If you are diabetic, or pre-diabetic, you need to hear this!

There is so much you can do to prevent, manage, and possibly reverse this disease.

This is one of the areas in which I specialize and am deeply passionate about.

Even though diabetes can be hereditary, it’s often made worse by food and lifestyle habits passed on through generations. And, even if it’s in your genes, you can absolutely change the trajectory of your health.

However, if you don’t take steps to improve your lifestyle, even with medication, the disease will continue to progress and take its toll on your body and your quality of life.

The first step in preventing and managing diabetes is understanding exactly what’s happening in your body, so you know what steps you can take to change the process. Here are some of the basics of what you need to know:

  • High blood sugar. This is literally the amount of glucose (sugar) that is floating around in your bloodstream. Having too much sugar in your blood is highly inflammatory to your system, and, over time, starts to break down your blood vessels and your organs. This is why having diabetes can lead to blindness, heart disease, neuropathy, and kidney issues. Eating too much sugar and processed carbohydrates (like white bread, pasta, chips, and white rice), raises your blood sugar to unhealthy levels.
  • Insulin. Insulin is the hormone that allows glucose to be absorbed into your cells. This is what gets it out of your bloodstream to protect your body from inflammation.
  • Insulin resistance. This is a metabolic disorder (diabetes) caused by having too much insulin constantly bombarding your cells, which, eventually causes them to become resistant. So the insulin becomes less and less effective at getting the sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells. Your body has to produce more and more insulin to get the job done, causing your cells to become more and more resistant. The cycle continues as long as you keep eating high quantities of sugar and processed carbohydrates. Medication can help slow the process, but if you don’t change your diet, it will continue to worsen.

The food you eat is extremely important in reversing this cycle. Obviously, avoiding sugar and sweets is a priority. Also, choosing natural, whole, complex carbohydrates – like whole grains, fruits, and veggies with high fiber content – over processed carbs will go a long way toward lowering your blood sugar.

Exercise, sleep, and stress all play a part as well.