Are you living with diabetes? Diabetes does not have to be the debilitating disease that some make it out to be. You can have a “normal” life and have diabetes at the same time. Follow our tips on how to make the most out of your life with diabetes.
If you need to sweeten your tea or coffee, but you have Diabetes, try using more natural sweeteners like honey or a sweetener and sugar substitute. These sweetener and sugar substitute can be found at many grocery stores today and is a plant extract, which is very sweet. It can even be found in a powdered form which mimics real sugar.
Having a child with diabetes can appear overwhelming, but you can work through it. Diabetes is quite common, and there is no reason your child can’t maintain a high quality of life after being diagnosed. The world’s oldest living diabetic has lived for 90 years and has been around since before the current medical advances.
You can get a free blood glucose meter from your pharmacy just by asking. They usually have coupons or rebates so that you can get the latest model at no cost, the caveat is that you’ll be buying their brand of blood test strips for the rest of your life.
Focus on leg circulation to combat diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy. Keep your feet moving as much as possible to increase the blood circulating down through your toes. One exercise that is great for a desk job is to lift your foot up and then wiggle your toes, turning your feet in circles at the ankle.
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes or at high risk of acquiring the disease, it is vitally important that you lose weight. About 80 percent of all diabetics are overweight carrying excess body fat has been proven to contribute to the development of the disease. Losing weight is often times all one needs to do to completely control all diabetes symptoms.
A great way to manage diabetes naturally, without having to rely on medications is to get plenty of exercise. By exercising regularly, you will burn calories, which will result in a healthy weight. Exercising will also help your body respond to insulin, which is key to controlling diabetes. Exercise also helps improve your body’s circulation, which is another issue that diabetics usually face. Overall, exercise is an important factor in controlling diabetes.
To increase your sensitivity to insulin, maintain an active lifestyle. Studies have shown that insulin has a stronger effect on those who engage in plenty of physical activity. This will make sure your blood sugar levels stay in a healthy range, and will make it easier for you to manage your diabetes.
To allow yourself to still enjoy your favorite foods, make simple substitutions. Collard greens can be made with turkey broth instead of ham hock, and ground beef can easily be replaced by ground turkey. Try purchasing a diabetes cookbook. You may find that you can keep on eating many of your favorite meals.
There are several ways to prevent developing diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common and can be prevented by regular exercise, losing weight, eating more fiber, and consuming whole grains. Don’t attempt to shortcut living a healthy lifestyle by using fad diets; talk to a physician or nutritionist and make an effective plan together.
It is important to control pre-diabetes with proper diet and exercise as well as keeping weight at normal levels. Studies show that even pre-diabetics are at risk of developing dangerous long-term damage from even mildly elevated blood sugar levels. These effects can be damaging even to the heart and circulatory system.
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.
To make sure the carbohydrates you consume don’t cause an issue for your body, eat them alongside protein. Protein will make sure your body absorbs the carbohydrates you eat slowly, which will help prevent dramatic changes to your blood sugar levels. Protein rarely increases blood glucose levels, and it’s a great way to balance carbohydrates out.
Whether you feel like eating or not, you must continue to eat properly and monitor blood glucose levels. Low glucose for long periods can make you feel dehydrated, so clear fluids are very important during that time.
Closely monitor how much trans fat and saturated fat you are taking in. The trans fat in vegetable oils and fried products contribute to heart disease and severely affect patients with type 2 diabetes. Also, the saturated fat in red meats and other foods does the same thing. Eat these types of fats at healthy levels.
If you are a diabetic who has never smoked, or who has not smoked in 6 months, you may want to talk with your doctor about using an inhaled insulin treatment. Recent medical studies have shown that inhaled insulin may be more effective in treating diabetes than pills or injections.
Do not skip any meals if you are a diabetic. Doing that will cause you to be more hungry when it is time to eat and you will probably eat much more than you would have otherwise. This will lead to higher than usual blood sugar levels so it should be avoided.
To better control your diabetes, add more exercise into your daily routine. Exercise can help to control blood sugar levels, which is essential to any diabetes maintenance plan. It also promotes a healthy weight, which can make managing diabetes easier to do. Strive for at least twenty minutes of moderate exercise three or four times a week.
As you can see, it is possible to live a happy life even if you have diabetes. Living with diabetes is all what you make it, and you can make the best out of it. By following our tips you will learn how to lead a happy life, thus making the best of your health limitations.