Diabetes: diet and lifestyle are crucial to successful treatment

Nutrition and lifestyle are crucial for the treatment of diabetes.

Diabetes: diet and lifestyle are crucial to successful treatment

Healthy eating and lifestyle are essential for the treatment of diabetes. You must already be well-informed about the importance of a healthy diet and physical activity for achieving balance and quality of life, right?

However, when it comes to preventing and treating a disease that affects 11.4% of Brazilian adults, the benefits of nutrition and exercise become even more significant. We need to raise awareness about diabetes.

Diabetes does not have an age restriction for its onset, contrary to what one might think. It can occur in children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly, making self-care essential.

According to the 2019 Diabetes Atlas, approximately 463 million people between the ages of 20 and 79 worldwide have diabetes.

The disease occurs when blood sugar levels, also known as glucose, are above normal and consistently so. In the image below, you can see the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Among the groups with a higher predisposition to develop the disease are Black people, especially women.

Pregnant women also need to be vigilant, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy.
Although the body produces more insulin during this period, it is not always sufficient, which can result in high blood sugar levels, causing gestational diabetes, which harms the baby's health.

How to prevent diabetes?

When it comes to diabetes, the saying "prevention is better than cure" has never been truer. So, before we talk about treatment, how about discussing prevention?

Even those who have a genetic predisposition - meaning they have close family members with diabetes - can try to prevent the development of the disease.

"We can't change our genes, but we can silence some of them. If I have a genetic predisposition, it is even more important to pay attention to diet and physical activity," warns nutritionist Raquel Boehl.

I have been diagnosed! Now what?

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, don't despair. Disease management is crucial.

How to do that? Focus on a truly healthy diet, including whole grains and unprocessed foods. These lifestyle changes are usually the starting point for treatment.

When lifestyle is modified, the benefits soon become evident. Although diabetes cannot be cured, proper treatment can control blood sugar levels.

So, if you have been diagnosed, be willing to take care of your diabetes attentively. There is information available about the disease, its causes, symptoms, and treatments, making it easier to gain knowledge about it.

Treatment with doses of empathy and love

Along with the diagnosis, it is necessary to rethink old habits, diet, and routine. "Even knowing how many benefits a healthy lifestyle brings, empathy, patience, and love should prevail in the treatment of diabetes," advises Raquel.

Even if you don't have the disease, consider World Diabetes Day as an opportunity to learn and understand more about it. Remember that adopting a healthy lifestyle will not only keep diabetes at bay but also prevent other health complications.

Why not take advantage of spring to improve your diet and start engaging in physical activity? These changes will have a positive impact on your entire year!

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