November 14 was World Diabetes Day. And yes, I know people don’t like to rain on their ‘delicious dessert’ parade, especially if you have a sweet tooth. but Fam! Diabetes is real. And World Diabetes Day was dedicated to create awareness of the disease.
FACTS
Do you know that Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the world? As a matter of fact, according to WHO, over 442 million people have been diagnosed with it globally. #Sigh. The more common form of the disease is Type 2 Diabetes which is caused by poor diet choices, lack of exercise and an abundance of sugar in the diet.
It’s important as adult women to watch our sugar habits before it escalates, but I admit, I can’t count how many times I tried to join the healthy lifestyle movement and for some reason didn’t go through with it. My struggles with cleaning up my diet and trying to be more aware of my health has led me to rethink certain things.
Look, the goal is not to eat only spinach for the rest of my life, please! It just means I have to eat more balanced and wholesome meals. We all have to do better. For me this means opting for a more balanced palate and cutting back on things that would end up being slow poison to my body. Here are the things I have been doing differently:
Make Water Fun
Taking less of soda drinks has been hard for me, however, I found a great alternative which is fruit flavoured water. What I do is that I let fruits like lemons, oranges, cucumbers e.t.c. diffuse into water before drinking. It is a healthy and delicious alternative that I can’t get enough of. With this mix, there’s no preservatives or chemicals added and it helps regulate your body acid levels while boosting your energy.
Limit Guilty Pleasures
Limit your favourite snacks to weekly indulgences. Things like chocolate, ice cream and cookies; snacks like this are classified under simple carbohydrates which are known as “carbs.”They increase the blood sugar level and are also responsible for unplanned weight gain so it is something that should be consumed sparingly and should not be an everyday feature in the diet.
Load Up On Fiber
Whole grains, fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, and unlike carbs, should be a staple in every meal. Berries are exceptionally nutritious, as well as dark leafy greens. Other foods that are high in fiber include beans, potatoes, brown rice etc
While eating right and exercising, you also need to monitor your sugar level through regular health checks. Needless to say, sugar is important in the body, just not too much of it so your sugar level should neither be too high nor too low. Find a balance that works for you and stick to it.