World Diabetes Day was marked as an official United Nations Day approximately 15 years ago. Ever since then, World Diabetes Day is marked on the 14th of November every year, which also happens to be Sir. Frederick Banting’s birthday. Sir. Frederick Banting is a co-founder of insulin. So, during this World Diabetes Day, we would like to focus on the link between sugar intake and type 2 diabetes.
Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes affects the ability of our body to regulate the glucose level in our blood. Several studies have found out that sugar intake will not directly lead to diabetes. However, consuming too much sugar will result in weight gain, which is actually a risk factor for diabetes. So, it is best to cut down sugar from your diet and switch to a healthy and balanced diet.
Why Cut Down Sugar From Your Diet
As mentioned earlier, sugar consumption will not directly result in Type 2 diabetes. That said, the overall intake of sugar is sure to increase chances of diabetes 2. Even though the link between Type 2 diabetes and sugar intake remains to be uncertain, the consumption of sugar will result in several other health-related risks.
For instance, several studies have revealed that consuming sugar excessively increases the chance of cardiovascular diseases. In addition to that, eating sugar excessively may also result in chronic illness, hormone changes, and even cancer. The good news is that you will be able to avoid all these risks by cutting down sugar from your diet. Here are a few tips on how to cut down sugar from your daily diet.
Avoid Drinking Sodas
It might surprise some of you when you hear that there are approximately 19 spoons of sugar in most soft drinks. This is about three times more than the amount of sugar that is normal to consume in a single day. So, if you really wish to cut down sugar intake, you should consider avoiding sodas and soft drinks.
It would be best to replace soda and soft drinks that are high in sugar with water or lemon juice. You could also make a swift switch to tea or coffee with less amount of sugar.
Drink Plenty Of Water
Our body lacks the ability to distinguish between thirst and hunger. So, if you drink lots of water and keep yourself hydrated, you won’t feel the need to eat sugary delights or snacks. Several people often drink fruit juices instead of drinking water. You may be probably wondering what’s so bad about drinking homemade fruit juices.
Fruits are undoubtedly rich in fibre, which will help in controlling the sugar level in our body. However, fruits contain more amounts of fibre when they are in their natural form. So, when you cut or blend them, the percentage of fibre in fruits gets reduced. Moreover, the resulting juice may spike the blood sugar levels, which is not good for your health.
Why Switching To A Healthy Diet Can Help Reduce The Risk Of Diabetes
One of the biggest risk orders for Type 2 diabetes is being obese or overweight. So, one of the simplest ways to increase the risk of diabetes is to lose weight. Fortunately, you will be able to lose weight by switching to a healthy & balanced diet and by avoiding the intake of sugar. In fact, making small changes is quite enough to help you lose weight.
Making small changes like replacing fast & packaged foods with home cooked meals and consuming protein-rich food is sure to help you lose weight. Apart from that, you could also replace white rice with brown rice, white bread with whole-grain bread, & include otas, leafy vegetables, and more in your diet.
It might be quite complicated for some people to switch to a balanced & healthy diet. This is why we have come up with a simple way, which will help you to include essential nutrients in your diet with ease. Our Smart Carbs plan that features a fine selection of healthy, nutrient-dense, and delicious meals is sure to supply enough nutrition. The right combination of healthy and tasty food will help you kickstart a healthy eating habit and it might also help you lose weight with proper exercise.
