A diagnosis of diabetes can be overwhelming, confusing and frightening. However, a good education of the disease and how to manage it, can really offset the fears and enable you to lead a healthy, normal life. The piece that follows includes some great advice about managing diabetes and getting the right kind of care.
All food has a ‘glycemic index’ this is how much your blood sugar will be affected when you eat them. Select foods with a low glycemic index.
Enjoy foods like eggs, beans and Greek yogurt that are high in protein but low in fat. Don’t let it get boring! Mix up the routine and keep your mouth at attention the entire time.
Try to keep a tight schedule in order to simplify your life and allow your body to get used to normal cycles. Keep your insulin close to you and store it in the same spot every night. When you are going to test your blood sugar levels, have a routine in place so you do not forget an important step, and you remember to write down the levels in a log.
Add walnuts to your salad to add a fresh, nutritious twist. Walnuts contain mono saturated fats which assists your health by making your cells receptive to insulin. In addition to this, you’ll find important nutrients like omega-3 acids and antioxidants in them. Snacking on some tasty walnuts can even give you energy!
Diabetics must exercise caution when having a pedicure. Because people with diabetes are likely to develop foot infections, even a small cut can have serious results.
You should always have a pack of gum or some other sugary substitute with you if you are afflicted by hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemic attacks can happen at any time, and it is vital that you be prepared in the case of one. If you suffer from hypoglycemia, avoid attacks by never skipping meals.
Blood Sugar Levels
Know which foods are low on the glycemic index and will help your body release glucose slowly. Foods like desserts, pasta and breads can all raise your blood sugar levels. Many processed foods also make it difficult to maintain stable blood sugar levels. Try eating fruits, veggies, meats, and fish instead.
You don’t need to sign up at a gym. Exercise for free by taking a walk or jogging. This will help with weight loss and overall fitness. Try using the local school’s jungle gym after hours to do chin ups. Or, you can use common items at home as weights to lift.
Remember to consult your physician if you’re pregnant or if you think you have gestational diabetes. Untreated gestational diabetes can pose a risk to both you and your baby. The best way to improve your diabetic condition during pregnancy is through diet and exercise.
If you have diabetes and like to snack, resisting the “quick fix” snacks in vending machines is really hard. At all costs avoid this temptation, and try a fruit, or perhaps a veggie.
If you have diabetes, it is very important to take great care in managing what you eat. The food you eat will change your blood sugar level almost immediately after you eat, so you need to monitor and log what you are eating. Large meals may call for large insulin doses, and a snack requires less. By watching your meals, you will be able to better manage your blood sugar.
It is a good idea for diabetics to have five or six small meals throughout the day, rather than three large meals. Eating small healthy meals, several times a day, will keep your blood sugar stable. Eating more often also helps you avoid the desire to binge, because the frequent meals will keep you satisfied.
Gestational diabetes is NOT YOUR FAULT! Sometimes it happens and a lot of the time you cannot stop it from happening. Lower your stress, and think positively about your child and yourself.
If you find that hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a problem, ask your doctor if you should take glucose tablets. The tablets are simple to take wherever you go and help elevate your glucose levels quicker and more efficiently than foods with sugar.
Favorite Foods
Instead of getting rid of them, change up the way you eat your favorite foods. Adjusting to a diet that will benefit your diabetes can understandably be a struggle for many people. The good news, however, is that few foods are truly off limits to you. Some diabetics will ignore the restrictions and continue to eat their favorite foods. Taking a close look at the ingredients of your favorites, and adjusting them to meet your nutritional requirements is the best way to go. Lots of foods are diabetes-friendly if healthy alternatives are substituted for problem ingredients.
Scientific research has shown that exercise decreases blood sugar levels. In addition, it increases sensitivity towards insulin, which assists you in managing blood sugar levels healthily. If you want to obtain the best possible results, you should do plenty of aerobic exercises in combination with steady resistance training.
Upon receiving a diagnosis of diabetes, a person should gain as much knowledge about the disease as possible. If you do enough homework, you can make sure you take great care of your body. Knowledge is certainly power, and people with diabetes have a responsibility to themselves to understand exactly what is involved in taking the best care of themselves.
Diabetes doesn’t have to be scary, just educate yourself. Follow the tips presented here and you will realize how important knowledge is for living with diabetes.