A chronic disease, diabetes usually becomes more severe and complications arise the longer that you have it. Everyone should learn about diabetes and how to avoid it because it does not just affect those with a predisposition.

The only way to avoid the disease is to develop a healthy lifestyle. If you are not living a healthy life, including eating properly, you increase the chances of developing diabetes. Even those that are prone to developing the disease can lower their risk factor if the develop healthy habits. Changing your lifestyle to a healthy one is all you need to do.

A healthy lifestyle should include the following:

Diet - “You are what you eat” has never been truer. Well-balanced, nutritious meals will lead to a healthier body. Eating non-starchy fruits and vegetables: such as carrots, green beans, spinach, and broccoli; helps everyone, including those that are genetically predisposed to diabetes, avoid developing diabetes. To decrease your risk factor, eat whole grain foods like whole-wheat pasta and brown rice. Avoid products made from processed grain products. In addition, introduce more lean meats and fish to your diet and drink calorie free beverages.

Weight issues - Weight is a very significant factor for people prone to diabetes. There is a far higher risk of suffering from the disease for overweight people. This is because they develop a high resistance in their body to produce insulin. Too much weight means that less insulin is produced. Insulin is responsible for removing glucose from the blood. Quite simply, when blood sugar increases, insulin is produced to control it. If the control fails, you develop diabetes.

Regular exercise – There is evidence that people that have regular exercise reduce their risk factors of developing diabetes. This is because it keeps fat away and fat impedes the production of insulin. When the risk factors are increased, including genetic predisposition, introducing regular exercise to your lifestyle will reduce the risk. The exercise does not need to be daily but should be undertaken a couple of times a week. Believe it or not, gardening fits this criterion.

Eliminate vices – Risk factors are increased when someone smokes and/or drinks alcohol. Smoking and drinking make the immune system struggle to cope. It is critical for those at risk of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes to immediately start reducing those things, like smoking and alcohol, from their lifestyle.