What to Do if You Are Pre-diabetic
If you receive a diagnosis of being Pre-diabetic, you need to take action immediately. Your doctor has picked up on the fact that your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be Diabetic. That means that you have a chance to actually stop Type 2 Diabetes before it takes hold of your life.
As far as alcohol goes you want to limit it as much as possible. This is especially true if you are overweight or have high blood pressure. Alcohol does not agree with many Diabetics. It can cause low blood sugar or hypoglycemia which can be a very unpleasant and dangerous state. If you do choose to have alcohol do not have much and do not drink often.
By managing blood glucose you can stop Type 2 Diabetes. Changing your eating habits and starting a workout regiment can help you get a grip on blood glucose levels. There is also medication that can help slow down the onset of Type 2 Diabetes giving you more time to reduce your weight and alter your diet.
30 minutes of exercise can cut your body weight by 5-10 percent and cut down the risk of Diabetes by 58%. The scariest part about Pre-diabetes is the about 54 million Americans have the condition and most do not even know it. That means that there are a lot of people are on the verge of getting Diabetes and could stop its onset. If you are diagnosed with Pre-diabetes you have about a 75% chance of developing Diabetes. There are no symptoms of Diabetes before it strikes and once you have it your body has already experienced major vascular damage.
Pre-diabetics should start living like they already have the disease. That means counting carbohydrates and getting rid of refined sugar all together. Monitoring blood glucose levels is also a good idea. When you are choosing foods make sure they are low on the Glycemic Index. Be careful with fruits and stay away from the canned variety, eat fewer bananas and mangos and eat more plums, grapefruits and cherries. Research different foods and ask your doctor about seeing a nutritionist.
If you are craving sweets you must look for artificial sweeteners that are safe for Diabetics. Splenda, Sweet and Low and Equal are all sweeteners that can be used to enhance the flavor of coffee, tea and grapefruits. You should also cook with these artificial sweeteners and be on the look out for sugar free recipes.
As far as the exercise goes, you simply must be active. If you have never worked out before it is time to change your sedentary lifestyle. Moderate walks will help you take off some weight and get your heart rate up. Visiting a gym and spending 30 minutes on the Elliptical machine or treadmill five days a week can go a long way. Do not skip the exercise and think that just changing your diet is enough. You need to have both parts of the equation working for you if you are Pre-diabetic.
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