Currently, India has about 41 million diabetics and the number is likely to go up to 69.9 million by 2025. Lifestyle modification is what will prevent and control the disease. It's important to have a healthy diet and complement it with regular exercise and stress management.

EAT RIGHT:

Having a healthy diet helps in achieving ideal body weight, normal sugar levels and desirable lipid levels, which in turn helps even prevent diabetes.

An ideal intake should be 500 Kcal/day of whichh, 55-60 per cent sould come from carbohydrate. Proteins should provide 10 to 15 per cent of calories and the rest can come from fat. Saturated fats should provide less than 7 per cent of total daily calories and cholesterol intake should be less than 300 mg per day. Eat high fibre food, salads and fruits, though juices should be avoided. Alcohol, if consumed, should be in moderation. However, some foods are a total no-no- simple sugars (all kinds of sweets), processed food and red meat.

For pregnant women, artificial sweetners and tobacco in any form must be avoided.

A LITTLE WORKOUT PLAN:

Like diets, exercise regimes are also individualised. The best is a stepwise incremental aerobic exercise. A 30-60 minute walk is recommended. Yoga can be useful if done under guidance. However, strenuous exercise must be avoided in patients with heart disease, retinopathy and autonomic neuropathy.

FOOTWEAR:

Particularly important to diabetics, a patient should not walk bare foot; wear cotton socks and sneakers.

Toe webs should be kept clean and dry. Cracks in the heels are to be avoided. Toe-nails must be trimmed slightly away from the skin. For any minor foot injuries immediate medical attention is a requisite.