The End of Diabetes: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Diabetes

Managing diabetes day in and day out is exhausting, and the constant stress can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, and despair. It is no surprise that folks living with diabetes are two to three instances more likely to have depression than individuals without diabetes. Unfortunately, fewer than half receive a diagnosis and cure for their disorders.  

Depression can be a extremely serious issue that deserves professional facilitate. You might require therapy and/or medicine to pull yourself back into a healthier mental state. If you feel like you’re at that point, please seek real facilitate – we have some resources at the bottom of this article.

If you’re trying to manage your mood by yourself, you might find the following advice helpful. These straight forward self-care strategies ought to facilitate revise your mood, which in turn should assist you superior address your overall wellbeing.

Set realistic goals

Life can be stressful enough without diabetes. Constantly micromanaging your food and insulin use just takes everything to a new level of overwhelming. Don’t over-extend yourself. Whether it comes to blood sugar management, diet, your career, your hobbies, or anything else, try to set reasonable and achievable goals. Accomplishing even tiny daily tasks feels great, and builds momentum to get more done tomorrow. Don’t fixate on the ultimate purpose of huge long-term projects – break them up into smaller intermediate tasks. You’ll enjoy one success after another.

Exercise!

You’ve heard it before, and it’s really true: exercise puts you in a better mood. The scientific evidence of a connection between exercise and mood enhancement just keeps getting stronger. Even small amounts of moderate-intensity exercise have a powerful ability to help ward off depression.

Exercise helps both body and mind in a mind-boggling number of ways. You’ll feel fresher and you’ll sleep better. If you don’t wait to work out alone, consider joining a gym, sign up for a walking group, or find an interactive workout online, all of which can help make exercise more enjoyable. It’s not important to find the world’s healthiest exercise – just choose the one that you’ll actually do!

Eat Better

If you have diabetes, you already be aware of how important it is to pay attention to your diet. But you might not realize how powerfully what you eat can impact your mindset, too. And here’s some good news: many studies have found that the healthy foods idea to be best for diabetes pretty much overlap with the foods that are best for our mental wellbeing.

One meta-analysis found that “a dietary pattern characterized by a high intake of fruit, vegetables, entire grain, fish, olive oil, low-fat dairy and antioxidants and low intakes of animal foods was apparently associated with a decreased risk of depression. A dietary pattern characterized by a high consumption of red and/or processed meat, refined grains, sweets, high-fat dairy products, butter, potatoes and high-fat gravy, and low intakes of fruits and veggies is associated with an increased risk of depression.”

A systematic review agreed: to prevent depression, people should be encouraged to augment “the intake of vegetables, fruits, fish, nuts, legumes, olive oil [while] excluding or severely restricting the intake of processed foods such as sausages, juices, soft drinks, and sweets.”

The bottom line: whole, unprocessed foods will protect against depression. This probably goes double for people with diabetes, given how quickly sugary junk foods can lead to stressful blood sugar spikes.

Get More Sleep

Sleep is already surprisingly important for people with diabetes. Poor sleep is associated with a variety of metabolic problems, including insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, and sleep issues have a habit of causing blood sugar management headaches. Unfortunately, poor sleep and depression also go hand in hand.

Most adults should be getting 7-9 hours of sleep per night (seniors may need slightly less). Getting the sleep that your body needs puts you in a much better position to tackle the coming day.

I know that many people with depression also have trouble sleeping, and it’s not quite as simple as going to bed a bit earlier, if you even have the time for that. But there are some time-tested and scientifically-validated tips that can help improve the duration and quality of your sleep. Try winding down before bedtime – turn off the screens, don’t eat too close to bedtime, and create a soothing environment in which you can fully relax. Stick to a consistent bedtime. Drugs and alcohol might help you nod off, but overall they do more harm than good because they prevent your brain and body from truly resting.

And by the way – it looks like catching up on sleep on the weekends doesn’t really work. The best practice, if you can manage it, is to get a complete and steady night of sleep, each night.

Surround Yourself with Others

This can be tough, I know. Depression can completely sap your energy for socializing, and sometimes seeing a friend is the last thing you want to do. But if you can get out the door (or even onto Zoom) it’s a real fix: social groups alleviate depression. Patients that join and connect with social groups – whether that’s crew therapy or a sewing club – experience huge improvements in their mental state.

Being around people is so important so that we can feel connected and not alone. These interactions can help you establish connections that can lead to new positive relationships and a better outlook on life. Create a comfortable situation that allows you to spend time with others without overextending and overpromising your time. 

Give Back to the Community 

One of the best ways to meet new people is by volunteering. Giving your time to a cause is a huge way to help others and to advocate local charities and organizations. It can also give you a self of purpose, pride, and accomplishment. Unsurprisingly, volunteering is linked to reduced depression – mostly because it is such a good way to make new connections, but perhaps also because volunteering makes you happier too. You’ve also got something that most other volunteers don’t have – an understanding of diabetes! – so consider offering your support and experience to one of the many nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping people with diabetes. 

Routine 

A solid routine can be a big boost to your mental health. Creating a routine can relieve some of the everyday stressors life throws at us. at the same time as there are lots of things we can’t control, making sense of our hectic schedules is an easy exercise that can help you focus on your daily to dos and give you a sense of accomplishment. 

As a bonus, steady routines are often a very good idea for people with diabetes. It is easier to manage your blood sugar if your eating and sleeping schedules, for example, are predictable. In our survey of the Diabetes Daily community, we found that people with an A1C below 6.5% were much more likely to eat the same foods at the same times, and were more consistent with exercise and pre-bolusing before meals.

Stay Away from Alcohol and Drugs

Just don’t. Please. While this article cannot hope to address the problem of substance abuse, even moderate use is likely to make depression a whole lot worse: “Even among patients whose alcohol use does not rise to the level of an alcohol-use disorder, drinking can have a deleterious effect on depression and depressive symptoms and may dampen the impact of treatment for depression.”

Note that cannabis and depression is a complex subject. There is some evidence that marijuana can serve as an effective treatment for anxiety and stress – but other evidence that indicates that frequent use makes depression much more likely.

Be careful, and don’t hesitate to seek help if you need it.

Replace Negative thoughts with Positive Thoughts

Easier said than done, right? But it really works! A study in Behaviour Research and Therapy found that “thought replacement” actually gets results. When participants practiced visualizing positive images and outcomes experienced significantly less anxiety and worry. This was true whether they idea happy thoughts specifically related to their own worries, or simply concentrated on unrelated happy thoughts.

Change the way you speak to yourself: try replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. It’s not easy, and it takes practice, but it works.

Finally: Seek Help

Depression is a seriously debilitating condition, and it’s possible that the little tips above aren’t enough to make a dent in your problems. If the thought of something like volunteering or exercising seems all but impossible to you – and especially if your depression has crushed your interest in or ability to manage your diabetes properly – you should seek professional help.

The American Diabetes Association curates a database of mental health providers that have specific experience in diabetes.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is a free service and offers support 24/7, and anonymously.

You should also feel free to reach out to other people in the diabetes online community. Search for diabetes depression help on Facebook, Reddit, or in our own forums. There’s someone that’s been through the same issues that’s just waiting to help.

Diabetes Daily

The End of Diabetes: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Diabetes