.:: Diabetes Mauritius

"Putting people living with diabetes at the heart of health care services in Mauritius"

:: Home ::Contact :: Sitemap

Prevention

How can I prevent it?

Pre-diabetes is a serious medical condition that can be treated. People with pre-diabetes can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by making changes in their diet and increasing their level of physical activity. They may even be able to return their blood glucose levels to the normal range. Just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, coupled with a 5-10% reduction in body weight, produces a 58% reduction in diabetes.

Diet

Knowing what to eat can be confusing.

Here are a few tips on making healthful food choices for you and your entire family.

- Eat lots of vegetables and fruits.

-Eat non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, broccoli or green beans with meals.

- Choose whole grain foods over processed grain products. Try brown rice with your stir fry or whole wheat spaghetti with your favorite pasta sauce.

- Include dried beans and lentils in your meals.

- Include fish in your meals 2-3 times a week.

- Choose lean meats, remove the skin from chicken.

- Choose non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non-fat yogurt and low-fat cheese

- Choose water and calorie-free "diet" drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.

- Choose liquid oils for cooking instead of solid fats that can be high in saturated and trans fats. Remember that fats are high in calories.

- Cut back on high calorie snack foods and desserts like chips, biscuits, cakes, and full-fat ice cream.

- Eating too much of even healthy foods can lead to weight gain, therefore watch your portion sizes.

Exercise

Aerobic exercise increases your heart rate, works your muscles, and raises your breathing rate. For most people, it's best to aim for a total of about 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. If you haven't been very active recently, you can start out with 5 or 10 minutes a day and work up to more time each week. Or split up your activity for the day -- try a brisk 10-minute walk after each meal. If you're trying to lose weight, you may want to exercise more than 30 minutes a day

- Take a brisk walk

- Go dancing

- Stationary bicycle indoors

Flexibility exercises, also called stretching, help keep your joints flexible and reduce your chances of injury during other activities. Gentle stretching for 5 to 10 minutes helps your body warm up and get ready for aerobic activities such as walking or swimming. In addition to formal exercise, there are many opportunities to be active throughout the day. Being active helps burns calories. The more you move around, the more energy you'll have. These strategies can help you increase your activity level:

- Walk instead of driving whenever possible

- Take the stairs instead of the elevator

- Work in the garden, rake leaves, or do some housecleaning every day

- Get off the bus one stop before the place where you want to go.

Alcohol

Avoid alcohol if possible. If you must drink, do so in moderation. Never have more than two drinks at a time and do not drink everyday.

Smoking

If you are a smoker, you must stop. If you find it difficult to stop on your own, consult your doctor. If necessary he may prescribe nicotine replacement patches or tablets to help you through.

Stress

It is important to learn how to manage your stress. You may try yoga, meditation, or other measures to increase your capacity of dealing with the stress in your life.