Diabetes Treatment
The foundation of any diabetes treatment is diet and exercise. The reason for this because type 2 diabetes is caused by diet and culture. Whenever I'm working with a physician they almost always agree with me that diet and exercise is the best medicine. Therefore the foundation of any diabetes treatment comes down to proper nutrition and exercise.
Diabetes Care
Our bodies simply aren't equipped to be able to handle large amounts of food with low activity. And there is no wonder obesity is a major risk factor to developing Type 2 diabetes. Researchers studied the Pima Indians for over 30 years only to conclude that, while 50% of adults have diabetes, 95% of them are overweight.
Obesity and lifestyle are two of the biggest reasons why diabetes has been on the rise over the past few decades. If we could just get these two things handled we'd be well ahead of the game. To help accomplish this here are 3 things that are very important.
Education and motivation
There is hope. You don't know what you don't know. So to begin this journey you have to get educated. It takes learning about what the disease is about and taking baby steps towards new habits. Not to mention a desire to make things happen. It takes discipline at times and doing things differently if you want a different outcome in life. Type 2 diabetes is really just a result. It's a result of eating the wrong things and in most cases not being active enough.
Diet modification
The difference between diabetes and other diseases is that we have to eat to survive which is why we have a great amount of control here. The first thing you have to understand is carbohydrates are usually the culprit in most cases. Carbs have the biggest impact on blood sugar problems. Especially after you eat a meal. So it is vital that you understand and take the right actions here.
While the ADA requires an intake of around 130 grams of carbohydrates per day, I don't think there is a one size fits all solution. I do agree that fiber is key and must be added to and increased in your diet. When I say fiber I mean foods like vegetables, nuts and grains. Also, all of these fad diets that are popping up left and right that are low-carb aren't recommended. Especially if you're overweight. Type 2 diabetics need the same amount of carbs as non-diabetics, just it's important to get the right kind of carbs.
Another important one is saturated fat. You should limit your saturated fat intake to less than 7% of your caloric intake. And cholesterol should be limited to less than 200 mg/day. One whole egg has about 200 mg of cholesterol.
Fish is also recommended because they are a good source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce the risk to heart disease.
Exercise
The exercising muscle can increase the amount of sugar that gets into the muscle by up to 20 times the resting muscle. Exercise also results in increases in HDL the good cholesterol and decreases LDL the bad cholesterol.
When you exercise your muscle cell walls become more flexible and allow glucose to get inside right from the bloodstream. This in turn lowers your blood sugar. This is one of the biggest reasons why it is so important to exercise. If you did nothing else but exercise alone you could control your sugar. I know two people who were highly motivated patients who did this who didn't want to go on medication. One became a marathon runner. Talk about motivated.
In general, a good exercise routine should be at least 3 times per week and at least 30-60 minutes. Here are a few more guidelines:
5-10 minute warmup
20-40 minutes of aerobic exercise such as walking at an appropriate pace
5-10 minute cool down period
To wrap this up, diet and exercise have been shown to have a lasting effect on blood sugar and controlling diabetes. It is by far at the top of the list when it comes to diabetes treatment. Int modern culture it has become commonplace to just pop a pill and get that quick-fix. However, I think it is more sustainable and effective to get to heart of the matter and address the underlying problem not just with diabetes but all areas of your life.
Diabetes Treatment
Diabetes Care
Our bodies simply aren't equipped to be able to handle large amounts of food with low activity. And there is no wonder obesity is a major risk factor to developing Type 2 diabetes. Researchers studied the Pima Indians for over 30 years only to conclude that, while 50% of adults have diabetes, 95% of them are overweight.
Obesity and lifestyle are two of the biggest reasons why diabetes has been on the rise over the past few decades. If we could just get these two things handled we'd be well ahead of the game. To help accomplish this here are 3 things that are very important.
Education and motivation
There is hope. You don't know what you don't know. So to begin this journey you have to get educated. It takes learning about what the disease is about and taking baby steps towards new habits. Not to mention a desire to make things happen. It takes discipline at times and doing things differently if you want a different outcome in life. Type 2 diabetes is really just a result. It's a result of eating the wrong things and in most cases not being active enough.
Diet modification
The difference between diabetes and other diseases is that we have to eat to survive which is why we have a great amount of control here. The first thing you have to understand is carbohydrates are usually the culprit in most cases. Carbs have the biggest impact on blood sugar problems. Especially after you eat a meal. So it is vital that you understand and take the right actions here.
While the ADA requires an intake of around 130 grams of carbohydrates per day, I don't think there is a one size fits all solution. I do agree that fiber is key and must be added to and increased in your diet. When I say fiber I mean foods like vegetables, nuts and grains. Also, all of these fad diets that are popping up left and right that are low-carb aren't recommended. Especially if you're overweight. Type 2 diabetics need the same amount of carbs as non-diabetics, just it's important to get the right kind of carbs.
Another important one is saturated fat. You should limit your saturated fat intake to less than 7% of your caloric intake. And cholesterol should be limited to less than 200 mg/day. One whole egg has about 200 mg of cholesterol.
Fish is also recommended because they are a good source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce the risk to heart disease.
Exercise
The exercising muscle can increase the amount of sugar that gets into the muscle by up to 20 times the resting muscle. Exercise also results in increases in HDL the good cholesterol and decreases LDL the bad cholesterol.
When you exercise your muscle cell walls become more flexible and allow glucose to get inside right from the bloodstream. This in turn lowers your blood sugar. This is one of the biggest reasons why it is so important to exercise. If you did nothing else but exercise alone you could control your sugar. I know two people who were highly motivated patients who did this who didn't want to go on medication. One became a marathon runner. Talk about motivated.
In general, a good exercise routine should be at least 3 times per week and at least 30-60 minutes. Here are a few more guidelines:
5-10 minute warmup
20-40 minutes of aerobic exercise such as walking at an appropriate pace
5-10 minute cool down period
To wrap this up, diet and exercise have been shown to have a lasting effect on blood sugar and controlling diabetes. It is by far at the top of the list when it comes to diabetes treatment. Int modern culture it has become commonplace to just pop a pill and get that quick-fix. However, I think it is more sustainable and effective to get to heart of the matter and address the underlying problem not just with diabetes but all areas of your life.
Diabetes Treatment