Diabetes is a medical condition in which the amount of sugar or glucose in your blood is too high, and due to an inability to produce enough insulin, your body relies on alternative sources of energy, making you susceptible to other medical conditions. Though you can control Type 2 Diabetes symptoms with a strict diet and by altering your lifestyle, without proper treatment, it can be fatal. Why? Because it accounts for over 80% of all cardiovascular conditions like heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure. In fact, it could even cause complications in women during pregnancy, which is why knowing how to manage the disease or eliminating the symptoms as much as you can is absolutely imperative.
Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms in Earlier Stages
- Constant hunger
- Lack of energy
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Excessive thirst
- Frequent urination
- Dry mouth
- Itchy skin
- Blurry vision
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In later stages, Type 2 Diabetes symptoms become more severe, cause more arduous complications, and even reduce the quality of your life. Apart from all of that, Type 2 Diabetes at these stages can be deadly. Hence, it is of utmost importance to go in for regular checkups to keep this medical condition in check.
Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms in Advanced Stages
- Yeast infections
- Slow-healing cuts or sores
- Dark patches on your skin
- Foot pain
- Feelings of numbness in your extremities, or neuropathy
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Impact of Diet on Type 2 Diabetes
About 90% of all diabetic patients are either overweight or obese, according to research. Without a doubt, weight gain is a key contributor to all the main Type 2 Diabetes symptoms, which is why weight management could have a positive impact on reducing the severity of the symptoms. Exercising to lose weight is important, but following proper diabetes care and a strict diabetes diet could have an even more positive outcome. When treating diabetes, diet and how you live your life alone can have a direct impact on how you recover/overcome this medical condition.
A study conducted in England on Type 2 Diabetic patients was able to prove that a strict diet can do wonders in not only managing the disease but also practically eliminating the symptoms altogether. This strict diet entails drinking milkshakes three times a day and eating 200 grams of non-starchy vegetables, all accounting to 700 calories a day.
Losing weight helps your organs function properly because weight loss removes excess fat from the pancreas and liver. That, in turn, kick starts insulin-producing cells to normalize sugar levels. So, keeping your weight in check through exercising and eating healthy is vital. By eating healthy, we mean following a diabetes diet that encourages eating foods or consuming drinks that impact your body positively to help manage/control Type 2 Diabetes symptoms, or better yet, keep your blood sugar levels in check to avoid further complications.
Type 2 Diabetes Diet
Here are some crucial tips to help you manage your weight and keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range if you have type 2 diabetes:
- Eating foods that are heart-healthy and rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as tuna, sardines, salmon, mackerel, halibut, and cod.
- Eating healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, almonds, pecans, walnuts, and avocados.
- Saturated fats and trans fats are a no-no when you have type 2 diabetes. Examples of foods high in saturated fats and trans fats are beef, processed meats, such as liver.
- Eating fresh vegetables, fruits, and legumes such as beans and whole grains is also crucial.
These foods not only contribute to your wellbeing as an individual but help improve the quality of your life by keeping triggers that can spike your symptoms at bay. However, smart eating tips like the ones below are also important:
- Eating meals and snacks on schedule.
- Choosing a variety of foods that are high in nutritional values and low in empty calories.
- Avoiding overeating.
- Reading food labels like your life depends on it.
Diabetes Care
We can’t prevent Type 2 Diabetes but we can control and manage how much it impacts our lives. Adopting a personal diabetes care routine helps you manage your weight, eat a healthy diet, and exercise, which are all key aspects to treating Type 2 Diabetes. Furthermore, these all work together to help keep your blood sugar levels at the ideal range all day long. However, regular checkups and medications can also do wonders in eliminating and managing this condition altogether.
Type 2 diabetes can be dangerous when you neglect a healthy lifestyle. We can live with type 2 diabetes for a long time; how you choose to live your life determines the outcome.
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Sourced from: healthline.com
