5 Good Health and Nutrition Habits that will make you avoid Type 2 Diabetes like a Plague

Statistics show that people are continually contracting Type 2 Diabetes. This cuts across all the age sets, the young and the old, people in the prime years and even the teenagers.

Drinks with sugar and other additives are estimated to have resulted to the death of 184,000 people last year. This is according to the Journal Circulation report released on Monday, 29th of June, 2015. This special report, produced for the first time on this subject, gives us an insight on how what seemingly seem sweet drinks that are addictive are killing us. The risks associated with these sugars are contraction of obesity, Diabetes (the main type being Type 2), cancer and cardiovascular complications.

In the above study, Type 2 Diabetes deaths were reported to be 133,000. This was primarily caused by adding sugar and other additives to drinks. Mexico reported the highest rate of deaths, 450 in a million people dying as a result of taking these beverages. It was followed by United States, reporting 250 deaths in a sample population of a million people.

We don’t just Contract Type 2 Diabetes, it is as a Result of our Continuous, Habitual Indulgence and Lack of Physical Exercises

What we eat, drink, and the habits we form determine our overall state of health and welfare. As we recap what we discussed earlier in     the foods that have no nutritional value add toxins and unwanted calories, leading to damage of the vital organs and accumulation of fats. The indulgence in this creates a vicious cycle. You add weight and then develop complications due to the vital organs not functioning well and causing discomfort in your body. In an attempt to rectify the situation, you either get medication that soothes the pain for a while (it doesn’t heal the condition), or cleanse the system by eating right and doing physical exercises for a while, then plunging back to the unhealthy lifestyle!

When we have so many people contracting Diabetes (a new case is diagnosed every 5 seconds), we need to do everything possible to change this trend.

How Simple Things Lead to Type 2 Diabetes

The main source of foods that creates this problem is the unhealthy carbohydrates, fats and oils, sugars, salty snacks, and those yummy, seemingly attractive burgers and pies that we take in to take care of the hunger pangs. Carbonated drinks, caffeine and other strong beverages, plus alcoholic drinks fall into this category.

When we fail to engage in physical activities, like a simple walk to the shopping mall, or using the stairs instead of the lift at the workplace, we don’t burn the excess calories. The result is accumulation of fats in our bodies.

We need to engage in physical activities to burn out these calories for at least 40 minutes, three days in a week. However, we are continually becoming inactive in the comfort of our vehicles, at work and even at home where we sit and watch a lot of TV or just engage in social media.

The Effects of these Unhealthy Foods to the Pancreas

The pancreas is right next to the stomach. It produces insulin that is responsible for the control of the blood sugar levels. This endocrine system controls the amount of glucose that is in the blood system. When there is enough energy, the hormone communicates with the liver to store the excess glucose as glycogen.

The primary function of insulin is to enable the blood cells to convert glucose in to energy required for the normal functioning of the body.

When this intricate function is compromised, and the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin for normal functioning, you develop a condition known as Pre-Diabetes.

The pancreas is mainly damaged by acids secreted by the unwanted sugars and additives (mainly from the junk foods), excess fats, unhealthy carbs and junky drinks. This is because the pancreas has to neutralize and absorb these surplus acids these foods and drinks produce. When you continue eating these junk food and drinks, the body develops resistance to insulin and you eventually contract T2D.

The beta cells responsible for production of insulin are thus compromised by the excess acid in the pancreas. This is caused by what you eat, and the kind of lifestyle you adopt.

When we take the fast, oily foods, the junky snacks, pies, carbonated and sugary drinks, the pancreas is highly stimulated to produce insulin at very high levels. It produces more of this hormone. Over time, it becomes overworked and exhausted. This makes it to be overwhelmed and compromised by acids, making the acids to go directly to the pancreas from the stomach. This leads to acidity. And when the carbohydrates, fats and other food components can’t be converted into energy resourcefully, there is accumulation of fats in the body, leading to obesity and eventually Diabetes.

How prevalent is this condition?

The sedentary lifestyle, and continued use of tools to make work easier have made us very inactive. Long hours spent on social media platforms contribute to the highest percentage in being inactive. The modern lady also spends more hours seated on the desk working, and may go home driving. While rushing for her evening classes, she will not watch her diet. She will take a burger and a bottle of coke as opposed to healthy foods prepared carefully in the kitchen. She will arrive home in the late hours of the evening (8 to 9 pm), too exhausted to even eat or bond with the family.

The young kid is not left out either. The inactivity of the mum determines my nutrition for kids and general health. The children are playing computer games and watching more TV as opposed to engaging in outdoor health activities during their free time.

A study carried out in Brisbane, Australia revealed that about 70% of the guardians of young school going kids between the ages of 3 to 7 denied that these kids were actually suffering from Obesity. They were in denial, they actually claimed that their children were quite normal.

Until we take full responsibility of what we eat and the habits we develop, our health conditions will remain compromised.

Metabolism is very vital for a healthy lifestyle and is determined by what we eat and whether we keep our bodies physically fit.

We therefore need to look at ways to reverse these conditions for our better health.

The 5 Good Health and Nutrition Habits to Avoid Type 2 Diabetes:

1. Diet
2. Physical Exercises
3. Stress Management
4. Bad Social Habits
5. Balancing Life

Expounding on these 5 Good Health and Nutrition Habits

1. Diet

A diet rich in fiber, vitamins and essential minerals will cleanse the liver and pancreas and prevent your body from storing any toxic substances in your system. It will also enhance the normal production of hormones and enzymes, thus ensuring that the blood system is healthy and all the organs function well. This will result to general wellness of the body and optimum performance and functioning of all the body organs, making you productive and resourceful.

