Over 34 million Americans have diabetes, a chronic disease that affects how your body converts food into energy. Diabetes develops when the body is unable to produce or use insulin effectively due to an excess of it in the bloodstream rather than in the cells.

Excess blood sugar damages the body's smallest blood vessels, reducing blood flow and starving the capillaries that feed the tissues.

Excess sugar can also have an effect on the lens of the eye, causing cataracts, or cause neovascularization or the formation of new fragile vessels. Glaucoma or hemorrhage within the eye can result from neovascularization.

1. Know More About Diabetes

Although diabetes cannot be cured, you can put a stop to the threat of complications! If you know how to fight diabetes, you can live a long and healthy life without ever experiencing its complications.

You would never go to war and fight someone unless you knew everything about them and how they could hurt you. Fighting diabetes is similar. You must understand what you are dealing with as well as the mechanism by which diabetes harms the body.

High blood sugar levels are harmful to your eyes, kidneys, and nerves.

2. Stop Eating Processed Foods

Limit your intake of highly processed foods and sugary desserts. Consume them sparingly, only on special occasions, and in small amounts. Furthermore, if you make your own desserts during the holidays, make them diabetic-friendly by substituting natural sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit for regular sugar and regular white flour for whole wheat flour.

3. Know Your Carbs

Know what foods contain carbohydrates and how much to eat. In general, limiting calories to 60-75g for men and 45-60g for women per meal is a good rule of thumb. Of course, you should consult with a registered dietitian who is a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) to determine your specific needs.

4. Stay Active

Physical activity is one of the most effective natural ways to lower blood glucose levels. Physical activity promotes muscle growth, which requires more glucose (or'sugar'). Furthermore, your body uses glucose as fuel while performing physical activity. One session of physical activity can significantly lower your blood sugar.

5. Manage Your Stress

Find ways to deal with your stress. Even if you ate a perfect meal, stress can cause your glucose to rise. Learning to manage your stress can be an effective way to help control your diabetes. Can you think of any ways to reduce your stress? Dancing, warm baths, reading, meditation, and physical activity are a few ways my clients deal with stress naturally.

6. Eat Your Veggies

If possible, avoid canned vegetables. Vegetables are beneficial for two reasons. The first is that they take up space on your plate and in your stomach that would otherwise be filled with carbohydrate-containing foods. When you pile vegetables on your plate, there is less room for other foods. Second, vegetables are high in fiber and low in carbohydrates.

Fiber slows digestion and, as a result, glucose absorption. It has been demonstrated that when high-fiber foods are consumed in a meal, glucose does not peak as high or as quickly.

7. Lose Weight

Loss of visceral fat, or fat around your organs, can aid in the prevention of diabetes and the remission of Type 2 diabetes. When one loses weight around the pancreas and liver, the beta cells in the pancreas are able to produce more insulin, lowering blood sugar levels.

A low-carbohydrate diet is an effective strategy for weight loss and blood sugar control. It is recommended to take an individualized approach to carbohydrate intake, with a focus on long-term sustainability.

8. Tweak Your Diet

Small dietary changes are the most effective way to prevent diabetes or improve control. Don't consume your calories. Avoid or limit your consumption of bread. Remove the top piece of a sandwich or burger before eating. You may appear strange eating it, but it contains fewer carbohydrates. Remember that not all sugars are sweet. Carbohydrates are present in sweet foods such as cakes and pastries, as well as bread, pasta, and rice.

9. Surgery

Surgery may be necessary in extreme cases. Long-term outcomes are better with bariatric surgery, gastric bypass, and gastric sleeve than with gastric banding. If patients have a BMI of 35 or higher, have had type 2 diabetes for less than 5 years, and do not use insulin, they should consult with their doctor because there are serious health risks involved.

10. Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting can help reverse type 2 diabetes. It can help with weight loss and lowering insulin levels, as well as improving insulin sensitivity, increasing fat oxidation, and lowering oxidative stress if done correctly. Intermittent fasting is not recommended for all patients with type 2 diabetes because it increases the risk of low blood sugar episodes and is not suitable for everyone. It is best to discuss the option with a Health Care provider and incorporate it safely.