Is Diabetes Preventable
There are three major types of diabetes - Type I, Type II and gestational diabetes (GD). Type I is classified as such due to the fact that the patient no longer produces any of their own insulin. Someone with Type II produces their own insulin but it's not working. A person with GD may end up falling into either class but is more likely to have Type II diabetes temporarily and be cured of it when they deliver the baby.
Type I diabetes is definitely not preventable or curable. It is due to a genetic issue that hasn't yet been completely figured out. The only thing to do if someone has Type I diabetes is to follow their doctor's instructions and try to keep their blood sugar levels as normal as possible through medication, diet and exercise.
Gestational diabetes and Type II diabetes may be preventable for a portion of the population. When you consider the risk factors of diabetes such as obesity, you can deduce that if you keep your weight at a more normal level you might avoid developing either Type II or GD.
Most people can avoid a whole host of illnesses by just paying more attention to exercise and diet.
Lowering the Risk of Type II or Gestational Diabetes
Just watching calories isn't enough. It's important to eat a whole food, plant-based diet for the best results when trying to lower your risks of developing gestational or Type II diabetes. If you want to become pregnant at some point, try to spend at least the year leading up to the pregnancy eating as well as possible. If you just want to avoid illness, eat well at least 80 percent of the time.
According to the National Institute of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Type II diabetes is preventable in most cases. They recommend serious lifestyle changes like an unprocessed diet made up of mostly plant-based foods. By following a prevention diet and exercise program you can cut your risks in half.
Type I diabetes is definitely not preventable or curable. It is due to a genetic issue that hasn't yet been completely figured out. The only thing to do if someone has Type I diabetes is to follow their doctor's instructions and try to keep their blood sugar levels as normal as possible through medication, diet and exercise.
Gestational diabetes and Type II diabetes may be preventable for a portion of the population. When you consider the risk factors of diabetes such as obesity, you can deduce that if you keep your weight at a more normal level you might avoid developing either Type II or GD.
Most people can avoid a whole host of illnesses by just paying more attention to exercise and diet.
Lowering the Risk of Type II or Gestational Diabetes
Just watching calories isn't enough. It's important to eat a whole food, plant-based diet for the best results when trying to lower your risks of developing gestational or Type II diabetes. If you want to become pregnant at some point, try to spend at least the year leading up to the pregnancy eating as well as possible. If you just want to avoid illness, eat well at least 80 percent of the time.
According to the National Institute of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Type II diabetes is preventable in most cases. They recommend serious lifestyle changes like an unprocessed diet made up of mostly plant-based foods. By following a prevention diet and exercise program you can cut your risks in half.
- Exercise daily - Try to exercise at least 30 minutes per day five days a week. You can make exercise fun, take up gardening or get a dog that you can walk or run with every day.
- Lose weight - Losing just 10 percent of your body weight can drastically reduce your risk of developing Type II diabetes, but if you are still overweight, try to get yourself into the normal BMI for someone your height for best results.
- Eat healthy - There is a lot of argument on what is classified as a healthy diet, but more and more studies are showing that a plant-based, whole food diet can cure and even reverse many food-borne illnesses.
Ben Franklin once said that, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and nothing could be more true or even understated than this when you consider all the risks you can avoid by simple changes in your diet and adding exercise to your day.
