Reversing prediabetes and preventing type 2 diabetes altogether is easier than you think. The trick is to start early before too much damage has happened. Here are 3 things that will help you improve insulin sensitivity and get your metabolism back in order.

1. Eat healthily

Eat in a calorie deficit with a greater focus on whole foods, healthy fats and protein. Consider limiting fats to 25-30% of overall calorie intake (unless following a Keto diet where you need to eat low-carb and high-fat to get into ketosis)

Why? The majority of Type 2 diabetes is linked to overnutrition, or in other words, too much ‘food’ is already in our cells. Think of cells as being clogged with nutrients and refusing to open the door for more food to enter no matter how much Insulin keeps knocking on the door. By creating a calorie deficit, we improve insulin sensitivity as cells are able to free up some space and open the door when insulin knocks next time.

2. Stay active

Minimum 150 min/ week of moderate-intensity exercise. Spread over multiple days is better. One bout of exercise should be at least 10 minutes.

Why? Any time we try to lose weight, we also lose muscle along with fat, and that’s not desirable. Because muscle is metabolically active – the largest *organ* that picks up sugar from your blood after you eat, if you don’t have enough muscle mass, you will not have enough uptake of glucose. By regularly exercising, we minimise muscle loss and greatly improve insulin sensitivity. By frequently yo-yo dieting, we do the opposite.

3. Manage Stress

Chart out at least 15 to 30 mins a day for “me time” that you can use for meditation, pranayama or journalling. Make sure you get 7 to 8 hours of sleep. And most importantly, have a social life. Meet friends or family at least once a week.

Why? If you are stressed, your blood sugar will shoot up, you will not have the energy to exercise, and you will also crave junk food. The easiest way to stress yourself is to consistently miss your sleep. So, please get your rest.

These are the three pillars that will keep you happy and healthy. All you need to do now is to get started :).