Being diagnosed with diabetes can be frightening and confusing. You may not know anything about the disease beyond thinking it has something to do with sugar, daily injections, and even amputations. There are things you can do to make life with diabetes easier, and things everyone should know about the disease. Here is some advice below.
Yogurt is an excellent way for a diabetic to convince their mouth that low-fat, sugar-free food IS enjoyable. Have a cup of non-fat yogurt mixed with seasonable fruit for breakfast with a high-fiber muffin and a glass of milk so that you’ll have enough energy to last you right through until lunch.
Diabetic children will find temptation around every corner, so it is up to you as their parent to give them something else to focus on. For example, the kids at school would offer my daughter candy, so we paid her for the candies she brought home. She could then use the money to buy a toy or clothing that she wanted.
When looking for a substitute for something sweet, make it yourself! For example, if you don’t want to eat sugary store bought relish since it will spike your blood sugar and set your diabetes off, then make your own by chopping up dill pickles. Need a replacement for ketchup? Try mixing pureed tomatoes and honey.
If you suffer from diabetes it is absolutely critical that you monitor the amount of alcohol you drink. Cutting back on alcohol consumption is one of the best things a diabetic can do to improve their health. Alcohol is loaded with empty calories and fast acting carbohydrates. These fast acting carbohydrates quickly raise blood sugar levels in the body and this, in turn, can lead to type II diabetes complications.
To save money, the American Diabetes Association approves the re-use of testing lancets. These are the needles used by your glucometer to test your blood sugar. Re-using them does result in them becoming dull, so be sure to change them out when you notice the pain level of your testing rising. Never share lancets.
Create a journal, and keep track of your blood sugar level every time you check it. Sometimes your blood sugar can reach dangerous levels without symptoms presenting themselves. If you don’t keep track of your levels, you put yourself at a greater risk for kidney failure, stroke, gout, heart disease, and other debilitating maladies.
If you feel like speaking with others who have diabetes, you may want to join a local diabetes support group. Many hospitals and health clinics around the country have these groups so that people can speak with others with the condition and share advice about how to live a healthy life with diabetes.
If you have been diagnosed as a diabetic it would behoove you to get a medical bracelet indicating as such. You never want to end up in a situation where you are unresponsive, and god forbid, those caring for you don’t know you are diabetic and do something, like give you a dextrose IV that can make you even worse.
If you suffer from Diabetes, a helpful tip is to eat bars or shakes especially made for Diabetics in between your meals when you are out. Doing this can keep your glucose levels even. However, you want to avoid having these in addition to your meals because that will cause your glucose levels to climb. Only use them as meal replacements!
It is important that, as a diabetic, you eat nutritional foods on a regular basis and check your glucose levels, even when feeling unwell and you have no appetite. Fluids are very important during times of low glucose levels.
Lifting weights will greatly help reduce the risk of heart disease, which is a huge concern for anyone dealing with diabetes. The chances of you getting both of these will go down when your body is more lean. Strength-training will help you to lose visceral fat which is the most dangerous for your heart health.
Due to the nature of diabetes and the circulation issues it can cause, you need to always pay attention to your feet and make sure that there are no infections developing. This is important because it is very easy to get an infection that could lead to the need for amputation if not caught in time or severe blood poisoning from dying skin tissue.
Another good way to prevent diabetes is to control your diet. Eating too many foods with a high glycemic index, which usually means foods with large amounts of simple sugars like candy or soda, can cause your cells to become less sensitive to insulin, which can cause diabetes. Eat less and save yourself the medical bills.
People often throw the white flag up and confess that they are going to get diabetes in a couple years as the age. But the truth of the matter is many people can avoid diabetes completely even if it runs in their family. If a person lives a healthy life style and stays within the proper range for percent body fat they can live a life free of diabetes.
Diabetics should constantly work to avoid dehydration. There are many things to keep in mind to prevent from getting dehydrated. Such things to keep in mind are: avoid beverages filled with caffeine, drink plenty of water when exercising and drink 1 ounce of water for every 2.5 pounds of your body weight. Working to keep yourself hydrated keeps you healthy as a diabetic and as an individual.
When you are testing your blood glucose levels, take the time to wash your hands properly before you perform the test on yourself. Use an antibacterial soap that is mild in nature so that you keep your fingertips moist. This will make the test much more effective and your hands more moisturized.
Discussion about this post