It has been observed
that women who are diagnosed with Type 2
diabetes are
overweight. The exact cause of this type of diabetes is unclear, but
it does appear to be associated with weight gain. In fact, a sedentary
lifestyle, along with poor
dietary habits, popular in the culture today, is among the
explanations for the dramatic increase in the numbers of women suffering
with
Type 2 diabetes.
The connection between
diet and diabetes is that, if you eat a high-fat, high calorie diet,
which a lot of us do today, you put yourself at risk for weight gain,
and if you are more than 120% of your desirable body weight, in simple
terms, more than 20 pounds over what you should weigh, you become more
insulin resistant, you use your own insulin at less capacity than you
should, and you will have higher
blood
sugars, which will lead to diabetes. Diabetes is on
the rise, and women with diabetes have an elevated risk of
heart disease and stroke.
The good news is that
there are steps they can take to reduce their risk of diabetes
complications. From the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), here
are Top 10 do's to help women with diabetes live longer, healthier
lives.
Do review your
treatment plan with your doctor or health care provider at least
once a year. Make changes if your plan is not working well.
Do work with a
dietician. Create a meal plan that gives you healthy choices and
is just right for you. A dietician will guide you on how to exercise
portion control & make healthy food choices.
Do have a snack when you're hungry. Choose
something healthy (something that's low in
carbohydrates) that fits into your overall
meal
plan. All the starchy foods like rice and potatoes and breads and
cereals get broken down into sugar in the body. If you eat them in
excess, your
blood sugar is going to go up, so you need to use some
portion control. The real key, is portion control.
Do ask your health care provider for an A1C test.
A1C, short for hemoglobin A1C, is the
best test to know if your blood glucose (sugar) is under control. Aim
for a fasting blood sugar between 70 and 120. Before a meal, we want it
less than 122, and after a meal, about an hour after a meal, we want it
to be less than 180. These are actually the blood sugars that you should
be aiming for, and that is actually what we call good control.
Do control the ABCs of diabetes: A1C for
blood glucose, B for blood pressure and C for
cholesterol. That's the key to reducing your risk of heart disease
and stroke.
Take care of your
feet. Wear comfortable shoes that have a smooth lining, fit well and
protect your them. Do have your feet, eyes and kidneys checked at least
once a year. Regular check-ups help to find problems early, when they
can be treated and managed well. Also, do see your dentist twice a year.
Make sure he or she knows you have diabetes.
Do your housework and
get more than a clean house. Turn up the music, get some
exercise and burn away those calories. Exercise is a really
important tool, because it can help lower your blood sugars. Your
muscles use sugar, glucose, as the source of energy, so it can actually
lower your blood sugars. Begin after you have undergone a stress test
before starting on a fitness routine. Just walking like maybe half a
mile in the beginning, would be enough, then you can slowly build up
from that.
Do walk whenever you have the chance. Get off
the bus or subway a few stops early or park at the far end of the lot.
Walking is a great place to start. You don't need any fancy
equipment, you don't need to have a special outfit or anything, what you
really need is a good pair of walking shoes, and to go out and start.
Do avoid smoking.
Smoking doubles the damage to the body by contributing to poor blood
glucose control by interfering with the timing and effects of insulin.
It also raises your
blood
glucose
level, which contributes to poor diabetes control. If
not checked in time ,it can cause hardening of the arteries. This
particularly affects the body's larger arteries to the legs and brain,
making amputation and strokes more likely. Although it is true that most
people gain some weight when they quit
smoking, for the vast majority of smokers the gain amounts to less
than 10 pounds. The health benefits of quitting far outweigh the risks
of a few extra pounds . Beyond fear of
weight gain, the most common obstacle to quitting is the
addictiveness of nicotine. Ask your doctor or nurse about ways to help
you quit smoking.
Do talk with family and friends about managing
your diabetes. Be an
inspiration with your healthy lifestyle. The mainstay in treatment of Type 2 diabetes is actually diet and exercise. Regardless what type of medicines you're going to be on, diet and exercise are always going to be important. Your medicines are not going to work if you mess up at your diet.
For more information on diabetes care, call the National Diabetes Education Program at 1-800-438-5383 or visit the NDEP Web site at
http://ndep.nih.gov/.
Dated 17 November 2015
|
