, controlled and possibly even reversed with healthy lifestyle changes that include diet, exercise and stress management.  Healthy dietary changes include eating a lot of low glycemic, nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, while limiting the total number of carbohydrates and including protein with each meal.  Choosing healthy fats and limiting calories to achieve a normal weight are also important.  Diabetes can cause so much suffering and debility if blood sugars are not controlled.  You can stop this illness in it's tracks.