To help prevent foot problems, you should wear comfortable, supportive shoes and take care of your feet before, during, and after physical activity. Most kinds of physical activity can help you take care of your diabetes.

Certain activities may be unsafe for some people, such as those with low vision or nerve damage to their feet. Ask your health care team what physical activities are safe for you. Many people choose walking with friends or family members for their activity.

Doing different types of physical activity each week will give you the most health benefits. Mixing it up also helps reduce boredom and lower your chance of getting hurt. Try these options for physical activity.

If you have been inactive or you are trying a new activity, start slowly, with 5 to 10 minutes a day. Then add a little more time each week. Increase daily activity by spending less time in front of a TV or other screen.

Try these simple ways to add physical activities in your life each day:. If you are sitting for a long time, such as working at a desk or watching TV, do some light activity for 3 minutes or more every half hour. Aerobic exercise is activity that makes your heart beat faster and makes you breathe harder.

You should aim for doing aerobic exercise for 30 minutes a day most days of the week. You do not have to do all the activity at one time. You can split up these minutes into a few times throughout the day.

Talk with your health care team about how to warm up and cool down before and after you exercise. Strength training is a light or moderate physical activity that builds muscle and helps keep your bones healthy.

Strength training is important for both men and women. Burning more calories can help you lose and keep off extra weight. You can do strength training with hand weights, elastic bands, or weight machines.

Try to do strength training two to three times a week. Start with a light weight. Slowly increase the size of your weights as your muscles become stronger.

Stretching exercises are light or moderate physical activity. When you stretch, you increase your flexibility, lower your stress, and help prevent sore muscles. You can choose from many types of stretching exercises. Yoga is a type of stretching that focuses on your breathing and helps you relax.

Even if you have problems moving or balancing, certain types of yoga can help. For instance, chair yoga has stretches you can do when sitting in a chair or holding onto a chair while standing.

Your health care team can suggest whether yoga is right for you. This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases NIDDK , part of the National Institutes of Health.

NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.

English English Español. Diabetes Overview What Is Diabetes? Show child pages. Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes Show child pages. Preventing Type 2 Diabetes Show child pages. Managing Diabetes Show child pages.

Preventing Diabetes Problems Show child pages. In this section: What foods can I eat if I have diabetes? What foods and drinks should I limit if I have diabetes?

When should I eat if I have diabetes? How much can I eat if I have diabetes? What is medical nutrition therapy? Will supplements and vitamins help my diabetes? Why should I be physically active if I have diabetes? How can I be physically active safely if I have diabetes?

These results are not surprising to me or to other doctors, because we have all seen patients with prediabetes or diabetes get their sugars down with diet, exercise, and weight loss alone. It's perfectly all right to use medications along with diet and lifestyle changes, because each boosts the effect of the other.

Studies looking at the combination of medication metformin with diet and lifestyle changes have shown an even stronger result. The CDC's Diabetes Prevention Program , used in many clinics, is a free tool to help you learn and stick with the healthy diet, physical activity, and stress management techniques that reduce your risk of diabetes.

Another helpful tool is the Harvard T. You can also get creative and swap out salt for different types of herbs and spices to add that extra flavour.

These all have links with heart problems and cancers. Most of us know that fish is good for us, but oily fish like salmon and mackerel are even better.

These are rich in something called omega-3 oil, which helps protect your heart. Try and aim to eat two portions of oily fish a week. We know eating fruit and veg is good for you. This can help you get the vitamins, minerals and fibre your body needs every day to help keep you healthy.

The answer is no. This is different to the added sugar also known as free sugars that are in things like chocolate, biscuits and cakes. Products like fruit juices also count as added sugar, so go for whole fruit instead.

This can be fresh, frozen, dried or tinned in juice, not in syrup. We all need fat in our diet because it gives us energy. But different types of fat affect our health in different ways. Healthier fats are in foods like unsalted nuts, seeds, avocados, oily fish, olive oil, rapeseed oil and sunflower oil.

Some saturated fats can increase the amount of cholesterol in your blood, increasing your risk of heart problems. These are mainly found in animal products and prepared food like:.

Swapping sugary drinks, energy drinks and fruit juices with water, plain milk, or tea and coffee without sugar can be a good start. Cutting out these added sugars can help you manage your blood glucose levels and help you manage your weight.

You can always try low or zero-calorie sweeteners also known as artificial or non-sugar sweeteners to help you cut back.

But, in the long term, try and reduce the overall sweetness in your diet.

Diabetes Care. Diabetes mellitus. Merck Manual Professional Version. Accessed April 14, Facilitating behavior change and well-being to improve health outcomes: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes — Your game plan to prevent type 2 diabetes.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Accessed April 8, Melmed S, et al. Therapeutics of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. Elsevier; Interactive Nutrition Facts label: Dietary fiber.

