How to Live Well with Type 2 Diabetes

Living with type 2 diabetes is tough when you rely on medication alone to keep your sugar levels under control. In fact, controlling blood sugar becomes a lot easier when you adopt a lifestyle that supports and not contradicts this health condition. So how do you keep your diabetes in check and stop it from affecting your day-to-day life? Here are a few tips from the experts.

Eat fiber-rich foods every day

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate found in plenty in plant foods. As fiber cannot be digested by the body, when you have a fiber-rich meal, your blood sugar levels don’t rise as fast as with a normal meal. Additionally, insoluble fiber is expelled by the body, which helps in cleaning the digestive system.

Aside from helping to control blood sugar levels, fiber also helps in lowering the absorption of cholesterol and regulates blood pressure, which makes it a superfood for people with diabetes. Some rich sources of fiber are lentils, beans, cucumber, peas, broccoli, blackberries, avocados, artichoke, pears, and oatmeal.

Lose belly fat

Belly fat is the bad guy responsible for a number of serious health problems, including high cholesterol, heart disease, and high blood sugar. Moreover, fat around the abdomen is known to increase insulin resistance, which is at the root of diabetes mellitus. In fact, research indicates that people who have belly fat are more prone to developing diabetes than those with fat in other lower body areas.

So if diabetes runs in your family, you can greatly the lower risk of becoming diabetic by adopting a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight. According to medical experts, losing even as little as 10 pounds can significantly lower blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes.

Don’t rely on medication alone

If you have diabetes, you may have given in to the notion that you must take injectable or oral medication all your life to stop your blood sugar from spiking to uncontrollable levels. The truth is, by making changes in your lifestyle, you can gradually reduce your dependence on medication and still live a full life.

Lifestyle changes, however, don’t end with making the right food choices and exercising daily. It’s an entire mindset that needs to be devoted to controlling diabetes than letting it control how you live. Whether its consumption of natural foods, such as bitter gourd, that are known to help manage diabetes or trying alternative therapies such as yoga, one needs to explore and adopt solutions that will help them fight diabetes in a natural and safe manner.

Managing diabetes with insulin alone can be expensive, particularly for non-insured patients. To get diabetes medication for less at pharmacies near you, get an online discount coupon, such as this Lantus coupon, and present it at the pharmacy to get your diabetes medicines for less.

Learn to manage stress

People with diabetes know how a stressful situation can send their blood sugar levels soaring. Managing diabetes holistically also includes identifying the external triggers that upset you emotionally or stress you out. This exercise itself will help you feel more in control of your health, and as you learn to deal with everyday ups and downs at home and work, you’ll find yourself getting better at managing your diabetes as well.

Meditation, yoga, massage, deep breathing, listening to music, long walks, and taking time off for oneself are some of the proven ways to de-stress and relax. The added benefit of managing stress is that you will sleep better, which will further help in diabetes management, as poor sleep has been known to be a contributing factor to type 2 diabetes.

Change your grocery shopping habits

They may not realize it but even people who have been living with diabetes for years can make the mistake of consuming sugar-rich foods regularly. The misconceptions surrounding the glycemic index of common foods further aggravate the problem. Managing diabetes by eating the right foods begins with buying the right foods. So the next time you go grocery shopping, remember that not all products that are labeled sugar-free are completely free of sugar. They may not have plain sugar, but they may be loaded with carbs that can quickly raise your blood sugar to unhealthy levels.

Similarly, when buying products made with whole grains, check the label to know what other ingredients have been added to the product. And, most importantly, avoid buying junk snacks and choose nuts and fresh produce instead.