8 Mantras On How to Avoid Diabetes Heart Attacks

Managing diabetes is a lot like taking care of a plant. Just like a plant needs sunlight, water, and good soil to flourish, your heart needs balanced blood sugar, healthy food, and regular check-ups with daily happiness to stay strong 🥰.

By paying attention to your body, like caring for a garden, you can keep your heart healthy and reduce the risk of heart problems. It’s about nurturing yourself with small, daily actions that make a big difference.

So, let’s understand how you can take care of your heart, especially if you have diabetes, and more importantly, how to avoid the dreaded ‘H’ word!

What’s the Connection Between Diabetes and Heart Attacks?

Since we all love beautiful gardens, we considered simplifying the diabetes-heart connection using a garden analogy. Here we go:

1. Diabetes and Heart Health: Think of your blood vessels like garden hoses. When you have diabetes, too much sugar in your blood can make these hoses weak and clogged over time. 
2. Why It Matters: Because of this constant clogging, your heart stops getting enough blood to pump to other parts of the body, leading to significant heart problems, including heart attacks and strokes.
3. Other Factors: Smoking, stress, less sleep, and high cholesterol can worsen things, much like how bad weather can damage the garden more. All this, put together, increases the chances of one getting a heart attack when one has diabetes.

The solution is simple! Take care of your heart. But how?

Want to Reverse Diabetes?

Call Us on080694 50746

How to Manage Diabetes To Prevent Heart Attacks?

1. Monitoring Blood Sugar Levels

This is the most essential thing you can do, so we’ll let you in on an easy way – the 3 M’s of monitoring blood sugar levels.

• Monitor: Keep an eye on your blood sugar to stay within the healthy range.
• Mindful: Be aware & alert to high or low blood sugar signs.
• Medicate: Follow your healthcare provider’s advice on medication and insulin. 

These three M’s help maintain optimal blood sugar control, which is crucial for heart health.

But how to monitor your blood sugar all the time? You can!

This is where the power of Fitterfly’s diabetes control program shines. We ensure you’re always a step ahead by enabling you to manage and stay mindful of your blood sugar levels consistently.

Our approach integrates a CGM sensor (Continuous Glucose Monitoring sensor) applied to your arm, offering real-time tracking of your blood sugar levels. When this technology is combined with the Fitterfly app, it gives detailed insights into how your blood sugar responds to various lifestyle factors—diet, exercise, sleep, and stress.

This comprehensive view empowers you to make informed decisions, effectively control your diabetes, and safeguard your heart health with precision and ease.

2. Managing Blood Pressure

You already know that you need to control your BP properly to avoid cardiovascular diseases, heart problems, or a heart attack, even more so if you have diabetes. So, apart from the regular points like eating healthy and exercising, monitoring your BP is very important.

Buy a good quality BP machine (Omron, Medtech, Dr. Trust, etc). These are very easy to use at home. Aim for taking readings daily at the same time, like in the morning and evening, to track changes/fluctuations.

3. Controlling Cholesterol Levels

High cholesterol, especially the bad type (LDL), can cause blockages in your arteries, leading to heart problems. People with diabetes need to be careful about their cholesterol levels.

Your doctor might recommend medicines, like statins, to help keep your cholesterol in check. To keep your heart healthy, following your doctor’s advice, eating a balanced diet, and staying active is important.

4. Adopting a Healthy Diet

“You are what you eat,” goes the saying, and it couldn’t be more accurate. Every bite you take plays a role in your health, especially when you’re managing diabetes.

Beyond the usual advice of eating healthy, cutting sugar, and avoiding processed foods, we have some tips to help you spice up your meal prep. These tricks will keep your food not just healthy but also delicious:

Mindful Eating

Pay attention to how you eat, not just what you eat. Slow down, chew thoroughly, and enjoy your meals without distractions.

This can help with better digestion and blood sugar control. Make your meal time a ‘No TV, No smartphone time’

Herb and Spice Magic

 Our Indian kitchens have some of the most unique spices like Cumin (Jeera), Coriander (Dhania), Turmeric (Haldi), Cardamom (Elaichi), Cinnamon (Dalchini), Mustard seeds (Rai), Fenugreek (Methi). Many, like cinnamon and methi, have properties that can help manage blood sugar levels and improve heart health.