Food and Drug Administration. Accessed April 16, Department of Health and Human Services and U. Department of Agriculture. Interactive Nutrition Facts label: Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Classification and diagnosis of diabetes: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes — Products and Services Assortment of Health Products from Mayo Clinic Store A Book: The Essential Diabetes Book.

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About Mayo Clinic. About this Site. Contact Us. It is based on your height and weight. A healthy BMI is less than If your BMI is more than 25, talk with your doctor about things you can do to lose weight. Begin by setting a goal to lose 7 percent of your current weight.

For example, if you weigh pounds, your first goal will be to lose 18 pounds. Losing any amount of weight and keeping it off will improve your health, so don't get discouraged if you lose the weight slowly.

Combining a healthy diet with exercise is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Less than 25 percent of your calories should come from fat. Avoid fatty foods like deli meats, hot dogs, snack foods, and pastries. If reducing the amount of fat from calories does not help you lose weight, decrease the total number of calories you consume.

The number of calories you should consume each day depends on how much you weigh. Current weight Number of calories per day to pounds 1, to pounds 1, to pounds 1, pounds or more 2, Getting at least minutes per week of moderate exercise, like walking, biking, and swimming, will help you lose weight and keep it off, and it can help keep your heart healthy.

These patients are better served through case management, which addresses immediate needs and ultimately improves the likelihood of treatment adherence.

Achieving permanent changes in diet and physical activity patterns is a multiyear project. The longer the period of intervention, the more likely that improvements in weight loss and physical activity will be maintained.

Because nonphysician members of the health care team are increasingly involved with between-visit contacts, a portion of these contacts may be done by telephone or secure messaging, 25 , 26 although there is currently little evidence to direct the best practice approach.

Physicians should review the lifestyle action plan with patients at each visit Figure 2. Short-term targets should be adjusted based on patient progress. It is best to develop only one to two additional behavior tasks per visit, starting with the simplest step that is most likely to result in change.

Whether the physician is leading the change effort or is part of a team approach, taking the time to ask about any behavior accomplishments and offering praise can be powerful motivators to continue the effort. Encouragement should be offered at each visit.

Physicians should ask patients about behavior targets previously discussed, confirm how the targets are tracked, and review basic information about diabetes. Asking about benefits noticed e.

For patients quick to see failure, the focus should be on partial successes compared with their previous level. Because long-term change is more likely when patients systematically track their own behavior, physicians should provide or recommend a simple tracking system, strongly encourage its use, and follow up during office visits.

In the DPP and Look AHEAD studies, patients were taught to track all food consumption and physical activity, and were gradually coached to learn what works for them. Popular consumer fitness trackers and phone apps are sufficiently reliable to track physical activity, such as walking and running, for the purposes of motivating behavior change.

A variety of applications offer extensive lists of foods found in grocery stores and restaurants, track daily nutrition totals e. Such tracking software may additionally include goal setting, support through social networking, reminders, reinforcement for achieving goals, and the ability to review achievements over time.

Although there is little evidence clarifying the optimal features for this emerging lifestyle technology, it seems clear that the best tracking system for patients is the one they are likely to use regularly. The maintenance phase is often a period of struggle Table 2.

Slips and relapses both begin with a mistake. If the patient quickly returns to the change effort, the mistake is considered a slip; however, if the patient reverts to a previous stage, it is considered the beginning of a relapse. Persons who view a slip primarily as their personal failure tend to feel guilt and shame, and have increased risk of relapse.

Persons who view a slip as the result of difficulty coping effectively with a specific high-risk situation are more likely to want to learn from the mistakes and develop effective ways to handle similar situations in the future.

A helpful approach involves focusing on specific examples and prompting the patient to brainstorm about possible triggers and how to overcome them next time. Commonly cited precipitants include negative emotions, interpersonal conflicts, social pressure, time pressure, and celebrations. A person who can execute effective coping skills is less likely to relapse Table 4.

Describe : I was planning to walk after dinner, but the friend I walk with canceled. My daughter was watching a movie, so I watched with her instead. Brainstorm : I could listen to a podcast while I walk alone. Or, I could ask my daughter to walk with me now, and we'll watch a movie together afterward.

This article updates a previous article on this topic by Koenigsberg, et al. Data Sources : Literature searches were performed using the OVID Med-line Database with key terms prediabetes, prediabetic state, and diabetes mellitus, crossed with lifestyle, diet, exercise, physical activity, weight reduction programs, patient compliance, and adherence.

The search was limited to randomized controlled trials, review articles, or meta-analyses, with studies limited to those in English with human participants.

Later searches were done for specific areas such as follow-up publications on major studies Diabetes Prevention Program, Look AHEAD, Da Qing IGT and Diabetes Study, Malmo Study, Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study or meta-analyses for relevant areas e.

