Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the risk of high blood sugar is higher than normal. Blood sugar – the main type of sugar you get from food – nourishes the body but high levels harm the body. If you have type 2 diabetes, the main regulatory force – insulin – is weakness, which raises blood sugar levels.
Diagnosis After a formal diagnosis, you will be recommended to make a healthy lifestyle change to stabilize your blood sugar levels.
There are two main components to blood sugar control – diet and exercise.
You may not eat anything if you have type 2 diabetes, but you will have to limit certain foods.
Certain carbohydrate foods are broken down quickly by your body and therefore have a clear effect on blood sugar levels.
These include:
- Some fruits and vegetables
- Beans
- Holgreen foods, such as porridge oats.
In addition to improving your diet, you should aim for 2.5 hours of activity a week, advises the NHS.
Physical exercise helps lower your blood sugar levels.
Whatever you are doing you can be active until you exhale.
This could be:
- Brisk walking
- Climbing stairs
- Doing harder housework or gardening.