The foods that you eat should contain the essential sugars, the needed, slow absorption carbs, lots of fiber and vitamins.

Let’s not forget the energy giving foods. They are important to supply our bodies with energy, especially if you are working out. However, stick to the whole grains. Apart from providing the required carbs for the balanced diet, their high levels of magnesium, iron and vitamin B.

It is good to come out clearly that the refined carbs will make you highly susceptible to Obesity, T2D, cancer and heart diseases. The kind of grains and other processed high absorption Carbs make a lot of difference.

These include roots and tubers, fruits, veggies, and wheat cereals and nuts, among others. Let’s remember the importance of breakfast to kick start our day while avoiding heavy meals at night.

• Physical Exercises

The solution to losing weight is not skipping meals. You don’t get that lean shape by avoiding some meals too. It is by combining physical exercises with watching what you eat – healthy eating and small portions. So avoid those fad diets or starving yourself, you will get disastrous results! Get down to some interesting and exciting physical drills. And continuity is key, nothing good comes easy. Consistency is very important.

When we engage in physical activities, the body produces the hormone Endorphin. Referred to as the happy hormone, it makes you feel good. You will feel the presence of a person who has worked out when they get into a room. They will be likable, and you will be attracted to them. This is in contrary to a moody, fussy individual who repels people.

There are numerous programs and drills you can engage in. Aerobics to jogging, being part of a health club, playing games, involving yourself in the activities for children when you take them out are among the physical exercises you can undertake.

You can also do some exercises at the comfort of your home in the evening or early in the morning. This is convenient when you have a tight schedule and you want continuity. The activities include leg raises (front, side and knee raises), pushups, torso twist, hyper extensions, overhead cycling, kneeling kick backs, crunches, arms forward twists among others. We will look at how to do each of these exercises.

• Stress Management

We need to take control of our emotions to stay healthy. Do not let stress take over your life, be in charge. The demands are numerous, but when you know how to handle the situations and challenges, you’ll be in a better situation to solve them.

It all starts with knowing the stressors. And these aren’t usually straight forward, you may miss them. You therefore need to carefully study your feelings, behavioral trends that lead to stress and the thoughts that drive you to dull moments.

Are you making excuses for your actions? What are the habits that you have adopted? And what is your attitude towards life in general?

You will only turn around these situations when you deal with these questions, otherwise life will be a cycle of unmet needs and desires that may lead you to plunge into depression. As much as you can’t change some situations, learn how to react to specific challenges.

You therefore need to focus on the things that you can control, and learn to cope with what you can’t change. We will deal with this topic more deeply in our subsequent articles.

• Good Social Habits

The people we interact with and places we go to will determine what we do, almost all the times. It is said that you don’t have to tell me how you are, it is what you do and the people you hang out with that will make me know the kind of person you are. The environment has a very big impact on us.

Bad social habits lead to poor health and nutrition. The habits include smoking, taking alcohol, spending endless hours on social media among others.

Smoking makes the white blood cells to be constricted, leading to the cancer of the blood. Other effects of smoking are:

• It accelerates Diabetes, and increases cholesterol levels in the body
• Cancer of the Cervix and Prostrate Cancer
• Affects the nervous system
• Affects breathing and leads to nervous infections
• Leads to Leukemia and other cardiovascular diseases
• The skin, nails and hair is affected. Nicotine alters the skin structure, discolors the nails and hair, and also causes staining of teeth.
• Causes irritability and anxiety
• Leads to erectile dysfunction
• It leads to loss of appetite among others.

The social media includes internet sites like Facebook, Twitter, Whatsup and YouTube. Statistics show that people, especially the young generation, are continually spending very many hours on these sites. This is adversely affecting their social life. When you find yourself on a smart cellphone while eating, then know that you already have a red sign in management of the social gadgets that will affect your health. Keep posted to this site to expound on this topic. 

The time spent watching movies and other programs on the TV should be controlled. To much on the screen will definitely affect your productivity, and hence your overall wellbeing.

• Balancing Life

To be successful in life, you need to balance the mind, body, soul and heart. You cannot compensate the failure of one area with another, You need to balance all of them. Tricky yah? That’s just the way it is.

You need to have a positive attitude, eat well, and engage in physical exercises to keep your blood flowing well and your heart in good condition. While at it, seek God’s help so that you maintain your plans and goals. Have people that are like minded to your cause and who will motivate you to stay focused everyday.

Summary of the 5 Good Health and Nutrition Habits that will make you avoid Type 2 Diabetes

Our attitude will determine our general state of our good health and nutrition. It’s all about self assurance and confidence. We therefore need to consciously put our effort to attaining a healthy lifestyle every day of our life. This will require persistence, motivation to the course and staying focused to the goals that will make us attain that state of health that we aspire to have. What we eat will determine our health. Let’s carefully have our daily diet plan and stick to the healthy foods. We also need to burn the calories by engaging in physical activities. Taking charge of our emotions and situations, and determining our reactions to life’s challenges will also come in handy so that we don’t become stressed by this fast world we are living in today.  Let’s also excel in all the areas of our lives, as opposed to be good in 1 area and fail in the other. In so doing, we will adopt these good health and nutrition habits and keep Type 2 Diabetes at bay.