Also searched were AFP archives, Guideline. gov, Cochrane database, AHRQ. gov, CDC. gov, and Essential Evidence Plus. Search dates: November , January to March , October to December , and April Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

National diabetes statistics report, Accessed March 21, National data. Updated April American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes— Diabetes Care. Updated December Accessed November 8, Pippitt K, Li M, Gurgle HE.

Diabetes mellitus: screening and diagnosis. Am Fam Physician. Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Long-term effects of lifestyle intervention or metformin on diabetes development and micro-vascular complications over year follow-up: the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study.

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. National Diabetes Prevention Program. Prevent T2 curricula and handouts. Accessed April 17, Knowler WC, Fowler SE, Hamman RF, et al.

Li G, Zhang P, Wang J, et al. The long-term effect of lifestyle interventions to prevent diabetes in the China Da Qing Diabetes Prevention Study: a year follow-up study. Lindström J, Ilanne-Parikka P, Peltonen M, et al. Sustained reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes by lifestyle intervention: follow-up of the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study.

Look AHEAD Research Group. Eight-year weight losses with an intensive lifestyle intervention: the look AHEAD study. Obesity Silver Spring. Gregg EW, Chen H, Wagenknecht LE, et al. Association of an intensive lifestyle intervention with remission of type 2 diabetes.

Colberg SR, Sigal RJ, Fernhall B, et al. Exercise and type 2 diabetes: the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Diabetes Association: joint position statement executive summary.

Lifestyle intervention materials. Diabetes Prevention Program DPP Research Group. The Diabetes Prevention Program DPP : description of lifestyle intervention. Garber AJ, Abrahamson MJ, Barzilay JI, et al.

Consensus statement by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology on the comprehensive type 2 diabetes management algorithm— executive summary. Endocr Pract. Preventive Services Task Force.

Final recommendation statement: healthful diet and physical activity for cardiovascular disease prevention in adults with cardiovascular risk factors: behavioral counseling. August Accessed November 7, Mason P, Butler CC. Health Behavior Change: A Guide For Practitioners.

Edinburgh, United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; Prochaska JO, Norcross JC. Systems Of Psychotherapy: A Transtheoretical Analysis. Stamford, Conn.

See if any of these tips are familiar or worth trying! Remember when you first found out you had diabetes and learned the basics of taking care of yourself? Being fit for yourself and your family?

Having fun? Having energy? Everything you do to take care of yourself gives you more of what matters most. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

Español Other Languages. Living Well With Diabetes. Studies have shown that eating a nutritious diet that's rich in plants can reduce your risk of diabetes. Fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains are nutrient-dense, satisfying foods.

They contain filling fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can reduce oxidative stress—a contributing factor in the development of diabetes. Fiber , the indigestible part of carbohydrates, helps keep you full because it is digested slowly.

Diets with plenty of fiber can help manage your weight and benefit your heart health. Choose high-fiber starches such as whole grains, root vegetables, and legumes, rather than refined carbohydrates like white bread, snack foods, and desserts.

Regular consumption of root vegetables, leafy greens, and apples has been associated with a lower risk of diabetes. Eating enough healthy fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, and limiting your intake of trans and saturated fats can also reduce your risk of diabetes.

Aim to eat fatty fish twice a week, use low-fat dairy products, and limit processed meat. Some research has shown that following a Mediterranean-style eating plan is associated with a decreased risk of diabetes and a reduced risk of developing diabetes in people with cardiovascular disease.

Exercise is important for your overall health, improving your energy and mood, and reducing your risk of heart disease, obesity, and insulin resistance a precursor to type 2 diabetes.

When your cells resist insulin, glucose is not used for energy and builds up in your blood instead. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity.

Doing a combination of aerobic and weight resistance exercises is key. Weight training increases your lean body mass, which can improve your metabolism. Having lean body mass makes your body more efficient at using calories, which can help you maintain the healthiest weight for you.

In turn, that reduces your risk for diabetes. Carrying excess weight—especially in your midsection—is associated with type 2 diabetes. Weight loss is complex and challenging for many people—especially if they have tried it before and have not found long-term success. It will help to come up with an eating plan that takes your food preferences, culture, schedule, and nutritional needs into account.

Work with a registered dietitian to create a plan that will work for you and that you can stick to. Smoking can increase insulin resistance and reduce blood flow, increasing your risk of diabetes and other diabetes-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis , heart disease, and neuropathy.

Talk to your healthcare provider if you need support with quitting smoking. When you feel emotional or physical stress , your body responds with a fight-or-flight response to manage the situation.

Stress doesn't cause diabetes, but over the long term, it can lead to higher levels of a stress hormone called cortisol. Over time, that hormone can reduce insulin secretion. If you feel chronically stressed, consider seeing a mental health professional, working with a lifestyle coach, or joining a support group.

