There are effective ways for lowering your risk for type 2 diabetes, even though it runs in your family. I’m sure you have heard it all before but the answer is healthy lifestyle choices. Why healthy lifestyle choices? Because, although genetics plays a part in this condition developing, it does not develop unless you fall into a pattern of overeating, or eating foods that increase your waistline and your body mass index.

How does it all start? Often in childhood life is all about food… you were rewarded with sweets and snacks, maybe given money to spend after school to buy a treat which contained carbohydrates. Often a carbohydrate addiction starts that far back. And just think about your Mother’s cooking… meatballs fried in oil, delicious meals every day. Then one day it all catches up.

It seems to happen overnight… your clothes no longer fit as they once did, they are now too tight. Some people find they need to start wearing “fat person” clothes.

Time to change! One day obesity gets to you… maybe its when you take snacks to bed at night; snacks to eat during the middle of the night when you wake up hungry with hypoglycemia or low blood sugar levels.

At this time many overweight or obese people go on a diet and manage to lose weight. Unfortunately they do not exercise and they then lose muscle mass.

What should you do? Here is where the phrase healthy lifestyle comes into play. But firstly, it is important to:

1. Learn all you can about the root causes of your pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, identify your challenges.

2. Learn which medications work in combination with others… if medications are prescribed they are an important part of your program.

3. Keeping in mind your health issues, build an effective eating plan… diet is the cornerstone of control of your blood sugar levels and type 2 diabetes

4. Understand why you need to exercise and work out a proper routine. Almost every study shows that exercise is to the advantage to people with type 2 diabetes

A different approach to life will lead to weight loss and will make a difference to lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes and give you a healthy lifestyle.

Your blood sugar levels are not as low as you want them to be? Your HbA1c is registering over 7% and you want it to be less than 6.5%? If you are not making progress in the right direction, let’s start at the beginning and check off these points.

Your weight… weight loss is the strongest predictor of a fall in both your blood sugar levels and your HbA1c level.

What if You Are Eating Too Much?

Do you routinely eat more than you really need to at mealtimes? Don’t eat extra food now because you don’t want to stop to eat later… an insulin resistant body likes to eat often. By trying to change this you will find it backfire on you and your body will lay down those extra calories or kilojoules as fat! If you eat more carbs than your insulin resistant body can handle at one time, you will start the roller coaster of high and low blood sugar levels.

Are you eating too much fat? Fat has more calories or kilojoules for its weight than any other nutrient. Every tablespoon of fat gives over 100 calories (418 kj). Do you know one tablespoon of butter has more calories than the bread that you spread it on? Even changing from a full-fat salad dressing to a light dressing can save you 100 calories.

Not eating enough fiber. Fiber is one of the diabetic’s best friends. Fiber can help lower blood sugar levels, blood cholesterol levels, and weight, as well as help you feel full with fewer calories and fewer carbohydrates.

Are you finding you are having mid-afternoon or early evening cravings? This is the most common time for people to crave foods… especially sweets. A major trigger is low blood sugar. This is usually caused by lack of food as a result of going too long between meals or even following a very low calorie (kilojoule) diet.

Are You Stressed?

Check your stress level… stress raises your blood sugar levels. Job worries, financial difficulties, relationship problems or even stress in middle age, does not help during these times. Whatever the cause, stress will help create a blood sugar spike. People with diabetes type 2 who experience chronic or intense stress, find it harder to keep their blood sugar down. Don’t be a hero, talk to someone. Don’t keep your fears bottled up inside… if you don’t have a confidante talk to a counselor or psychologist.

Are You Exercising?

If you are sedentary now is the time to bring some physical activity onto the scene. The average person’s diet is becoming richer in calories (kilojoules), yet no exercise is done to burn off those extra calories. Regular exercise helps to keep you in a healthy weight range and improves your body’s sensitivity to insulin. Exercise really is medicine to the type 2 diabetic… it reduces your blood sugar levels.

How Much Sleep Do You Get?

If you don’t get enough sleep one night, make sure you get it the next night. Making sure you pay your sleep debt helps to control your blood sugar levels.

If you find you are unable to lower your blood sugar levels in spite of your best efforts, your health care provider may need to adjust your medications.

When you are diagnosed with diabetes, it can seem like everything is changing. One question many patients have is whether they are still allowed to consume alcohol with diabetes.

Many patients have to give up a number of their favorite foods and change their exercise and lifestyle habits. In addition to being somewhat stressful, all these changes can also feel like a burden. Feeling as though you need to call your doctor before you does anything can seem overwhelming and many patients are unaware of what is on the list of do’s and don’ts. It is also the same with diabetes and alcohol.

This question, like all diabetes questions, has no single answer. The answer to this question depends on the severity of your diabetes as well as your current health and blood sugar levels. The American Diabetes Association states the following: “When your blood sugar is controlled and well established and you do not have complications, conditions, or medications that are affected by alcohol consumption, then modest amounts of alcohol with your diabetes can be a part of your diet plan”.

It is important to understand that if you drink alcohol with diabetes, your body is at increased risk for certain conditions. This does not mean that you may not have a drink, but there are precautions you should take. Understand that when you drink, your liver slows the glucose release in order to metabolize the alcohol in your blood stream. This means that drinking, especially after an insulin injection or without eating, can result in low blood sugar.

It is also recommended that patients with diabetes adhere to the recommended guidelines of one beer, one glass of wine, or one shot of liquor for women per day and two for men. For adults over the age of 65, diabetes and alcohol should be limited to one drink per day regardless of gender. This helps to reduce the risk of complications significantly. If you want to know more about whether you should or can drink with your diabetes, contact your doctor. While these guidelines are intended as a general rule of thumb, only your doctor can tell you what is best based on your symptoms and risk factors.

Changing your life due to diabetes is very stressful, but once your symptoms are under control, you will likely find yourself able to sit back and enjoy a drink with friends. Managing your symptoms and treating your body well is important, but talking with your doctor can help you ensure that you do not have to eliminate all things that you enjoy, such as having a drink with loved ones. Diabetes and alcohol can be a possibility, only with well controlled diabetes symptoms