Diabetes

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(i)           Eat Nutritious and Balanced Diet — Consume low calorie (less fat and sugar) and high fibre home-made natural foods containing complex carbohydrates and proteins such as fresh fruits, vegetables, salads, wholegains, millets, pulses, legumes, nuts and seeds, brown (unpolished) pounded rice etc. Avoid crash diets, fasts and feasting at all costs. Do not overeat, eat small 7-8 meals and snacks every 2 to 2½  hours instead of 2-3 large meals a day and never skip breakfast. (ii)     Avoid Junk Foods — Totally avoid all processed sugary, refined and fat-rich fried foods such as burgers, pizzas, French fries, namkeens, samosas, potato crisps, biscuits, noodles, sweets, cakes, pasteries, tinned/packaged meals, soups and beverages like fizzy drinks and colas containing harmful chemical additives and preservatives. Avoid excessive use of animal origin foods (saturated fats, meats etc.). Harmful hydrogenated oils/fats like vanaspati transfats are strictly forbidden. (iii)    Maintain Ideal Body Weight — Working towards and maintaining a healthy body weight greatly helps in bringing the blood sugar levels under control. Ideally, your stomach should not protrude more than your chest, i.e. avoid going into pot-belly shape. (iv)    Exercise Regularly and Adopt Active Lifestyle — Diabetes thrives on obesity and physical inactivity. A balanced exercise programme helps improve functions of various organs of the body including pancreas and liver. This translates into improved blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity, cholesterol ratio, cardiovascular health, healthy weight and sense of wellbeing and decreased stress levels. (v)     Manage Stress through Yoga, Meditation and Music — This trio and other stress management techniques are the best known ways in countering stress which leads to insulin resistance. The diabetic patient should eliminate minor worries, be more easy going and should not get unduly worked up by stress and strain of daily life. Get rid of negativity and adopt a cheerful positive attitude. (vi)    Maintain Tight Blood Sugar Control — It is advisable to check blood sugar level regularly. There is ample evidence to show that maintaining normal blood sugar levels can help control the diabetes and reduce the chances of complications drastically. (vii)   Maintain Normal Blood Pressure — Irrespective of age and gender, all diabetics must aim to maintain blood pressure below 120/80mm Hg. It is also advisable to measure the blood pressure at the ankles to test for peripheral arterial disease. The difference in the higher limit should be lower than 20, higher indicates a peripheral artery blockage.