As a visiting nurse taking care of patients suffering from diabetes, did you know that you can maximize your efforts by teaching them the right foods to eat? As 70% of reversing type-2 diabetes originates from a healthy diet, it is a must to have them plan out what foods they should avoid, and which they should favor.

Below are seven nutritional tips that will guide you on your way to efficiently treat diabetics.

Cut Back On Carbs and Sugars

For optimal health it is crucial to cut back on carbohydrates and other sugar sources in your diet. This is the first fundamental step for reversing type-2 diabetes.

Since insulin has the responsibility of storing glucose in your cells, its production is stimulated when you eat too much sugar from sugary treats, unhealthy beverages and carbohydrates like pasta, bread and white rice.

If you continuously eat too much carbs, your body will consistently release insulin to accommodate the sugar in your blood and convert them into fat. But if you cut back on sugar sources, you allow your insulin levels to go down.

What happens afterwards is your body will start utilizing the stored fat in your cells and liver as energy - making you lose weight.

When you keep excess sodium in your body, it causes you to retain water and bloat up. Normal insulin levels also allow your kidneys the chance to flush excess sodium and water out of your body making you lose this annoying water weight.

But if you exponentially cut down on your sugar intake, you will notice that you are gradually losing more weight than simply exercising alone..

Say Yes To Vegetables, Fats And Proteins

Cutting back on rice, pasta, bread and other carbohydrates is important for losing weight. But it does not mean that you can never have them anymore, once in awhile is fine. But more importantly you should eat a lot of fiber carbohydrates, the good carbs, which are found in vegetables.

By eating low-carb vegetables like brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, swiss chard and cauliflower, you can meet the daily recommended range of carbs, which is 20 grams to 50 grams.

Make sure to get some protein too. You can find the healthiest proteins from lean meat sources like chicken, turkey, and lamb. As proteins are needed by our body.

Fish is also a great source of protein and omega-3 - an essential fatty acid required by the body to fight inflammation and neutralize free radicals. You can get more healthy fats from avocados, olives, and peanuts.

Planning your daily meals using these three components will boost your metabolism and aid weight loss in the healthiest way possible. The best part about eating a diet that consists in more vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats is it does not raise your risk of developing coronary diseases.

Reward Yourself

Completely depriving yourself of what you like to eat is a common mistake that people make. It will make you falter on your weight loss plans at some point in the future.

Thus allow yourself once a week to indulge on the foods you prefer. Think of it as a reward for doing such a good job of working out for the entire week. Just make sure to never overdo it.

If you ate more than what you should, try to compensate this mistake by adding another thirty minutes of work out the next day. A rule of thumb is to satisfy your taste buds, not your appetite.

Mind Your Portions And Count Your Calories

Calorie counting is an exhausting task if you do not have the right knowledge about food. Luckily, technology is on your side. You can simply download calorie counting apps in your smart phone.

Most of these apps have the most comprehensive lists of foods and can potentially be your best friend for losing weight. But the truth is, if you are sticking to a low carb - healthy fat - lean protein diet, counting the calories at every meal could become unnecessary over time.

Sticking to this three-component diet already tells you that you are hitting your daily nutritional requirement and as long as you eat in the right portions, you will surely lose weight without counting calories.

Strength Training

It is possible for you to lose weight without exercising. But when your body is active, you will achieve even better weight loss results.

Hitting the gym at least three times a week to work out and lift some weights will help speed up the rate of your weight loss, increase insulin sensitivity and build muscle mass. As muscles routinely burn more calories than adipose tissue (fat cells in other words), replacing some of your body fat with new muscle tissue will in itself lead to more weight loss.

Weight training builds more muscles mass and therefore requires more energy. By adding strength training to your routine, your body will burn off some of your stored fat to support the energy you need during your workout sessions.

Do not feel alarmed if you gained weight while building your muscles. Muscles weight more than fat. So just remember that as long as you eat healthy foods, you are burning fat. Weight loss is not just determined by the decreased number on your scale.

Drink Plenty of Water

For your metabolism to work like a well-oiled machine, always remember to drink lots of water. Drinking water helps you feel fuller, suppress your appetite and hydrate your skin and organs.

For obese people, drinking more water improves the skin's elasticity - thereby reducing the likelihood of stretch marks and skin sagging.

Water also helps flush out excess sodium in the body and eliminates water retention.

Get A Good Night's Sleep

Cell repair and body regeneration is faster while asleep at night. If exercising has left your body sore, getting enough sleep will help heal the torn tissues caused by an extensive workout.

You can also relieve pain by soaking your entire body in a tub of warm water, or incorporating natural remedies like the use of turmeric curcumin or epsom salt baths for body pain.

If you decide to use supplements to help out your recovery, make sure to get some medical advice from your doctor first.

Every movement in the body causes wear and tear - especially when you include strength training in your exercise routine. If you want to feel refreshed the next morning without feeling too sore, get at least seven hours of sleep so that your body can recuperate.