If there is a history of diabetes in your ancestry, start thinking about that you may be a candidate, may be in your early fifties, or later. The prior warning is that you become a borderline diabetic at the start, and this would be the time you should think seriously to change your lifestyle to fit into a pattern to prevent developing into a full blown situation.

First thing to do is to get educated, knowing what diabetes is. Buy books on diabetes and read: see a dietician to get a diet sheet to follow, start exercising yourself seriously on a regular basis. You may be able control your blood sugar levels without medication, if you seriously think about it. Investing in a glucometer is necessary to monitor your progress, and to detect in the eventuality of side effects like hypoglycaemia.

Doctors, dieticians, and other medical men can only advice you, but proof of the pudding is in the eating. You should become your own doctor to control your diabetes on a daily basis. Do not neglect yourself under the pretext that you are with the best diabetic specialist, ultimately, it is you who need to control your sugar intake.

Type 2 diabetes can't be cured, but it can be reversed by eating right (low GI foods) and exercising regularly. You need to understand the complications of neglected diabetes, terminating as chronic kidney failure, stroke, heart problems and other serious health concerns that come with diabetes.

You could walk for 30 minutes daily and with the right diet, you can put diabetes in retreat. Give up most of the high calorie carb foods like pizzas, mashed potatoes, rice, and sweets. Two tablespoonful of brown rice would be the amount you should eat, if you are a rice addict. Noodles and pasta are good substitutes for rice, provided you limit the load intake. Lowering carbohydrate intake is crucial because most carbs release too much of sugar and cause spikes in the blood. Focus on leafy greens, and enjoy a salad for lunch. Get more proteins from poultry rather than from red meat. Eat oily fish at least twice a week. Eat wholemeal bread with high fibre. Limit the bread to one or two slices.

If you are overweight reducing by eating less and exercising more would bring down excess sugar levels in your blood, and may lose weight, too.

Exercise in addition to losing weight, build muscles, and stimulate insulin sensitivity. Do some daily stretching exercises and aerobics (climbing the stairs at home or at work as many times as possible.

Motivation is the key to long-term success and set you to achievable goals. Your family needs motivation too to corporate with you as a team.

So, it is not difficult to nip in the bud and prevent progress of diabetes, if you undertake the responsibility to control your pre-diabetic state.
What are low GI foods?

The Glycaemic Index (GI) is a way of classifying the glucose content derived from the carbohydrate foods we consume. The test is done one to two hours after eating 50 Gms of the food and checking on blood glucose level, which is then compared with and indexed with glucose which is considered having an index of 100%.

It is a response characterised by the effect foods have on blood sugar levels after eating. The main foods that cause a glycaemic response are carbohydrates. Foods that have carbohydrates are: Breads, Asian foods cooked in wheat flour and rice flour, pastries, cereals, grains, legumes, rice, noodles, pasta, fruits, vegetables and high carbohydrate processed foods.

Glycaemic Index (GI) can be used as a guide as long as you are aware of the limitations. For example, the GI of some fruits, vegetables and cereals can be higher than foods that are considered to be treats, such as biscuits and cakes.

Carbohydrate foods that breakdown quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes. Their blood sugar response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that breakdown slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes. Those who eat carbohydrates of high glycaemic index (GI) regularly, i.e. an index over 60 are most probably, sure candidates to become diabetics especially those with a family history.

Eating high GI foods regularly, such as white rice having a GI index of 87, or cooked carrots and baked potatoes, GI of 85, or white bread of GI 70, or products cooked with wheat flour, such as string hoppers, hoppers, pittus, roties, are the sure candidates to become diabetics, complicated by obesity. Rice eaters should feel happy that there is one imported variety of rice – basmati — that has only a GI index of 57 (proviso, you restrict the load).

Mashed potatoes have a GI of 90: Cooked carrots have a GI of 85: Breakfast corn flakes have a GI of 85: Chocolate bars have a GI of 70; snack foods – GI 90; it is advised that diabetics should eat very little, sparingly, the above-mentioned high GI indexed foods. For the chocolate lovers, dark chocolates have a GI index of 22 (over 60% cocoa), and a regular bite is recommended.

Diabetes is a disease unlike cancer, you could control with discipline and you'll live as long as non- diabetics with less risk factors.

Think about it?