Diabetes: diet, management and treatment

How long do I need to have diabetes for it to become life-threatening?

Diabetes is a condition where patients have excess sugar floating in their bloodstreams.

What this is doing at all times is putting patients at excess risk. When there is a higher level of sugar in the bloodstream, it makes it thicker and all throughout the body it causes damage to multiple organs. It damages heart, the kidneys and the eyes.

There is not a particular level at which it becomes life threatening. The longer we have diabetes, the more life threatening it gets because of the risk of more serious complications but in order to prevent these, patients need to act straight away reduce sugar levels.

Can diabetes be cured after one is diagnosed with it?

One positive side to finding out that you have diabetes in the early stages and even pre-diabetes (where the patient doesn’t have established diabetes but are at risk of having diabetes) is that patients know that it is very reversible.

It is very possible to reverse these levels and to get blood suger levels back into normal range.

Lifestyle measures are key to reducing blood sugar levels.

What diet must I follow if I have diabetes?

Diet is an essential factor in helping to reverse diabetes. It is recommended to introduce a lot of fresh, whole foods such as whole vegetables.

These vegetables are really important because they nourish the bacteria that help to reduce levels of inflammation inside the body.

They also produce the right bacteria to produce the correct enzymes which break down the excess fat in the body.

Beans, pulses and legumes are also very helpful for the body in regards to reducing blood sugar levels. They contain the right types of proteins and antioxidants which can contribute to reducing diabetes.

Furthermore, cutting down sugar in the diet and excess fat are benefical to reducing blood sugar levels.

How is diabetes effectively managed and treated?

As previously mentioned, there are several different ways of managing diabetes. One of the first places to start is by looking at the diet, making sure to cut out excess sugar and fat, as well as eating healthy foods such as vegetables, beans and pulses which significantly help to reduce sugar and cholesterol levels.

Exercise is also really important. It helps us to increase our muscle mass which is what we need for uing these excess energy stores, using the excess sugar that the body is carrying.

As well as lifesyle measures, sometimes people require medication.

There are several different medications available, ranging from from tablets to insulin. However, lifesyle coaches prefer to reduce the reliance on medication to try and help people to either prevent them from needing to go on medication.

For patients who are already using several medications, lifestyle coaches want to be able to get patients to live a healthy lifestyle, in order for them to be able to come off as many of these medications as possible.