Millions of people these days are suffering from diabetes and the number just keeps growing. One can blame these rising numbers on the lifestyle that we lead today.
Most people think that diabetes is a hereditary disease. But you will be surprised to know that some habits of yours might be increasing your risk of getting this killer disease.
Here are a few habits that you can cut out so that you reduce the chances of developing diabetes:
1) You sip on a lot of sugary drinks
When you are thirsty you sip on a lot of sugary drinks that are found in cafes, pubs and restaurants. These drinks are just sugar and are empty calories. You r body gets no benefits.
Such high sugar levels can increase your risk of diabetes. Instead pick up the healthy habit of sipping water when you are thirsty. If you miss fruit juices so much you can sip on milk instead.
2) You skip breakfast
We are always in a rush in the morning to reach our workplace or university and in the process we forego the most important meal of the day: breakfast.
When you finally make time for yourself to eat later in the day you are ravenous since your body is craving food.
When you deprive your body of food the insulin levels are disrupted making it difficult of blood sugar to remain at regulated levels.
3) You are a night owl
Skimping on sleep is actually paying its toll on your body. What most people do when they stay awake is spend hours watching TV or browsing the internet. Exposed to such high levels of artificial light on a regular basis will lower insulin sensitivity in your body and also result in poor blood sugar regulation.
So get that quality 6-8 hours of sleep unless you want to increase your chances of developing diabetes.
4) You skip the sun
Believe it or not but if you do not expose yourself to the sun you are likely to develop Vitamin D deficiency which is responsible for the proper functioning of the pancreas that produces insulin that regulates blood sugar.
Get this essential sunshine vitamin in the form of fortified foods and sun exposure so that you don’t fall a prey to this killer disease.
5) You are a couch potato
When you don’t get enough physical activity and land up slouching in front of the TV all day you again increase your chances of developing diabetes. Too much of sitting idle will increase the fat deposits in your body thereby reducing your body’s sensitivity to insulin.
6) You don’t eat enough probiotics
You need more good bacteria in your gut that the bad. Good bacteria aid in digestion and helps maintain proper insulin levels in the body.
When the bad takes over, you might face insulin resistance which leads to diabetes in the long run.
7) Emotional binging
When you are depressed you forget all about yourself and concentrate only on your worries and problems and start eating. It’s almost like you are trying to eat your emotions.Better get counselling or talk to someone instead of creating havoc to your insulin levels.
8) Midnight munching
If you plan to continue this pattern of eating on the long run beware of sudden spikes in blood sugar levels which in turn affect the insulin levels in the body and the body’s sensitivity to insulin.
Have three balanced meals a day so that you are in control of your blood sugar levels.
9) Indulging insaturated fats
Saturated fats like butter and oil have been proved to increase insulin resistance and increasing risk of diabetes. Switch to healthier alternatives like olive oil or vegetable based ones.
10) Piling on the starchy carbs
Carbs are essential in one’s diet provided that they are eaten in moderation.
Too much pasta, white bread and potatoes should be eaten to a limit in proper portions so as not to trigger diabetes.
It is up to us to live healthy and keep the bad habits at bay so that we don’t suffer from diseases like diabetes. So keep away from these seemingly harmless habits and cut your diabetes risk.