Use them generously in your food preps.

Plant-based Proteins

While lean meats are beneficial, incorporating plant-based proteins like lentils (dal), beans (like kidney beans, black-eyes beans), and chana(like kabuli chana, kala chana, yellow, green watana) can offer additional fiber, helping with blood sugar management and heart health.

Hydration with a Twist

 Drinking plenty of water is crucial, but adding slices of fruits like lemon, lime, or cucumber can make it more appealing and help you drink more throughout the day.

Fermented Foods

 Include fermented foods like dahi, idli, dosa, and dhokla. These can improve gut health, and you can even make healthier variations like moong-dalia cheela, vegetable idli, ada, handvo, etc.

Smart Swaps

Replace white bread, maida noodles & pasta,  and rice with their whole-grain counterparts. Also, try indigenous millet like nachni (rahi), bajra, kangni, kutki, chena, etc., which offer variety and a nutritional boost.

But do see how it’s affecting your blood sugar first. Even the previous night’s rice or roti is great. Just heat it, add veggies, or convert it into an Indianized taco or burrito and enjoy.

Nuts and Seeds

Beyond just almonds and walnuts, try incorporating chia seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and watermelon seeds into your diet. These are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, beneficial for heart health.

Glycemic Index Awareness

Read up about various foods’ glycemic index (GI) and aim for low to medium GI foods to stabilize your blood sugar levels. The Fitterfly Diabetes Prime program uses an awesome technology called PGR (Personalized Glycemic Response)Score, which tells you which food is ideal for you and which ones to avoid after monitoring your blood sugar levels for a while.

Colorful Plates

 It’s time to add some color to your life 😃 and make your thali into a ‘Rainbow Plate.’ Try to add as many colored veggies to your plate as possible.

Each color represents different nutrients and antioxidants that can support heart health and diabetes management.

Cooking Methods Matter

 Opt for grilling, baking, steaming, or sautéing over frying. This helps maintain the nutritional value of your food while reducing unhealthy fat intake.

These simple tips should make your healthy eating plan more effective and enjoyable!

5. Engaging in Regular Physical Activity

Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Activities

Aim for at least 150 minutes weekly like brisk walking, cycling on level ground, or doing water aerobics.

Vigorous-Intensity Aerobic Exercises

Alternatively, 60-75 minutes per week of vigorous activities like jogging, swimming laps, or playing a fast-paced sport like basketball or football can be more your style.

Strength Training

Do strength training exercises at least twice a week. Use resistance bands, lift weights, or perform bodyweight exercises like push-ups and squats to build muscle strength and aid in weight management.

Guidance from Professionals

Engaging in these activities under the supervision of a qualified physiotherapist can enhance their effectiveness. They can tailor exercises to your needs, ensuring you manage your blood sugars more effectively and safely.

6. Quitting Smoking & Limiting Alcohol Consumption

Smoking & alcohol significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and heart attacks. If you have diabetes, quitting smoking/drinking is essential for protecting your cardiovascular health.

Seek support from your doctor, join smoking/drinking cessation programs, and consider using nicotine replacement therapies to increase your chances of successfully quitting.

7. Manage stress

Chronic stress can negatively impact heart health. Engage in stress-reducing activities such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, yoga, or hobbies (like doodling, dancing, crafts, nature trails, etc) that bring you joy and relaxation.

Expert stress management sessions through a qualified psychologist can help you tackle this better. They are all a part of the Fitterfly Diabetes Prime program.

So, you get expert Nutrition and Fitness guidance and detailed sessions on improving sleep and stress management.

8. Get enough sleep

It’s always quality over quantity when it comes to sleep. Poor sleep quality and duration have been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, especially heart-related.

Aim for atleast 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night to support overall health and heart function. Here are 10 tips for getting a good night’s zzzz.

Take charge of your health and heart well-being today! At Fitterfly, we’re dedicated to supporting those battling diabetes with our Diabetes Control Program.

This holistic program covers everything from blood sugar monitoring to fostering a heart-healthy lifestyle, including customized nutrition plans, stress management, and tailored physical activities, focusing on preventing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

So, it’s like a one-stop shop for your diabetes management and prevention of heart attacks. Let our expert team guide you or your loved ones to healthier lives.

Reach out to discover how we can make a difference on 08069450746.