As we know knowledge and experience help us in every circumstance to master a problem or a challenge. It is applicable to diabetes too. With the right food, lifestyle and exercises you can prevent diabetes as well as control them without taking tablets or injecting insulin. Here, your knowledge and will power can decide a lot. If you follow this regularly there will be no problem to eat normal now and then. Dos and don’ts give you a clear picture what should be done to have a normal life with type 2 diabetes.

The dos include:

• Increase the intake of mono- and polyunsaturated fats – avoid butter and use plant oils and bread spreads. Mayonnaise can be substituted with avocadoes in salads.
• Nuts are good – can be eaten everyday by decreasing the amount of carbohydrates.
• Eat fatty fish regularly – omega-3 fatty acids are very important for your health including heart health. Two to three time fish in a week is good.
• Consume more protein from lean meat, poultry without skin and low fat milk and dairy products. Protein can be converted into sugar in the liver.
• Eat high fiber foods – wholegrain products, brown rice, vegetables and fruits are good.
• Look for low sugar foods – it is applicable to milk products, canned fruits and fruit juices. The food labels may contain sugar or honey or high-fructose corn syrup or only syrup or other sugars such as lactose or maltose and in this case go for products where there are very little or no sugar.
• Select cereals with more than 3 g fiber in one serving. It must be sugar-free and should not contain too much of carbohydrates.
• Fresh or frozen vegetables are good. Except carrots avoid all the root vegetables.
• Fresh fruits are good or canned fruits without added sugar. Fruits are better than fruit juices. Dry fruits in small quantities without added sugar are also good.
• Drink enough fluids and 70% of this must be pure drinking water.
• Reduce your weight.
• Regular exercise.
• Write down whatever you eat and drink daily so that it is easy to control your food intake.

The don’ts include:

• Too much saturated fats – high fat milk and dairy products, fatty meat, inner organs of animals, except fish all other seafood, turkey or chicken with skin. These foods contain high amount of cholesterol too.
• Trans fat.
• Carbohydrates – you can get the sugar from the protein and so the amount of carbohydrate taken can be reduced.
• Foods with lot of sugar – candies, cakes, biscuits and many other sweets including local sweets and chocolates.
• Canned fruits and dried fruits with preservatives or sugar.
• Soft drinks with lot of sugar or fructose or artificial sweeteners.
• Processed foods, fast foods and junk foods.
• Chips and other snacks.
• Replace coffee with green or black tea.
• Alcohol – one glass of wine or one beer or one drink normally increases blood sugar. More alcohol can reduce the sugar, but the blood pressure increases because of narrowed blood vessels. A healthy liver can metabolize only a maximum of 60 g alcohol. If it is more it is very dangerous for liver’s health.
• Smoking – increases the free radicals and free radicals are not good for our health.
• Stress is bad for diabetes.

This information is good to prevent type 2 diabetes as well as to manage it. If you suffer from type 2 diabetes an individual counseling is the best to optimize your food and lifestyle. Contact me if you need one…