India ranks second for the highest number of individuals with diabetes worldwide; we certainly cannot only blame our genes and heredity for it! You don't get diabetes overnight, but it largely depends on how your lifestyle has been. Good news is that insulin resistance and early diabetes can be reversed.
Here are 6 Highly Effective Ways To Prevent Early Diabetes:
1. Carbs and Blood Glucose Spike connection:
Carbohydrate is a macronutrient which spikes blood glucose levels, either too fast or slow, depending upon the source. Foods like jowar, bajra, nachni, oats, rice, wheat, sugar, maida, fruit and even pulses are carbohydrate rich sources. Each of them gets converted to glucose in the body but the only difference is that Sugar, Maida, Honey, Jaggery and Fruits spike glucose faster than Cereals and Pulses. The point is that whichever source of Carb you eat, it should be in limit. Excess will certainly affect Insulin levels especially when one is sedentary.
What to do: Cut down fast absorbing carbs like sugar, honey, jaggery and too many fruits in a day (once is okay) and have cereals and pulses in limit.
2. Stress and Blood Glucose Connection:
Stress is one of the major triggers for Insulin Resistance and Diabetes in this modern era. It can be physical, mental, emotional, environmental stress that spikes the Cortisol levels (Stress Hormone) which signals the cells to release blood glucose to handle the emergency (stress). This constant release of glucose in the blood overloads pancreas to release more and more Insulin causing Insulin Resistance and eventually Diabetes.
What to do: Do breathing exercises daily, walk bare foot on grass, 2 hours before sleeping avoid the use of electronic device, have salt water bath
3. Lack of Sleep and Rise in Insulin Connection:
Studies have shown that sleeping less than 5hours in a day for one night increases insulin resistance by 30% in healthy individuals. Lack of sleep also increases appetite and gain weight.
What to do: Sleep at least 7-8hours daily but make sure it's on time. Max by 11pm you should be on bed.
4. Fats are your best foods:
Including healthy fats in the diet coming from Organic A2 Ghee, Coconut, Avocado, Olives, Nuts and Seeds stabilises blood Glucose. You will certainly see a magical improvement in your Blood Sugar and Insulin Levels when you'll start including these foods in all your meals in small quantities.
Note: Healthy fats doesn't increase cholesterol. It's high intake of Sugars and excess Carbs, refined oils and packet, ready to eat foods that causes Bad Cholesterol to increase.
5. Learn the Art of Combining Foods:
The order in which you eat your food does have a great impact on your Blood Glucose Levels.
a. Start with Non- starchy vegetables coming from vegetables- Greens, red, orange, yellow colour veggies.
b. Then eat your Proteins and Healthy Fats like Pulses, chicken, meat, eggs, sprouts, nuts, coconut, ghee, oilseeds, avocado.
c. Finally eat your Starches and Cereals coming from whole cereals like Jowar, Bajra, Nachni, Oats, Rice and Wheat.
Remember the quality and quantity of the carbohydrates also matters here.
6. Be Physically Active:
Being physically active, helps in controlling your blood sugar levels. When your muscles are being worked up it will demand more glucose to fuel the exercise, thus more glucose from the bloodstream enters the cell to give you energy.
Author's Bio: Shikha Gupta is a certified nutritionist and intensive hormonal health care expert
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