Do and Don't – Type 2 Diabetes

Type-2 diabetes is not a disease but a lifestyle disorder. This means that poor dietary habits and lifestyle can lead to type-2 diabetes — and it also means that to help manage the condition, your lifestyle and food habits play an important role.

1. Be active. If you have type-2 diabetes and your blood sugar keeps fluctuating and doesn't seem to be in control, make an effort to be more active. Invest in at least an hour of exercise, and take small efforts throughout the day — like getting up to open the door when the bell rings — rather than leading a sedentary lifestyle.
2. Include high-fibre foods regularly in your diet, like spinach, sprouts, broccoli and other green leafy vegetables — they keep you full for longer and help keep your sugar levels stable.
3. Don't keep long gaps between meals. The longer the gap between meals, the more you end up eating at the next one because you're hungry — and the more you eat, the more your sugar levels fluctuate.
4. A diabetic can safely have 1–2 fruits a day, but having too many fruits or fruit juices together, or snacking on a huge fruit platter, is what disturbs sugar levels. Opt for fruits with less sugar content, like apple, papaya, oranges, berries, guava, cherries, plums and peaches.
5. Drink a good amount of water throughout the day, and use low-fat dairy versions of milk, yogurt and cheese, which are rich in calcium, protein and minerals.
6. Chronic stress and poor sleep are obviously among the don'ts of diabetes. Most of our hormonal balance occurs while we sleep, and most hormonal imbalance occurs when we're chronically stressed — and insulin is nothing but a hormone. So managing both stress and good sleep is important for healing.

Only a few changes in your dietary habits can help you stay healthy and fight diabetes. All you need is a smart nutrition plan and a little discipline to stick with it. Try incorporating these dos and don'ts into your daily life and experience the change yourself.

For diabetes management and consultation, please book an appointment with our nutritionist now.