Posted by kathryn in Nutrition and Lifestyle

With the incidence of type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes on the rise in Australia, it’s increasingly vital to spread the message of how it can (usually) be regulated through diet and lifestyle changes. If you want to prevent complications, keep your blood sugar levels stable and continue living a long and healthy life, then diet and lifestyle are important.

The latest GI newsletter contains a comprehensive list of the ten diet and lifestyle changes you need to make to reduce your risk of getting diabetes, or to live well with the condition. If you have type II diabetes, have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, or there’s a history of diabetes in your family, then this is the list for you.

The changes range from small to large, but it can seem pretty overwhelming. Don’t worry though, you don’t have to make all the changes at once. Pick one thing, that’s do-able, whether it be going for a 15 minute walk each day, or eating two serves of fruit per day. Make that change, stick to it for a few weeks and then make the next change. Track and record what you’ve done, so you can see the big progress you’ve made.

And if it is all too hard, then talk to your health practitioner about seeing a nutritionist or dietician. Regulating your blood sugar levels through diet and lifestyle is possible and crucial, so it’s worthwhile doing this.

02 March, 2007