There are many different ways of dealing with stress, such as meditating, exercising, and journaling. Find a method that you enjoy and that helps you.

People with diabetes are more likely to have sleep issues , and people with sleep issues are more likely to have diabetes. Studies have shown that sleep problems can increase the risk of insulin resistance and prediabetes. Not getting enough sleep can also disrupt your mood and is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure , weight challenges, and a weakened immune system.

Getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night may reduce your risk of developing diabetes. One way to save money on food is to shop locally and seasonally. Purchase fruits and vegetables that are frozen—they're just as nutrient-dense as fresh, because they're frozen at peak freshness, which maximizes their vitamin and mineral content.

They are usually less expensive than fresh produce and have a longer shelf-life, too. Reducing food waste also reduces costs. If you are not a culinary enthusiast or feel lost in the kitchen, consider a budget-friendly meal delivery service that offers tasty and nutritious recipes.

Fancy gym memberships are not necessary to move more. Take advantage of the outdoors or download a workout streaming app to exercise at home. Certain lifestyle changes can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Carbohydrate counting is a meal planning tool for people with diabetes who take insulin, but not all people with diabetes need to count carbohydrates.

Your health care team can help you create a personal eating plan that will best meet your needs. The amount of carbohydrates in foods is measured in grams. Most carbohydrates come from starches, fruits, milk, and sweets.

Try to limit carbohydrates with added sugars or those with refined grains, such as white bread and white rice. Instead, eat carbohydrates from fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and low-fat or nonfat milk. In addition to using the plate method and carb counting, you may want to visit a registered dietitian RD for medical nutrition therapy.

Medical nutrition therapy is a service provided by an RD to create personal eating plans based on your needs and likes. For people with diabetes, medical nutrition therapy has been shown to improve diabetes management.

Medicare pays for medical nutrition therapy for people with diabetes If you have insurance other than Medicare, ask if it covers medical nutrition therapy for diabetes.

No clear proof exists that taking dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, or spices can help manage diabetes.

Talk with your health care provider before you take any dietary supplement since some can cause side effects or affect how your medicines work. Physical activity is an important part of managing your blood glucose level and staying healthy.

Being active has many health benefits. If you are overweight, combining physical activity with a reduced-calorie eating plan can lead to even more benefits. These benefits included improved cholesterol levels, less sleep apnea , and being able to move around more easily. Even small amounts of physical activity can help.

Experts suggest that you aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity 5 days of the week. If you want to lose weight or maintain weight loss, you may need to do 60 minutes or more of physical activity 5 days of the week. Be sure to drink water before, during, and after exercise to stay well hydrated.

The following are some other tips for safe physical activity when you have diabetes. Talk with your health care team before you start a new physical activity routine, especially if you have other health problems.

Your health care team will tell you a target range for your blood glucose level and suggest how you can be active safely. Your health care team also can help you decide the best time of day for you to do physical activity based on your daily schedule, meal plan, and diabetes medicines.

Because physical activity lowers your blood glucose, you should protect yourself against low blood glucose levels, also called hypoglycemia. You are most likely to have hypoglycemia if you take insulin or certain other diabetes medicines, such as a sulfonylurea.

Hypoglycemia also can occur after a long intense workout or if you have skipped a meal before being active. Hypoglycemia can happen during or up to 24 hours after physical activity.

Planning is key to preventing hypoglycemia. For instance, if you take insulin, your health care provider might suggest you take less insulin or eat a small snack with carbohydrates before, during, or after physical activity, especially intense activity.

You may need to check your blood glucose level before, during, and right after you are physically active. People with diabetes may have problems with their feet because of poor blood flow and nerve damage that can result from high blood glucose levels. To help prevent foot problems, you should wear comfortable, supportive shoes and take care of your feet before, during, and after physical activity.

Most kinds of physical activity can help you take care of your diabetes. Certain activities may be unsafe for some people, such as those with low vision or nerve damage to their feet.

Ask your health care team what physical activities are safe for you. Many people choose walking with friends or family members for their activity. Doing different types of physical activity each week will give you the most health benefits. Mixing it up also helps reduce boredom and lower your chance of getting hurt.

Try these options for physical activity. If you have been inactive or you are trying a new activity, start slowly, with 5 to 10 minutes a day. Then add a little more time each week. Increase daily activity by spending less time in front of a TV or other screen. Try these simple ways to add physical activities in your life each day:.

If you are sitting for a long time, such as working at a desk or watching TV, do some light activity for 3 minutes or more every half hour. Aerobic exercise is activity that makes your heart beat faster and makes you breathe harder.

You should aim for doing aerobic exercise for 30 minutes a day most days of the week. You do not have to do all the activity at one time. You can split up these minutes into a few times throughout the day.

Talk with your health care team about how to warm up and cool down before and after you exercise.