Top 10 Do's For Women With type II Diabetes by Namita Nayyar

It has been observed that women who are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes are overweight. The exact cause of this type of diabetes is unclear, but it does appear to be associated with weight gain. In fact, a sedentary lifestyle, along with poor dietary habits, popular in the culture today, is among the explanations for the dramatic increase in the numbers of women suffering with Type 2 diabetes.

The connection between diet and diabetes is that, if you eat a high-fat, high calorie diet, which a lot of us do today, you put yourself at risk for weight gain, and if you are more than 120% of your desirable body weight, in simple terms, more than 20 pounds over what you should weigh, you become more insulin resistant, you use your own insulin at less capacity than you should, and you will have higher blood sugars, which will lead to diabetes. Diabetes is on the rise, and women with diabetes have an elevated risk of heart disease and stroke.

The good news is that there are steps they can take to reduce their risk of diabetes complications. From the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), here are Top 10 do's to help women with diabetes live longer, healthier lives.

Do review your treatment plan with your doctor or health care provider at least once a year. Make changes if your plan is not working well.

Do work with a dietitian. Create a meal plan that gives you healthy choices and is just right for you. A dietician will guide you on how to exercise portion control & make healthy food choices.

Do have a snack when you're hungry. Choose something healthy (something that's low in carbohydrates) that fits into your overall meal plan. All the starchy foods like rice and potatoes and breads and cereals get broken down into sugar in the body. If you eat them in excess, your blood sugar is going to go up, so you need to use some portion control. The real key, is portion control.

Do ask your health care provider for an A1C test. A1C, short for hemoglobin A1C, is the best test to know if your blood glucose (sugar) is under control. Aim for a fasting blood sugar between 70 and 120. Before a meal, we want it less than 122, and after a meal, about an hour after a meal, we want it to be less than 180. These are actually the blood sugars that you should be aiming for, and that is actually what we call good control.

Do control the ABCs of diabetes: A1C for blood glucose, B for blood pressure and C for cholesterol. That's the key to reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke.

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BIO:

She is president Women Fitness . Under her supervision WF provides women with best & latest in health and fitness .

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