How Do You Know Whether You Have Diabetes?

The typical American lifestyle reads like the ADA's list of risk factors. We're obese & inactive. We eat foods that give us high blood glucose & high cholesterol. We stress ourselves out & raise our blood pressure. It's not surprising, that there are over one & a half million people with type 2 diabetes in California alone.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of diabetes. If you find yourself experiencing them, it may be a good idea to check with your doctor.

* Frequent urination
* Extreme hunger
* Excessive thirst
* Unexplained weight loss
* Blurry vision
* Increased fatigue
* Irritability

Some people get "pre-diabetes," a condition characterized by high blood glucose levels, but nothing high enough to diagnose as diabetes. This can still be harmful to the body, but if you are aware of the possibility, you can prevent it from ever becoming full-blown diabetes.

To avoid diabetes is to keep your blood glucose levels. You must eating right - plenty of fruits & vegetables, whole grains over Wonderbread, fish, dried beans, lean meats, diet drinks over sugar-laden ones, liquid oils over solid fats. This also means cutting back on the desserts & generally watching portion sizes.

The other key to avoiding diabetes is lots of exercise. If you can walk instead of driving, do it. Anything that gets you moving will help, for example doing some sport activity like running, swimming or playing football. If you feel that you may be at risk, talk to your doctor about safe exercise for people who may have trouble maintaining healthy glucose levels during exercise.

In the end we must be wise up, so diabetes doesn't have to continue to be one.