Type 2 Diabetes - Managing Diabetes Through Diet and Exercise, Part 1

Managing Type 2 diabetes might seem like a daunting task... especially for those people who are newly diagnosed. But even though it can be rather difficult at times, it certainly shouldn't qualify as being impossible. There are plenty of ways to correctly manage the condition through diet and exercise... as long as the individual is willing to make the commitment.

In this first installment of the three-part series, we give you some great ideas on how to control your diabetes so it doesn't have the opportunity to control you...

1. Prevent blood sugar spikes following a meal. This is a big problem for many diabetics. Unfortunately, it's also a common one that can easily take away the enjoyment of a meal. But you can prevent these spikes from occurring by implementing a few, simple rules.

• first, is to make sure to plan your meal out ahead of time. Blood sugar spikes can come from the sheer volume of food that is consumed in a meal, the types of foods that are consumed, or both. If you know you are going to eat carbs at a particular meal then just limit their quantity. If you know you aren't going to be able to resist that piece of cheesecake then plan the remainder of your meal around having it.


• second, is to plan what you do before the meal. Having a big meal doesn't mean starving yourself leading up to it. Your body needs a constant source of fuel at all times. If you know you are likely to overeat at dinner, then skipping breakfast and lunch is not a reasonable option to help make up for the extra food you will be eating at dinner. All you will be doing is setting your blood sugar up to take a drastic jump after the meal.

2. Eliminate hypoglycemic episodes at all costs. If you are eating healthily at mealtime and also having healthy snacks in between your main meals, then you should never again have to worry about hypoglycemic episodes. The trick is Type 2 diabetics can't choose to do one or the other: it has to be both or it won't work. If you do happen to feel your blood sugar beginning to drop then do something about it immediately. The best idea is to always have something available to combat the low blood sugar reading before it has the chance to escalate into a full-blown hypoglycemic event.